Current Edition >> Archives Section >> Business Pointers >> 1 - 17 August 2003

Business pointers :: Sakeflitse

Vrystaat - Free State

Phakisa in the balance : The future of the Phakisa racetrack at Welkom, originally built for R63 million, is in the balance after the Free State Provincial Government decided against investing a further R39 million taxpayers' money into the project. The Welkom Municipality is prepared to provide R5 million to keep the project afloat and the District Municipality R6 million, but this is still far short of the funding, necessary to substain the project. As such it poses a serious setback to the already depressed Goldfields economy. The only option now seems to find sufficient private sectoral investment and drive.

Workshops on SMME centre : A number of workshops have been held at Phuthaditjhaba on the possibility of establishing a SMME support centre, involving inter alia GCIS, DTI national and the FDC. About progress made and possibilities of synergization, call Pulane Matsoso at 083 249 7422 or fax (058) 789 3585 or namahadi@telkomsa.net.

Star Bakery verkoop : Die bekende Star Bakery in Markgraaffstraat, Bloemfontein, wat sedert 1965 deur mnr. Clay en me. Kay Kleovoulou opgebou is tot 'n spogbesigheid, is sedert 1 Augustus 2003 verkoop aan nuwe eienaars. Die Kleovoulou egpaar wil nou 'n kalmer lewe lei, terwyl hul seuns voortgaan met die bedryf van die restaurant, Barba's Café in Tweedelaan.

Nationaal - National

Nuwe wet teen gesteelde goedere by pandjieswinkels : 'n Wetsontwerp is in die Staatskoerant gepubliseer wat die Polisie nuwe magte sal gee om pandjieswinkels wat huishoudelike toestelle verkoop, te deursoek vir gesteelde goedere. In die bestaande Wet op die Handel in Tweedehandse Goedere van 1955 word net voorsiening gemaak vir die onwettige verkoop van aluminium, koper en voertuie en word huishoudelike goedere en kantoortoerusting uitgesluit. Ingevolge die voorgestelde Wetsontwerp op die Handel in Tweedehandse Goedere, wat na verwagting in Februarie aan die Parlement vir goedkeuring voorgelê sal word, kan iemand wat gesteelde goedere verkoop, 10 jaar tronkstraf opgelê word.

Gap between rich and poor in SA widens : According to a report by Idasa the gap between rich (both white and black) and poor (also both black and white) is widening alarmingly. One key statistic quoted : 15 million South Africans have to survive on less than R800 per month, while there are 10 157 South Africans each receiving an income of more than R204 000 per month.

SA meeste moorde ter wêreld : Volgens syfers verskaf deur Minister van Veiligheid en Sekuriteit Charles Nqakula in antwoord op 'n Parlementêre vraag, word in SA 'n moord elke halfuur, 60 per dag en 21 922 per jaar gepleeg. Hierdie syfer is sowat 12 000 per jaar minder as syfers wat deur die Mediese Navorsingsraad (MNR) verstrek is. Inmiddels het die Instituut vir Sekerheidstudies bevind Suid-Afrika het die meeste moorde per capita - 59 vir elke 100 000 inwoners. Dit word gevolg deur Columbia (58), Jamaika (37), Brasilië (21), Rusland (21), Zimbabwe (9), Amerika (6), Spanje (3), en Engeland en Wallis (1).

Internasionaal - International

Nepad moves against hunger : According to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) - a component of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) - the latest data (for the period 1997 to 1999) show 200 million people, or 28% of the total population, are chronically hungry. Wiseman Nkuhlu, the head of the Nepad secretariat, attributes these shocking statistics to climate change, poverty, lack of an enabling policy, environmental degradation, conflicts, poor international market conditions and economic mismanagement. To remedy the crisis, the CAADP has come up with four "pillars for priority investment": Land and water management; Rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for improved market access; Increasing food supply and reducing hunger; and Agricultural research and technology dissemination.

SADC states given access to Atlantic : New customs regulations affecting a corridor which links South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, have been introduced on August 1, giving business in the region easier access to the Atlantic Ocean. The Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG), announced that the new regulations would mean only one administrative document would be needed for goods from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia transported along the Trans Kalahari Highway. The highway, which stretches from Johannesburg through Botswana to the port of Walvis Bay in Namibia, gives landlocked regions access to the prime trans-Atlantic sea route. He said the new regulations may be extended to Angola and similar ones introduced in the Dar es Salaam Corridor in East Africa.

Iran and SA in major oil deals : Iranian and South African oil companies are planning joint investments that could be worth as much as two billion dollars, a figure that may treble in years to come, Iran's foreign minister Khamal Kharrazi says. Speaking at the opening of the seventh joint commission meeting between the two countries, Kharazzi lauded economic co-operation between Iran and South Africa, which amounted to 730 million dollars last year. Last year, South Africa bought 40% of its oil supplies from Iran.

Textile industry in Lesotho burgeoning : According to a research report by the University of Natal's Centre of Civil Society, Lesotho's textile industry is one of the country's most lucrative business sectors. “With 38 factories and 27 distinct operations, the textile industry certainly is one of the country's largest growth sectors,” the report finds. With only 11% of Lesotho's textiles industry held in local hands, Taiwan is by far the single-largest foreign investor with a 65% share, followed by Hong Kong (13%), South Africa (5%) Singapore (3%) and Israel (3%). Large companies such as Nien Hsing, the CGM Group, Fancy Knitting and Shining Century all operate in Lesotho. The industry is also a prolific creator of jobs, employing some 32 233 workers, while it is expected that a further 5 000 people will be employed when a new textile mill comes into production in 2004.