15 Oct 2013

Manufacturing

Ramphele: Drop BEE

Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele has called for SA to abandon empowerment, which, she says, has not worked. A great many people would agree with her. She also said that under an Agang government, officials found guilty of corruption would be jailed for a minimum of 15 years. Do we hear calls of "More!" "More!"?

Our education system is generally considered by quite a few people to be in a shambles, so it's not surprising that it's bleeding teachers. According to Angie Motshekga, some 14,000 teachers left the education department in the 2012/13 financial year. Of these, 6,272 resigned. If one reads media reports of teachers being assaulted, disruptive pupils and what-have-you, the only real surprise is that there are not more teachers taking the gap and taking up less onerous jobs in which they will have the respect they deserve... from all quarters.

We need entrepreneurs here, but Canada plans to lure SA entrepreneurs to Canada with a Start-up Visa. So what are we going to do to keep our budding entrepreneurs and future employers here?

Come fly with me - but only if you have a bit of cash... Rob Baker (no relation, as you can see he's far better looking than I am) makes some points about what the role of a state-owned airline should be, and also, what the state should not do that might stifle competition.

Rod Baker, Content Director

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Weekly top stories

Strikes slow August manufacturing growth
Manufacturing production growth moderated significantly in August‚ reflecting the results of strike action in vehicle manufacturing sectors and supporting views third quarter economic growth will be weaker than the second quarter's. Read more >>

Manufacturing
Commission awaits 'sensitive documents'
The arms procurement commission resumed on Monday, 14 October, and cynics are waiting to see whether the Department of Defence and its procurement agency, Armscor, have declassified "sensitive documents". Read more >>

Beige's loss per share 3.99c
Home and personal care products manufacturer Beige Holdings on Monday (14 October) reported a diluted loss per share of 3.99c for the year to June. Read more >>

No locomotive deal probe needed says Prasa
The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has rejected the DA's call for the auditor general to investigate a R3.5bn locomotive deal that was outsourced because Transnet would not have been able to deliver the trains. Read more >>

Spur Corporation ventures out of South Africa
[Zeenat Moorad] Spur Corporation‚ whose brands include‚ Panarottis‚ John Dory's and Captain DoRegos will open new outlets in Swaziland‚ Nigeria‚ Tanzania‚ Namibia and the Seychelles next year. Read more >>

Premier buys Li-Lets to get other FMCG categories says Brait
[Nick Hedley] The purchase of feminine hygiene brand Lil-Lets Group by Brait company Premier Foods is part of a broader strategy to expand Premier across other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories according to Brait director Sean Dougherty. Read more >>

Metair takes control of Turkish battery maker
[Mark Allix] Metair Investments‚ which makes automotive parts for the original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and after-market components markets‚ is to take a R2.17bn controlling share in Mutlu Aku‚ a Turkish lead-acid battery manufacturer and distributor in Turkey and the Middle East. Read more >>


Manufacturing
Maputo port set for another record tonnage this year
[Helmo Preuss] After waiting 40 years to break the annual record tonnage of 14.7m tons (Mt) shipped in 1972‚ Maputo port will this year ship 18Mt after a record 15.2Mt last year‚ Maputo Port commercial director Johann Botha told I-Net Bridge. Read more >>

Calls to halt policy drift in wake of BMW snub
[Karl Gernetzky‚ Ntsakisi Maswanganyi‚ Nicky Smith] The government is facing a growing chorus of criticism from across the political spectrum over the uncertainty of its economic policies‚ with strikes‚ inflexible labour laws and a sharp slowdown in its infrastructure roll-out being identified as brakes on growth. Read more >>

BMW not leaving South Africa says Davies
German car manufacturer BMW is not ceasing its production in South Africa‚ Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said in Pretoria on Wednesday (10 October). Read more >>

Malaria vaccine will save children
The world's first malaria vaccine for children could be on sale by 2015. Read more >>

Altron revenue rise likely from Bytes and Altech
[Thabiso Mochiko] Allied Electronics (Altron) will bed down the integration of Bytes and Altech in about 12 to 18 months‚ following the R1.8bn acquisition of minority shareholding in Altech two months ago. Read more >>

SAB granted interdict to stop violence by Fawu
South African Breweries (SAB) has been granted an interdict by the Labour Court which states striking workers must halt any violent activities and abide by the picketing rules. Read more >>

Transformation too slow says Pityana
Progress in transforming South African workplaces is too slow says Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution (CASAC) chairman Sipho Pityana. Read more >>

Of inventors and innovators: South Africa's pioneering entrepreneurs
Here are some well-known and visionary South African inventors and entrepreneurs, whose pioneering work has received international recognition, and contributed to many improvements in our world. Read more >>

Striking SAB workers hand over memo
Striking SA Breweries (SAB) workers affiliated to the Food and Allied Workers' Union (Fawu) handed over a memorandum to the company on Tuesday (8 October). Read more >>

Samsung's first 'curved' smartphone hits S. Korea market
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Samsung's first smartphone with a curved display screen was available on the South Korean market from Thursday, 10 October, as the electronics company seeks to maintain its lead in the increasingly saturated market. Read more >>

US ban on some Samsung devices upheld
NEW YORK CITY, USA: The Obama administration on Tuesday (8 October) upheld a decision to ban some Samsung mobile technology products because of the patent violations owned by Apple. Read more >>

Entrepreneur makes locally made fragrances the in thing
Thembi Shangase was so concerned about the amount of money people spent on fragrances while she was working for a top retailer that she started her own business making them. Read more >>


International

Japan says parts export to UK navy not illegal
TOKYO, JAPAN: Japan has approved the sale of engine parts for use by the British Royal Navy, saying it would not violate arms exports by Tokyo, press reports said Monday (14 October). Read more >>

Traditional computer sales eroded by love of tablets
SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Industry analyst this week reported that sales of traditional personal computers continued to wither as consumer tastes shifted to tablets. Read more >>

India car sales post steepest drop in decade
NEW DELHI, INDIA: India's car sales fell nearly five percent year-on-year in the first half of the financial year due to the weak economy. This is the steepest drop in a decade, according to data released on Tuesday (8 October). Read more >>


More International


Government

Gauteng Health spends R30m on linen
The Gauteng Department of Health has spent R30m on buying new linen for hospitals and clinics that currently facing acute shortages of bedding. Read more >>

UIF set to extend benefit payment period
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is on the verge of expanding the period of benefit payments from eight months to 12 months, says the fund's commissioner Boas Seruwe. Read more >>

Shale gas exploration an opportunity for SA
Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu says the potential for shale gas exploration and exploitation provides an opportunity for South Africa to begin exploring the production of its own fuel and marks the beginning of the re-industrialisation of the economy. Read more >>

Dti to launch informal sector scheme
The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) will launch an informal sector scheme, which will give grants to the country's informal sector, dti Director General Lionel October said on Wednesday, 8 October. Read more >>

Patel reports funding records
Industrial funding disbursements and a crackdown on cartels was at a record high in the 2012/13 financial year, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Tuesday (8 October). Read more >>


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