Day: July 20, 2022

President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is undeniable that South Africa has made gains in transforming a skewed and racialised economy.

“Today, there are well over 300,000 black entrepreneurs who own over half of all small businesses in the formal sector,“ he said on Wednesday.

In addition to the progress in management, shareholding and ownership of businesses by black and women South Africans, there has also been substantial progress made in employment equity.

“As we reflect on this progress, we must also critically examine areas where transformation has been slow and implementation has been weak,” said President Ramaphosa at the inaugural conference currently underway at the Sandton Convention Centre.

The President noted that as the conference recognises and celebrates the successes of the Black Industrialists programme, it needs also to set out what our responsibilities are – individually and collectively – to advance inclusive entrepreneurship in the country.

He said the country’s black industrialists strategy is underpinned by two core commitments. This was to secure greater diversity in ownership and control in the economy, which is crucial for economic dynamism and social solidarity as well as a commitment to promote emerging enterprises to drive inclusive industrialisation.

“Our strategy aims to ensure that we secure greater representivity across the economy, all the while generating greater prosperity and employment. Over the past six years, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Industrial Development Corporation, the National Empowerment Fund and other agencies have supported approximately 900 black industrialists.

“Estimates by the Industrial Development Corporation suggest that the socio-economic returns of this programme have been even more far-reaching. This includes supporting and creating some 55,000 jobs and adding over R160 billion to our country’s GDP,” President Ramaphosa said.

The inaugural Black Industrialist and Exporters Conference will showcase the progress of government measures in promoting access and transformation to more black industrialists in the economy and the opportunities that the Africa Free Continental Trade Area (AfCTA) offers.

The conference will also highlight how broad-based empowerment enables growth and job-creation strategy, specifically on the value it adds to the economy.

The programme has to date empowered over 800 black industrialists inclusive of new entrants, women and youth in competitive industries.

President Ramaphosa said small businesses continue to benefit from preferential procurement by the state and receive support to grow and expand.

“These successes are testament to a shared commitment to transformation, and to deepen collaboration between the state, the private sector and other actors in the economy. And yet as much as we are working to achieve the vision of the Freedom Charter that all shall share in the country’s wealth, we have not yet overcome the structural defects of our economy,” the President said.

Barriers

He added that self-employment and entrepreneurship are the engines of growth and job creation in any economy.

“They support innovation, boost competitiveness and bring new products and services into an economy. To a large extent, this entrepreneurial deficit is the legacy of the policies of the past. But 28 years into democracy, there are still barriers preventing black entrepreneurs from meaningful and equitable participation in the economy,” he said.

He said these barriers are particularly challenging for women, youth and persons with disabilities and are particularly challenging for entrepreneurs in townships and rural areas. This as these entrepreneurs have difficulty accessing finance, markets, technology and infrastructure.

The President also spoke of red tape and other bureaucratic obstacles.

“On a wider scale, there is also the concentrated nature of the economy and ownership patterns, and exclusion from major value-chains.

For this reason, even as we celebrate black entrepreneurial success, our eyes must look towards the horizon. While we are here to deliberate on learnings from the Black Industrialists Programme and other initiatives, this conference is also about shifting the transformation agenda into higher gear.”

Load shedding

The President also spoke of the country’s energy challenge saying this is being addressed.

“In particular, we need to act decisively and urgently to end the load shedding that is causing such damage to our economy and such disruption to our society. Like every other actor in the economy, black industrialists can simply not grow without a reliable supply of affordable energy.”

Much has been done over the last four years to transform the country’s energy landscape and bring new generation capacity online.

“But that is not enough. And we need to move faster. That is why I have brought together all relevant departments and entities to work on an integrated set of measures to add additional power to the grid in the shortest possible time.

We are currently engaged in consultations with social partners on these measures, and will soon be able to announce a package of measures that provides an effective response to our energy crisis,” he said.

Panel discussions

The conference will hold six high level panel discussions on assessing the impact of Broad-based empowerment, strengthening the impact of transformation, facilitating transformation, the role of supplier development and procurement, challenges and opportunities with financing black industrialists, promoting exports and the AfCFTA and Master Plans to promote economic inclusion and Quantifying the impact of BEE.

Panellists will include Ministers, leaders in business, civil society and prominent black industrialists.

The conference will also maximize the opportunity for delegates in attendance to meet with potential funders, customers and suppliers.

Prior to giving the keynote address, President Ramaphosa, accompanied by some Cabinet Ministers and business representatives, conducted a walk-about at the stalls erected at the conference venue by the various companies showcasing their products and services.

President Ramaphosa will later this evening hand over awards to outstanding black industrialists at the Presidential Awards for Excellence dinner.

Source: South African Government News Agency

KARIEGA – The South African Police Service in Uitenhage are urgently seeking the community’s assistance in tracing the next of kin of an unidentified male.

On Sunday, 17 July 2022 at about 19:40, the deceased was found lying next to Union Road, Kariega by a community member. He is believed to be in his fifties and was clad in dark clothing. Preliminary investigations suggested that the victim might have been involved in a possible hit-and-run. An inquest docket was opened and is under investigation.

Anyone who might be looking for a relative or who might be able to assist with information that can lead police to his next of kin, or the identity of the deceased, or information about the incident is requested to contact the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Deon Roos on 079 896 8148, SAPS Crime Stop 08600 10111 or contact the nearest police station.

Source: South African Police Service

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to host President Alassane Ouattara of the Federal Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on an official State visit on Friday.

This will be a reciprocal visit by President Ouattara following President Ramaphosa’s visit to the West African country in December last year.

The Presidency said during the visit, the two countries will hold bilateral discussions, witness the signing of a number of agreements and address a business forum.

“South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire enjoy close political, economic, social and cultural ties. Bilateral relations between the two countries are managed through the Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC), established in December 2015, as a structured bilateral mechanism to facilitate political, economic, social, cultural, scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries.

“Since the establishment of the JCC, nine Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and Agreements have been signed between the two countries in sectors such as agriculture, mining, transport, telecommunications and defence. During the State visit, the two countries aim to sign additional agreements to further strengthen bilateral relations,” the Presidency said.

Despite the economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, trade between South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire has increased by some R774 million since 2019, reaching at least R2 billion in 2021.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The City of Cape Town is happy to announce that the rollout of Home Composting containers resumed this week in Sub-council 19. The City of Cape Town plans to distribute a total of 600 containers per Sub-council area in the next phase of the home composting rollout. This phase of the programme will run between July and November 2022. A total of 12 600 containers will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

So far, 300 containers were distributed to prospective home composters on Monday 18 July, and a further 300 will be up for grabs at the Fish Hoek Civic Hall tomorrow from 14:00 to 18:00. From here the programme will move to Sub-council 1, with 300 containers available for collection at the Saxonsea City Hall on Monday 25 July 2022, and 300 more available from Blaauwberg Community Hall on Saturday 23 July 2022. The rollout will then move through to other areas. Residents should please keep an eye on the following www.capetown.gov.za/CompostingProgramme to be notified when the programme will be in their area. The schedule should not be impacted by load-shedding.

Residents who would like to apply for a container should please bring along their ID and municipal account. Please note that only single residential households may apply. Education on how to set up the container and make compost will be done at the collection site. Please note only one container will be issued per household.

Promoting home composting is a key part of the City's effort to reduce emissions from landfills. When organic waste breaks down in a landfill, it produces landfill gas. This gas, made up primarily of methane, is understood to have a global warming potential 25 times higher than carbon dioxide. However, production of landfill gas is avoided by composting the waste. It is estimated that a total of 1 650 tonnes of organic waste was composted from the programme's inception until the end June 2021. The GHG emission savings is estimated at 2 092 t CO2e (tons carbon dioxide equivalent) for the same period.

'Since the start of the programme in 2016, we have issued more than 22 000 free home composting containers to residents throughout the city to try and build a composting culture. Composting has a lot of potential to minimise waste and reduce carbon emissions because almost anyone with a small garden can do it. Even if you miss out on a City-issued container this time, don't let this get in your way.' said Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg.

Source: City Of Cape Town

The number of consumer units receiving services from municipalities increased between 2019 and 2020, says Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).

Releasing the 2020 Non-Financial Census of Municipalities on Tuesday, Stats SA said for the period under review, sewerage and sanitation showed the highest percentage increase (4.3%), followed by water (3.9%), then electricity and solid waste management (both with 2.3%).

It said: “With the exception of electricity services, the free basic services (FBS) provided to consumer units decreased in all other services between the 2019 and 2020 financial years.

“According to 2020 estimates, there were 3.6 million indigent households as identified by municipalities, an increase of 6.4% from the 2019 financial year.”

Of the 3.6 million identified indigents, 2.7 million indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for water, while 2.1 million benefited from free basic electricity provided by municipalities.

Stats SA said: “Furthermore, 2.0 million indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for sewerage and sanitation and 2.4 million indigent households benefited from the indigent support system for solid waste management.”

The census revealed that bucket toilets provided by municipalities to households increased by 4 696 (11.1%) consumer units from 42 434 to 47 130 between 2019 and 2020 financial years.

“The number of people employed by municipalities decreased by 6.6%, from 333 412 in 2019 to 311 364 in 2020 (inclusive of funded vacancies),” reads the report.

Source: South African Government News Agency

KZN Provincial Commissioner praises team as four men appear in court for tavern massacre

The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has commended the investigation team for the breakthrough made in the deadly shooting in the Samkelisiwe Tavern which left four people dead and eight others wounded.

On Saturday, 9 July 2022 a group of gunmen entered the tavern and opened fire on the patrons before fleeing the scene.

Immediately after the incident, General Mkhwanazi mobilised maximum resources to track down and bring those responsible to book.

The team, comprising of detectives from Provincial Organised Crime Task Team, Crime Intelligence and the National Intervention Stabilisation Team, joined by Magma private security company worked around the clock on this case.

The team has since, between Monday, 18 July 2002 and yesterday the 19th, arrested four suspects aged between 19 and 36 years. The suspects were arrested in the area of Nhlazatshe in Pietermaritzburg. Two of the suspects were found in unlawful possession of a firearm with a total of 17 rounds of ammunition.

All four suspects are expected to appear before the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates’ Court this morning.

The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has welcomed the arrest of the suspects. “I have commended the team and applauded them for tirelessly ensuring that those responsible for this massacre are brought to book”, said General Mkhwanazi.

Source: Government of South Africa

Minister Ebrahim Patel’s opening remarks during the inaugural Black Industrialists Conference

On behalf of the South African government, I wish to warmly welcome you on this beautiful day at this Inaugural Black Industrialists Conference, in this hall brimming with energy. Of the more than 1 000 delegates here, a special welcome to the CEOs of 650 black-owned firms present, drawn from all parts of the economy.

There are businesses here:

• Who feed the nation through production of food and beverages, and the growing of fruits, vegetables and the farming of animals who provide the meat we eat;

• Firms who help to generate green energy and are developing new-generation battery solutions,

• Companies who produce steel and engineered products, and chemicals

• businesses who make the clothes we wear, the shoes on our feet, the sheets on our beds; the cosmetics we apply and the furniture we use in our homes and offices

• firms who innovate with new technologies, digital products and space-technologies

• companies who dig the coal, the vanadium and other minerals beneath our soil as well as those who render the support services that make it possible to get these to markets

• factory owners whose components go into the C-class Mercedes, the Toyotas and VW vehicles produced in South Africa;

• emerging black construction firms who have benefitted from the competition settlement with large firms in the industry

• tourism establishments and businesses

• healthcare firms, some who helped us to fight against covid-19, including those who made components that went into the production of the South African made ventilators used in our hospitals; and

• black film-makers who produce films that tell the South African story

We welcome small businesses who provide important services to the community; and medium-sized businesses who employ people in productive labour as well as the trade union leaders who represent the workers.

We welcome a number of representatives of workers trusts who hold shares in the firms they are working in, with hundreds of thousands of workers now owning such shares.

We have small panel-beater shops who are now on the panels of large insurers after the competition commission investigation into restrictive practices and ways to broaden access for small businesses.

We have industrialists who have invested their money to build new factories, to expand mines, to develop more agricultural lands, to obtain machinery and to employ young South Africans.

We have a large contingent of exporting firms present – last year, off the back of the commodity boom, SA achieved a record performance, exporting R1,8 trillion, representing almost one third of our GDP. Some of the exports came from black-owned firms present here today. We are now working with a black exporters network to be launched today to increase the volume of exports and create local jobs.

These are businesses who in many cases have showed resilience; and they are the productive engines that create jobs. I also want to welcome Members of Cabinet who are present from a number of different portfolios, Our host Premier, David Makhura Members of Parliament, economic regulators from competition, consumer and lottery agencies and government officials from different departments.

We welcome 18 funding entities who are in the business of financing small and medium sized businesses, including commercial banks, DFIs like the IDC and NEF, and other funders.

We have the representatives of a number of retailers present, with their procurement officers and buyers and we hope they will find suppliers here that they can bring into their supply-chains.

We welcome the 142 exhibitors who are showcasing their products in the market-place that has been set up as part of the Conference and you will find their products when you go for coffee later and because pictures tell stories so vividly, we will flight videos of progress made by black industrialists; and you will have received a book, telling the story of about 150 black industrialists. This is the first Black Industrialist Conference.

There are five components to the Conference:

• 1st, there are the discussions to be held today in plenary and through high level panels, with 40 speakers and

• 2nd, the launch of key growth initiatives like the Black Exporters Network and an opportunity to showcase black women and young industrialists, component makers, film-makers, worker ownership trust representatives and to formally introduce the Broad-based Black Business Council to black industrialists

• 3rd, a market-place for products produced by black industrialists, with 140 black-owned firms featured

• 4th, a series of eight Excellence Awards to be given to firms and individuals selected through a nomination process; and

• 5th, a media focus, with a live studio by SABC, space for interviews, the release of a book on black industrialists profiling their businesses and videos on individual industrialists.

This Conference will highlight South African stories, of firms that have been built from the bottom up; of black South Africans who have used the opportunities in a democracy to build businesses that employ.

Today is also about the future and what we will do. In February this year in his State of the Nation Address in the South African Parliament, President Ramaphosa, outlined progress we had made with the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

The President called for investors, workers and citizens to work together to develop a social compact for greater growth, investment and jobs.

The President has placed transformation at the centre of his focus and agenda; and through the reimagined industrial strategy he outlined in his inaugural SONA, he has put the focus on changing the structure of the economy. It should be about industrialisation and greater levels of localisation of production.

I want to welcome now the President of the Republic, His Excellency Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, and call on the President to officially open the Conference and give the keynote Address.

Mr. President, the floor is yours. Please welcome the President.

Source: Government of South Africa