The South African government has unveiled a series of measures to help the country speed up job creation, following the release of figures this week showing that unemployment rose from 25 to 25.7 percent in the second quarter.

The "12-point implementation plan" will see the State harnessing short-term employment schemes, enterprise development and a series of public investment schemes to tackle unemployment, which was exacerbated by the 2008-09 global economic crisis, when more than 900 000 South Africans lost their jobs.

Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane, speaking to journalists in Pretoria following a three-day Cabinet meeting, said Cabinet would also be setting up an Infrastructure Commission and Job Creation Commission, to be chaired by President Jacob Zuma and his deputy, Kgalema Motlanthe, respectively.

Research shows that while unemployment figures have increased, the state has been leading in job creation, with the private sector lagging behind.

Chabane said the Infrastructure Commission would ensure systematic selection, planning and monitoring of large projects.

"This intervention will systematically improve the capacity of state agencies to deliver infrastructure and help connect the work of all spheres of government," Chabane said, adding that the revitalization of the country's rail infrastructure was also highlighted during the Cabinet meeting.

Dineo Matomela

ANGLO American has plans to create 15 000 jobs in the next four years by supporting 1 500 new businesses, chief executive Cynthia Carroll announced yesterday.

Speaking to about 1 000 delegates at the company’s Local Procurement and Enterprise Development Trade Fair in Johannesburg, Carrol said Anglo’s commitment was supported by its spend on black economic empowerment and business development.

She said that in the past 10 years the money spent on empowerment had increased to R21 billion from R911 million.

“More than 40 percent of our total available procurement spend is directed to historically disadvantaged South African businesses,” she said.

Source

Walmart 'raring to go' in South Africa

2 June 2011

US retailer Walmart says it is looking forward to boosting South African exports, creating new jobs in the country, and using its controlling stake in local retailer Massmart to expand in the southern African region, following the competition authorities' approval of the merger.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said during a conference call on Tuesday that the company expected to complete the R16.5-billion transaction to buy a 51 percent stake in Massmart within weeks.

"We will now move to close the transaction as soon as possible ... we do look forward to closing ... in a matter of a few weeks," McMillon said following the announcement by South Africa's Competition Tribunal that the deal could go ahead with conditions proposed by Walmart and Massmart.

Cape Town, South Africa  –  Propelled by high growth and an expanding middle class, Africa has entered a new chapter in its history; its countries must change the way they relate to the rest of the world and to each other, South African President Jacob G. Zuma told more than 900 business, government and civil society leaders from 60 countries in the opening session of the 21st World Economic Forum on Africa. “You can no longer talk about the old Africa,” he declared. “We need to develop very urgently partnerships that are different from the past, relationships that benefit Africa more.” Reckoned Zuma: “If Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions and has a billion people, then we need to think differently about how we interact with the world. We also need to consider how we interact among ourselves. We need to develop a common approach to the problems of the continent.” The theme of the three-day meeting is From Vision to Action, Africa’s Next Chapter.

Africa is emerging on the global stage at a time of rapid transformation, multiplying risks and enormous opportunities. “We are in a world of velocity, change and volatility,” noted Timothy Flynn, Chairman of KPMG International. Rising fuel and energy prices and the impact of global challenges such as climate change and water scarcity are additional challenges. “We are now moving into a period where food security will be at the forefront of strategic thinking,” added Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Board of Nestlé, who is a Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum.

Pretoria - South Africa's success as the new member of Brics will be determined by how Pretoria relates to the rest of Africa and how it will use its membership of the group to address critical issues facing the continent, says Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.

"I think that will be our major area that we will be judged on ... the issues are vast and we need to ensure that we take the rest of Africa with us because the way we relate to the rest of the continent will be very important to make our participation in Brics a success," Davies said on his return on Sunday from the Brics Leaders Summit held in China.

As the only African country in Brics, South Africa was expected to push for Africa's integration in trade and policies with the other four Brics members - Brazil, Russia, India and China, Davies said, adding that building a domestic market that cut across Africa will be ideal for South Africa if it's to survive amongst these four powerful emerging economies with a combined population of more than three billion.

Joining Brics also meant that South Africa must use this position to craft a more vigorous trade and investment programme to ensure its voice and that of the continent is heard in the broader international platforms such as the G20 and the UN Security Council.

The three-day Brics meeting, which ended in Sanya, China, on Friday, also called on the speedy achievement of the targets for the reform of the International Monetary Fund agreed to at the recent G20 summit, and reiterated that the governing structure of the international financing institution should reflect the changes in the world economy.

Pretoria - Over seven million people have tested for HIV in the past 12 months, the South African National Aids Council (Sanac) announced on Friday.

The council said over nine million people have participated in the campaign, with over seven million tested for HIV, a figure they noted as "impressive", given that historically, counselling and testing rates reached only three million people annually.

Sanac was presenting a progress report on the countrywide implementation of the HIV, Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign to a high level delegation - including Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and Eastern Cape Premier Noxolo Kiviet - in East London.

The figure of more than seven million people tested does not include data of people who were tested in a large number of private health facilities, especially general practitioners in villages and townships.

Most of those who tested positive are being initiated into treatment whilst others, depending on CD4 count, and are urged to regularly visit their health practitioners until such time that they are ready to start treatment, said Sanac.

13 April 2011

Economic and trade ministers of the BRICS grouping of powerful emerging economies have decided to set up a liaison group to intensify cooperation between the BRICS nations and South-South cooperation with other developing countries.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the first BRICS Economic and Trade Ministers Meeting in the southern Chinese beach resort of Sanya on Wednesday, China's minister of commerce, Chen Deming, said the liaison group would look into specific measures to broaden South-South relations and trade.

The liaison group would analyse current cooperation and trade and assess its future trend before putting forward an institutional framework and specific measures to expand business cooperation among BRICS members.

Deming said he and his four counterparts had held a "fruitful" 90-minute meeting which covered three issues: the various policies adopted by each country following the global downturn; how BRICS members can enhance trade and economic co-operation; and how BRICS countries could safeguard the interests of developing countries through multi-lateral cooperation.

"We still face many common challenges in the post-crisis era which require us to work even more closely, make the best use of our complementary advantages in capital, resources, market, science and technology and human resources and keep upgrading our economic co-operation and trade," Deming said.

He said the world economy was recovering, but still faced major challenges, including the crisis in the Arab world, Japan's recovery from last month's massive earthquake, a debt crisis in Europe, as well as the threat of increasing inflation and asset bubble problems.

Pretoria - The Industrial Development Corporation is to invest R102 billion in the next five years to aid the development of industry, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Tuesday.

"The IDC will substantially increase the level of industrial funding and will make available R102 billion over the next five years for investment in New Growth Path priorities," Patel said as he tabled the department's Budget Vote.

The R102 billion has been revised upwards from the previously allocated R66 billion in its current five-year projections.

Over the next five years, green industries will be allocated R22.4 billion, while mining and beneficiation will be allocated R22.1 billion. Manufacturing will receive R20.8 billion while the agriculture value chain will receive R7.7 billion.

Tourism, creative industries and high level services will receive R14.8 billion with funding to distressed companies receiving R2.5 billion, followed by strategic high impact projects receiving R11.1 billion and venture capital receiving R500 million.

The allocations will be reviewed annually.

THE continuing strike at SA’s diamond regulator threatened the sale of the stones in the country , the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said yesterday.

Workers at the South African Diamond and Precious Metal Regulator have been on strike since last Friday, disrupting diamond imports and exports .

However, Standard Bank analyst Peter Davey said the diamond market would be affected by the stay-away only if the industrial action persisted.

"I would be surprised if the strike had a material effect on the market. SA is a lot smaller than Botswana in the global context, especially at the top-end jewellery part of the market," he said.

The chairman of the NUM’s branch at the regulator , Mangaliso Babu, said workers had "vowed to close the operations if (the) unwritten issues of corruption and nepotism are not addressed".

He said the employer needed to grant workers a 10% salary increase and a R1000 housing allowance, and review recruitment procedures and conditions of service . The regulator is offering a 9% salary increase.

CEO Levy Rapoo said last Friday that no diamonds were exported on that day, because of the strike.

"We did not anticipate the strike action. It is regrettable that the people who are responsible for the exportation of these diamonds are the very same people who are on strike," he said.

andersona@bdfm.co.za

Source : Business Day