Pretoria – Germany remains an important agricultural investment partner for South Africa – Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said on Monday. “… Germany is quite important to the South African agricultural industry because the European Union (EU) has been our traditional market for much of our agricultural commodities. “Germany remains an important technical [...]Germany a crucial agricultural investor is a post from: South Africa Business



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Pretoria – Trade and Industry (dti) Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe is in Algeria to expose South African companies to trade opportunities on the continent. “The trade mission is also expected to expose South African companies to export opportunities and will provide a platform to promote South African products to potential new customers and penetrate new [...]Dti promotes trade in Algeria is a post from: South Africa Business



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Pretoria – Hosting the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa will provide South Africa with an added opportunity to actively engage and lobby African leaders and international and regional businesses on possible interventions to integrate and enhance growth in South Africa and the region.

Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said on Thursday that Cabinet, at its meeting this week, was appraised of South Africa’s participation and priorities for the event.

WEF Africa is scheduled to be held in Cape Town from 8 to 10 May 2013, under the theme: “Delivering on Africa’s promise”.

WEF-Africa is a regionally focused economic forum that provides an opportunity for local and regional businesses and investors interested in the region to exchange and even explore partnerships with governments.

Next week’s meeting is expected to focus on three key issues: accelerating economic diversification; boosting strategic infrastructure; and unlocking Africa's talent. - SAnews.gov.za

Pretoria - Sustainable partnerships should be fostered between South African and Zimbabwean business people to contribute to economic growth, says Trade and Industry (dti) Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe.

Speaking during the official opening of the South African pavilion at the 54th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Tuesday, Thabethe said the dti wants to see economic development and growth on the African continent.

“We as the dti have a mandate to support companies market their products internationally, identify markets outside the country and network with companies from other countries of the world. We want to see economic development and growth in the African continent,” she said.

The deputy minister is leading a group of 47 South African companies that are participating in the trade fair. The 47 companies are an increase from the 34 companies that participated in the multi-sectoral, multi-national fair last year. The trade fair is widely recognised as the largest intra-regional trade fair south of the Sahara with this year’s theme at the exhibition being “Building value, Enhancing growth”.

The Zimbabwean economy has much to offer in terms of opportunities that business people from both countries can take advantage of and explore.

South African ambassador to Zimbabwe Vusi Mavimbela said that economic and trade relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe need to be strengthened even further for the benefit of citizens of both countries.

Mavimbela identified cooperation and partnerships in infrastructure development as one of the most important initiatives that both nations have undertaken with the aim of strengthening relations.

He said the Zimbabwean road network rehabilitation and construction by the South African company, Group 5, was one of the ways in which relations between the two countries were being strengthened, and partnerships fostered

“Only two weeks ago Group 5, supported by the Southern African Development Bank, launched the first major toll road in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the bank is investing in Zimbabwe in the tune of more than R2 billion for the next two years. The construction of the roads in Zimbabwe and the investment by the development are underwritten by the South African government. This further makes point that relations between two countries must be strengthened,” said Mavimbela.

The trade fair will conclude on Saturday. – SAnews.gov.za

Pretoria - There is no conflict between the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), Trade and Industry (dti) Minister Rob Davies says.

The minister’s comments follow a call by the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday that the IPAP – whose fifth iteration has been unveiled and outlines government’s plans to industrialise the South African economy – should be rejected.

According to the DA, the IPAP should be rejected as it conflicts with the NDP and “allows government too great an interventionist role in the economy”.

The IPAP has a focus on the country’s manufacturing sector to create jobs.

“The NDP does not say we should not have IPAP ... Also contrary to the DA’s assertion that the IPAP makes no reference to the NDP, under the heading ‘Policy Context for IPAP’, the IPAP states South Africa's long term vision of an equitable society is provided by the NDP,” Davies said on Tuesday.

Briefing the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, Davies said the DA’s call should be dismissed as it was misleading.

The NDP aims to ensure that all South Africans attain a decent standard of living through the elimination of poverty and reduction of inequality by 2030. The core elements of a decent standard of living identified in the plan include housing, water, skills development and quality education.

Davies clarified that the IPAP was fundamentally about raising private investment through programmes that are consulted intensively with business and labour.

“We have never tried to direct against the advice and the wisdom that come from the industry players, business and labour. We have worked with them in developing our programmes and we have gone through exercises of self-discovery to inform our programmes with players.

“We have negotiated the programmes with the players and that is the shape of IPAP,” said Davies.

The minister reiterated that the IPAP remained the flagship of the dti.

Additionally, it was not government’s intention to impose bureaucratic hurdles on small businesses as claimed.

The DA said that the main provisions of the draft Licensing of Businesses Bill were contrary to the policy proposals made in the NDP and would make it more difficult to start and grow a business in South Africa.

The bill was gazetted in March following Cabinet approval. In terms of the bill, everybody wanting to do business in South Africa would have to register to do so.

According to Davies, the bill will deal a blow to those who are operating legally.

“The existing informal traders, hawkers and small businesses are subject to increasing competition from illegally operating entities in the country, entities that trade in illegal goods, sub-standard products and probably employing illegal foreigners and do not pay vat.

“The importance of this legislation is about creating a mechanism of dealing with all these illegal issues,” said Davies.

The gist of the bill, he added, was to create a simple, cheap and easy system that will assist in curbing illegal operations that result in unfair competition among businesses in the country. - SAnews.gov.za

Pretoria – The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is encouraged by National Treasury’s commitment to its new growth strategy, its chief executive officer Patrick Dlamini said. The state owned bank said the substantial need for infrastructure finance in the country and the rest of the continent meant that the bank has had to reconsider [...]DBSA encouraged by growth strategy is a post from: South Africa Business



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* Pretoria – Head of Research at the South African Reserve Bank, Rashad Cassim, says rising inflation is a challenge for the central bank. “It is the origin of emerging inflationary pressure that remains the most challenging for the Monetary Policy Committee [MPC],” said Cassim, who is also a member of the bank’s MPC. Cassim [...]Inflation a challenge for central bank is a post from: South Africa Business



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Pretoria - The African Union Commission (AUC) has welcomed the news of the resumption of oil production by South Sudan, and its transit and export through Sudan’s oil pipeline.

It was announced at the weekend that South Sudan has restarted oil production after agreeing with Sudan to resume cross-border oil flows last month.

AUC chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said the move marks another major step in the normalisation of relations between Sudan and South Sudan. It was also a turning point in the economic fortunes of both countries, which have suffered greatly since oil production was halted in 2012.

Dlamini Zuma welcomed the clear commitment and political will of the two countries to ‘reboot’ their relations, and encouraged them to remain steadfast on this path.

She further welcomed the decision of President Omar Hassan al Bashir to visit President Salva Kiir al Mayardit in Juba and believes that this visit will provide a further opportunity for the two Heads of State to consolidate the progress made in their relations in recent weeks.

Dlamini Zuma urged the two leaders to use the opportunity afforded by this visit to address the remaining outstanding issues between them.

“In this regard, she calls on both sides urgently to agree to the full implementation of the June 2011 Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area, in particular as it relates to the establishment of the Abyei Area Administration, Abyei Area Council, and the Abyei Area Police Service.

“She also urges them to resolve the Final Status of Abyei, and in particular to agree to the composition and establishment of the Abyei Referendum Commission”.

The chairperson believed that the recent progress and high levels of commitment by the leadership of both countries augurs well for the forthcoming round of negotiations to be convened in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan and South Sudan (AUHIP).

“She calls on the international community to continue to support the efforts of the AU to address the outstanding issues and to continue to accompany Sudan and South Sudan as they fulfil their commitments to forging mutually viable states living in peace with each other.” – SAnews.gov.za

Johannesburg – Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has singled out the National Development Plan (NDP) as a vision for his department to boost economic growth and to eliminate poverty through creating jobs. “The NDP is our vision … and we also have programmes which are intended to give effect to that through the New [...]NDP a vision to boost growth is a post from: South Africa Business



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Pretoria – In what Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan today described as a “remarkable achievement”, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) exceeded its target when it collected more than R814 billion in taxes for the 2012/13 fiscal year. The figure is R4 billion (0.5 percent) more than what Gordhan projected when he delivered the National Budget [...]SARS collects R814bn in taxes is a post from: South Africa Business



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