Current Edition >> Archives Section >> Business Pointers >> 24 - 10 October 2003

Business pointers :: Sakeflitse

Vrystaat - Free State

Marketing Expo : A Marketing Expo for small businesses is to be held on Tuesday, 7 October 2003, in the Atrium of the Hotel School of the Technikon Free State and is being arranged in conjunction with the Bloemfontein Chamber of Business. Exhibition space costs R750. The event forms part of the annual E-Week, with a business breakfast and seminar also taking place on the same day. Enquiries (051) 447 3817 or Wium Adendorff at 082 820 9191.

Vrystaat misdaad : Volgens die langverwagte misdaadstatistiek pas deur die SA Polisiediens bekendgemaak, word in die Vrystaat gemiddeld drie moorde en 10 verkragtings daagliks aangemeld. Allerweë word die misdaadgegewens egter gekritiseer omdat dit hoofsaaklik persentasies bevat en weinig harde statistiek, veral afgebreek per provinsie of gebied.

R1,5 million upgrade of Natref : Information technology (IT) services and solutions provider, arivia.kom, together with its implementation partner, Lehae Technologies, an empowerment IT company, has just completed a R1,5 million upgrade of the local area network ( Lan) at Natref in Sasolburg. The latter last year undertook a large expansion and upgrading project to increase its production by some 24%. The refinery, which is jointly owned by Sasol and Total SA, also needed to resolve bottlenecks in its Lan and increase network capacity reserves in order to achieve greater efficiency.

Nationaal - National

Horticultural industry on the rise : As one of the newly-restructured Agricultural Research Council's (ARC's) business divisions, the Horticulture Group has the important function of assisting the horticultural industry to be competitive both domestically and on the international market. Covering a range of crops, including deciduous fruits, tropical and subtropical fruits, vegetables, trees and nuts, floral crops, herbs, spices, medicinal crops, natural products and viticulture, the horticultural industry contributed R11,7 billion (26,4%) of South Africa's total agricultural production of R44,3 billion in the 1999 to 2000 season.

Misdaadstatistiek op Internet : Nadat sy bejaarde ouers in Johannesburg die slagoffers was van misdaad, het die direkteur van 'n programmatuurfirma. mnr. Spero Patricios, 'n webblad oor misdaadstatisitiek in Suid-Afrika begin by www.crimestats.co.za. Misdaadslagoffers kan die webblad besoek en 'n aanmeldvorm met besonderhede oor die misdaad, datum, tyd, provinsie, stad, voorstad en selfs die straatnaam en modus operandi, invul. Die inligting word dadelik in 'n databasis opgeneem. Boonop kan enige iemand met toegang tot die Internet gratis deur die misdaadstatistiek sif om te sien wat in hulle buurt aangaan. Patricios sê die besoekertal aan die webblad is oorweldigend.

Transnet in R30 billion upgrading : Transnet announced at its yearly results last month that it will spend R10,5 billion for the financial year starting in April as part of its five-year R30 billion capital expenditure program. Last year it spent R10,6 billion, so the balance of R19,1 billion for the program to be spent in the next three financial years. Some 36% of the R30 billion will be spent on aircraft, 35% on rail infrastructure, 11% on port infrastructure and 11% on other infrastructure.

Cell C expanding : The telecommunications sector is to receive a boost from Cell C's new infrastructure rollout plans. The company has upwardly revised the number of base stations that it intends to establish by 2005 from 1 900 to 2 350 and substantially increased its peak capex requirements. While it is not known how much additional capex will be required, it is known that the company will reach its peak capex of R1,5 billion this calendar year, followed by under R1 billion next year.

Internasionaal - International

Lesotho heavy fine for bribery : Lesotho's High Court has fined a German company more than $1m for bribing its way into a massive dams project. The company, Lahmeyer International, says it will appeal against both the conviction and the 10.45m maloti ($1.46m; £930,000) fine. Lahmeyer is the second firm to be convicted in connection with the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Last year Acres International, a Canadian construction firm, was also convicted, although the Court of Appeal later reduced the fine from 22m maloti to 15m, by releasing it from one of the charges. “We have demonstrated to the international community that corruption is not just a Third World problem” said Leaba Thetfane the Lesotho public prosecutor.

“Middle” Africa to experience fastest population growth : Demographic projections by the Population Reference Bureau for the first half of the 21st century show that the Democratic Republic of the Congo leads countries in “middle” Africa that are expected to experience the fastest population growth in the region. The Bureau's “World Population Data Sheet” for 2003 showed that the Congo, with an estimated population of 56,6 million, would have 181 million people by 2050. African countries whose population are expected to experience high increases are Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda. The data sheet projected that in total, Africa's population could grow by more than a billion by 2050, increasing the strain on food and water supplies in areas already experiencing hardships. Sub-Saharan African governments will have to create millions of jobs and improve health care facilities and schools, the report said.

African trade set to take off : A substantial increase in trade among African countries is on the cards following the holding of the inaugural Africa Business Forum exhibition in Durban, bringing together nearly 200 medium scale enterprises. The Forum is the first of its kind to promote intra-Africa trade and described as “Nepad at work”, business people from across the continent displayed their products and markets. The forum offensed from cosmetic products to chemicals to professional services and organisers expect it to become an annual affair.