Current Edition >> Archives Section >> Spot Coverage >> 16-31 August 2005
Die aanduidings is sterk dat Vrystaat Koöperasie Beperk (VKB) met hoofkantoor te Reitz en takke op naburige dorpe gaan inskakel by Oos-Vrystaat Kaap Bedryf Beperk (OVK) met hoofkantoor te Ladybrand en sowat 45 takke in die Vrystaat, Oos-Kaap en Noord-Kaap.
OVK is reeds 'n maatskappy, terwyl VKB steeds 'n landbou-koöperasie is. Omset- en bedryfsgewys is OVK aansienklik sterker as VKB, terwyl die nuwe Koöperasiewet wat binne afsienbare tyd verwag word, die aard van landbou-koöperasies drasties gaan beïnvloed. Omskakeling na maatskappywese lyk na 'n beter opsie.
OVK en VKB is tans in 'n onderhandeling- en ondersoekfase en besluitneming word teen begin September 2005 verwag. Sou rasionalisering tussen hierdie twee landbourolspelers in die Oos-Vrystaat realiseer, kan dit verreikende implikasies vir die streekekonomie meebring.
VKB staan al vir jare as 'n tentpaal in die ekonomie van Reitz en daarom word verwikkelinge aldaar fyn dopgehou. Aan die ander kant kan verstandige rasionalisering van die besigheidsaktiwiteite van OVK en VKB baie voordele inhou. Andersyds sal nog 'n landbouspeler in die streek soos Afgri, wat ook al lankal 'n maatskappy is en deel van 'n groter groep vorm, eweneens sekerlik die markverwikkelinge met belangstelling volg.
Indications are that diamond giant De Beers is considering the closure of its Koffiefontein Diamond Mine, which, together with the Kimberley underground part of De Beers' operations, have been continuously struggling. In 2004 De Beers Kimberley underground produced only about 200 000 carats out of the 2 million carats of diamonds mined in South Africa, while for last year Koffiefontein Mine produced merely about 113 000 carats.
The operations are two of seven units run by De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBCM), the South African arm of the bigger De Beers group, which is headed by Mr. Jonathan Oppenheimer. Five of those units, which employ 7 000 of DBCM's 10 000 staff (including contractors), have been running at a loss for over a year. Following an investigation it seems that only Kimberley underground and Koffiefontein are viewed as non-salvageable.
It is being reported by the publication Mining Weekly that, speaking at a sod-turning ceremony for the creation of DBCM's fourth small-mining partner for the processing of the giant Kimberley dumps in mid-July, Oppenheimer insisted that the company, whose name is synonymous with the city, remained committed to Kimberley, despite the possible closure of the underground mines.
He pointed out, too, that Kimberley's 2004 output of 2-million carats represented the city's best production since 1913 and followed a R1-billion investment by De Beers into the Combined Treatment Plant. Oppenheimer, 35 years old, also promised that DBCM would remain active in Kimberley for “at least the rest of my business career.”
Business owners should not let consultants scare them into paying for having them write information manuals for their businesses.
The deadline for submitting “information manuals” to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) is 31 August 2005. The Promotion of Access to Information Act says that every business in South Africa, even the smallest one-person business, has to submit an “Information Manual” to the HRC. The manual is essentially an index of the kinds of documents that the particular business keeps.
There have been widespread calls on the Department of Justice, the implementer of the Act, to exempt smaller businesses from having to submit a manual, but so far, the department has not indicated whether they are considering this or not.
However, the word inside the department is that the minister of justice was considering an exemption.
Therefore, it would be unwise for business owners to pay expensive consultants to write an information manual before obtaining absolute clarity from the department. An announcement in this regard is expected during the month of August.
Two years ago, a similar deadline was put forward by the department. Just before the deadline date, a whole industry of business consultants had sprung up. They were going from business to business, scaring business owners into paying them as much as R4 000 to have their “information manuals” written. Those that did pay the “consultants” wasted their money, because the deadline was postponed for two years, until coming August 31.
Contact the HRC at 011 484 8300 or the Justice Department at 012 315 1730.
Na verneem word is beide die Lejweleputswa Distriks Munisipaliteit sowel as die Matjhabeng Plaaslike Munisipaliteit druk besig om gestalte te gee aan 'n nuwe ontwikkelingsagentskap vir die Lejweleputswa streek. Die voorlopige naam is die “Lejweleputswa Development Agency” en die hoofdoel is om 'n ontwikkelingsagentskap tot stand te bring wat volgens 'n strategiese plan die ekonomiese ontwikkeling van die streek kan dryf.
Dit lyk of dit 'n vraag is op hierdie stadium of al die groot rolspelers sal saamstem of een enkele agentskap vir die streek gestig moet word en of daar meer as een agentskap kan wees, wie die agentskap moet bestuur en of die agentskap onder munisipale vleuels moet wees of outonoom moet funksioneer.
Daar is egter eenstemmigheid oor die noodsaaklikheid van 'n ontwikkelingsagentskap, veral vandat die voormalige Vrystaatse Goudveldse Ontwikkelingsentrum (VGOS) geruime tyd reeds in disfunksie verval het.
Nog 'n sleutelvraag is in hoeverre die private sektor, veral die georganiseerde kamers en die mynmaatskappye, by 'n nuwe agentskap betrek is of sal word.
Bly optimisties! Dit was die boodskap wat op die jaarlikse kongres van Vrystaat Landbou (VL) op 3-4 Augustus 2005 by Ilanga Estate in Bloemfontein oorgedra is.
“Vrystaat Landbou is nie van stryk gebring om vir ons nageslag 'n beter toekoms te bou nie. Ons gaan aanhou met dit waarmee ons besig is,” het die president van VL, mnr. Louw Steytler gesê.
Die hoofuitvoerende beampte van McCarthy Limited, mnr. Brand Pretorius, het as spesiale spreker op die kongres gesê sy boodskap aan boere in die Vrystaat is dat omstandighede in landbou verander en dat 'n nuwe benadering nodig is. Hy het 'n beroep op boere gedoen om mede-verantwoordelikheid vir die toekoms van Suid-Afrika te aanvaar.
Daar bestaan 'n persepsie onder Afrikaanssprekende en Afrikataalouers dat Engels die enigste pad is na akademiese vordering en loopbaan-geleenthede. Verder glo baie mense dat tweetalige of multitalige onderwys te duur is en dat moedertaalonderrig nie werklik opvoedkundige voordele inhou nie.
Ten einde hierdie wanpersepsies aan te spreek, is 'n Taalberaad oor moedertaalonderrig die naweek by die Universiteit van die Vrystaat gehou.
Volgens Dr. Angelique van Niekerk, senior lektor aan die dept. Afrikaans en Nederlands, Duits en Frans by die universiteit, het hierdie wanpersepsies dit nodig gemaak vir akademici binne die taal en onderwysdissiplines om hul navorsingsresultate aan die algemene publiek te kommunikeer.
Die beraad se doel was om ouers en onderwysers behoorlik in te lig oor die voordele van onderrig deur middel van die leerders se moedertaal.
Van Niekerk sê dat deskundiges al die swak prestasie van Suid-Afrikaanse kinders in wiskunde en natuurwetenskap daaraan toegeskryf het dat leerders moeilike begrippe deur middel van 'n tweede of derde taal moet baasraak.
Onlangse navorsing toon ook dat die vlak van taalvaardigheid van studente wat van vroeg af in hul tweedetaal moes skoolgaan veel swakker is as dié van studente wat in hul moedertaal kon skoolgaan en in daardie selfde moedertaal tersiêre onderrig ontvang.
Kwessies wat op die beraad bespreek is, is die stand van taalonderwys en taalvaardigheid in Suid-Afrika in vergelyking met ander lande en die invloed van die taalbeleid op skool vir onderrig aan universiteite.
A new study on armed robberies shows shop owners are most likely to be robbed on Sundays. The next most likely day to be hit, is Monday, followed by Thursday. The study, commissioned by the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA), shows more than half of all armed robberies recorded are of owner-managed businesses. A total of 85% of all robberies take place in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Michael Broughton, director of the Crime Prevention Programme, says businesses don't take these violent crimes seriously, until they have been targeted. “Many people don't think it can happen to them.” Broughton says business owners who try to save by not installing alarms and panic buttons are being short-sighted. He adds there are many safety precautions businesses can implement that do not cost anything. It is also possible to implement safety measures without erecting physical barriers or hampering consumer contact. He says the most important things businesses need to look at, are internal design, how late they stay open and where and when they do their cashing up. Owners should also be especially vigilant between 11:00 and noon, when most armed robberies take place.
The Crime Prevention Programme was launched by CGCSA and aims to highlight crime trends to members and provide them with safety guidelines. Membership costs between R1 000 and R250 000 a year, depending on the size of the business.
For more information visit: www.cgccrime.org.za or phone 086 1101 726.
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