Current Edition >> Archives Section >> Spot Coverage >> August 2001
An UNIQUE new concept of banking for the poor, Village Banks South Africa, has been officially launched in Botshabelo in the Free State on Saturday, 14 July, as what is being described as a world first. With it's slogan of “We do business with the human heart,” the bank enjoys the support of national government, the Free State provincial government and the Mangaung local government. Managing director of Village Banks, Mr. Thozi Makhetha, explained: “Our niche market is the very bottom of the ladder - the lady with no guarantees like a house, or not even a job, but with the potential to become a successful entrepreneur with a little start-up capital”. Loans will be affordable with interest as low as 3% to a maximum of 5%, while amounts will vary from zero to no ceiling.
Mr. Makhetha says the Botshabelo Village Bank will be a totally new concept. It will differ considerably from the 22 branches already established in South Africa. Whereas the other branches operate on the stokvel principle - groups of people club being together with their capital and as the investment grow they share in the profits - Botshabelo Village Bank will focus on SMME financing and development. Village Banks are thus for business start-ups, expansions and entrepreneurship development. Grants are to be leveraged from national, provincial and local governments, Landbank, DBSA, Khula, Ntsika and commercial banks like Absa with a view to develop a series of new products, including a programme encouraging people to save. Village Bank are moreover in a process with insurance companies to develop affordable pension and retirement funds for the poorest of the poor.
Village Banks want to form a reciprocal partnership with the Free State Development Corporation (FDC): If the loan application is too big for them but they can see from the business plan that it will be viable, they will refer the client to the FDC. Likewise the FDC will refer clients applying for micro loans that are not cost-effective to administer, to Village Banks.
Enquiries Mr. Makhetha at (051) 447 4220.
DURING a ceremony at Thaba Nchu in the Free State on 17 July 2001, Mr. Rehuel Khoza, the chairman of Eskom and Mr. Jeff Radebe, the Minister of Public Enterprises, jointly switched on Eskom's 3 000 000th customer - the Ramagaga family home. On the photo above, Mr. Khoza (left), with FS Premier Winkie Direko, Ms. Ramagaga and Mr. Radebe (extreme right).
Mr. Khoza described it as a significant milestone in Eskom's socio-economic priorities. “When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, Eskom undertook to electrify 1,75 million homes over five years. Eskom exceeded this goal, connecting 1 750 750 homes by the end of 1999 and reaching 2 006 773 connections in December 2000. The organization further committed itself to electrifying 200 000 homes during the current year.”
Eskom supplies about 95% of South Africa's electricity requirements and more than half the electricity generated on the African continent. Globally ranked among the top seven power utilities in terms of capacity and sales, the organization believes its most important accomplishment is the changes it has brought to millions of South Africans.
On the question of free basic electricity, Mr. Khoza stated that Eskom supports the idea as announced by government and is co-operating closely to ensure that customers would benefit from the programme in the not too distant future and without complications.
DIE organisasie Made in the New South Africa (Minsa) stel in 'n mediavrystelling 'n ambisieuse plan voor vir 'n transkontinentale hoofweg deur Afrika wat die ekonomië van die verskillende lande kan verenig, vrye handel in Afrika kan vestig en werk skep sodat lande eerder aan 'n gemeenskaplike reuse-projek werk as om teen mekaar oorlog te maak.
Volgens Minsa is die idee dat die hoofweg van vier bane ook 'n sneltrein-spoorlyn insluit wat van Kaapstad tot Fez in Morokko strek, terwyl 'n waterpypleiding vir besproeiingslandbou al langs die roete ook in vooruitsig gestel word. Krag vir die spoorlyn kan van hidroëlektriese skemas en windplase, asook van beplande golfkragopwekkers aan die kus, verkry word. Die hoofweg sal na verwagting mettertyd oos- en weswaarts uitbrei om 'n vervoernetwerk regoor die vasteland te vorm. “Cecil John Rhodes se droom van 'n spoorlyn van Kaapstad na Kaďro was 'n eeu gelede onlewensvatbaar, maar tye het verander,” lui die verklaring van Minsa.
Die plan vir die finansiering van die grootskaalse projek behels primęre bydraes soos onder meer internasionale of multinasionale maatskappye en bestaande nasionale spoorvervoer- en elektrisiteits-nutmaatskappye. Sogenaamde steun-bydraers is langtermyn internasionale kontrakteurs wat in samewerking met plaaslike maatskappye sal werk om voortgesette sekerheid van en onderhoud aan die hoofweg te verseker. Minsa stel voor dat tolpadheffings al langs die hoofweg vir langtermyn inkomste vir al die betrokke bydraers sorg. Die hoofweg sal na verwagting van die begin af as maatskappy op internasionale aandelebeurse genoteer word, terwyl verdere finansiering gegenereer kan word, deur die uitreiking van staatseffekte. Minsa meen die projek sal werkloosheid verminder, die uitvloei van kundiges uit Afrika keer en die misdaadsyfer in stede verlaag, aangesien werklose jong mense wat hulle dikwels tot misdaad wend by die projek betrek kan word. Die gebruik van tronkbevolking as 'n verdere bron van arbeid vir die projek word ook voorgestel.
Die hoofdoelwitte van die transkontinentale hoofweg is die verlaging van die koste van die uitvoer van Afrika-produkte na Europa, die vestigting van 'n nuwe toeristeroete van Europa na Afrika, die oordrag van tegnologie en die toepassing van alternatiewe energiebronne al langs die roete, soos sonkrag, windkrag en die ontsouting van seewater vir landboubedrywighede. Die hoofweg sal vir die grootste deel van die roete deur lande in Wes-Afrika loop.
Herverskepingsgeriewe vir vragverbinding tussen Afrika en Europa bestaan reeds by Fez in Morokko. In 'n poging om 'n vervoerstelsel vir die 21ste eeu vir Afrika te skep wat die moeite werd is, stel Minsa voor dat die spoorgedeelte van die hoofweg die jongste sneltreintegnologie intensief ondersoek. Die transkontinentale aard van die projek noodsaak volgens Minsa 'n verenigde multinasionale en geďntegreerde benadering.
Hoe die Minsa-plan by die Millenniumplan vir Afrika van die pasgestigte Afrika-unie sou inpas, is nie duidelik nie, maar daar is beslis minstens elemente in die Minsa-plan wat ernstige aandag verg. Die kruks vir lewensvatbaarheid van die Minsa-plan gaan waarskynlik lę by die vraag of, eerstens, multinasionale maatskappye dit volhoubaar sal ondersteun, en, tweedens, of Afrika-politiek oor die kort- en mediumtermyn gaan saamspeel.
A lot has been written about the implications of HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The pandemic still increases and the implications are not yet fully known. Academics, organised business and trade unions all indicate that something must be done to stop the spreading of the disease. How it will really implicate remains to be seen? Perhaps it should be asked why would it implicate. In addressing this answer the bare facts are used as the fundamental point of departure.
The Antenatal Survey 2000 found that 24.5% of all women visiting public clinics were HIV positive. This is an escalation from 22.8% in 1998. The largest incidence of HIV/Aids (both sexes) was found in the age groups 20-24 (29.1%) 20-24 (30.6%) and 30-34 (23.3%). Add to this the age groups 35-39 (15.8%) 40-44 (10.2%) and 45-49 (13.1%) to serve as justification that on average 1 in every 4 persons in the workplace is HIV positive. A further evaluation of statistics indicates a worrying increase in infection among women between the age of 30 and 34 years.
It is also important for the employer to accentuate the indirect cost of HIV/Aids. When considering that the larger portion of people undergoing training in organisations are between 30 and 45 years and comparing the age groups where the largest infection rate occurs it is evident that training programmes will not have the return the employer wanted or anticipated. It is also a recognised fact that Aids will decrease the life expectation of the average South African by about 20 years to approximately 40 years in 2008. It is therefore crucial for all businesses to intervene as soon as possible. People are still building careers at that stage and could then become unfit to work. It increases the social responsibility of organisation and will have a tremendous effect on productivity and profitability. At the same time tremendous pressure will be placed on the public health structures with a direct implication to imposed taxes.
A large portion of the workforce in South Africa is younger than 45 years of age and considering the implication of the abovementioned statistics it is evident why the business sector is bearing the brunt of HIV/AIDS infection event before the real consequences is striking us.
SMME's are the cornerstone of economic activity in South Africa. Management of SMME's will have to start investigating HIV/AIDS to familiarise themselves with the implication. We will be in a situation in the not so far distant future where labour turnover will increase drastically due to HIV/AIDS. Employers will have tremendous problems obtaining skilled workers. The shortage of skilled employees will increase, new employees will constantly enter the business and due to the protection against discrimination the employer will never know what the infection rate is in his business.
Management must be careful that the saying: ”When all is said and done” does not become “All was said but nothing was done in time”.
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