South Africa: Youth must use 2010 to realise business dreams

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Johannesburg – The youth have been encouraged to use the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a platform to realise their dreams of owning a business.

“This world cup is here to create a future for you and it is in your hands to take it or not. I encourage you to make contact with relevant institutions which may help you to start small businesses now,” said Danny Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 Local Organising Committee.

Addressing students at CIDA City Campus in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Dr Jordaan said the World Cup was a platform for the youth of South Africa to start their small businesses as well as participate in a major international event.

“The world is coming to you. I encourage you to take this chance and work according to your capacity to accomplish your intended dreams.”

He said one of their primary objectives of bringing the world cup to South Africa was to create jobs and business opportunities for the people of South Africa.

“Youth participation in micro and macro enterprise sectors, particularly in tourism and hospitality is important for this world cup,” he said.

Dr Jordaan also said women should not be left out of these opportunities as they were also important in the delivery of the best World Cup ever. - BuaNews

Economic crisis dampens sponsor interest for Confeds Cup

By Chris Bathembu

Johannesburg - The global economic meltdown has dampened the interest of potential sponsors for the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup.

However, the world football governing body FIFA, has expressed confidence that more sponsors will come on board as the tournament draws closer.

“We have a product which is amazing, and the fact that the world cup itself is in Africa has created some excitement,” FIFA Marketing Director Thierry Welo said on Wednesday.

He was briefing the media on FIFA’s marketing programme ahead of both the 2009 Confederations Cup in June and the 2010 World Cup.

Both tournaments have three-tier sponsorship structures which are FIFA partners, FIFA World Cup sponsors and national partners.

Mr Welo said MTN SA was the only South African company among the sponsors, while FNB and Telkom were the only two who have signed up as national partners.

FIFA requires at least six national partners to ensure that the tournaments are well marketed locally, explained Mr Welo.

“We are speaking to a number of South African companies and we are hoping we will get at least four national sponsors on board,” he said, adding that local companies play a crucial role in the marketing of both events.

He commended FNB for the “stunning” ticket campaign currently run by the bank. “It will be good for South Africa to see more local brands joining FNB and Telkom to promote the event.”

FIFA will be meeting with the Organising Committee in the coming week to discuss more marketing strategies ahead of the June tournament. – BuaNews

Deputy Minister speaks about her challenges

By Neo Semono

Pretoria – Deputy Minister of Public Works, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu has spoken openly about her challenges as a partially sighted woman.

Speaking at the South African National Council for the Blind in Pretoria on Wednesday, the deputy minister said her inability to recognise faces and having to distinguish people by their voices was a major concern for her in her new post.

“The first three months are going to be a little turbulent,” said Ms Bogopane-Zulu, who also has two disabled children and is expected to employ her husband as her driver and guide.

During her first Cabinet meeting with President Jacob Zuma earlier this week, she said she had been presented with Braille documents.

She said she had an obligation to serve disabled people. “I’m in the job to learn and represent a sector that has been disregarded,” she told reporters.

Ms Bogopane-Zulu said during her tenure as deputy minister, she would focus on improving access to employment opportunities for disabled people as well as ensuring that inclusive education for disabled children becomes a reality.

“The issue of employment, including the participation of disabled people, as well as access to employment is a real issue,” said Ms Bogopane-Zulu.

She highlighted that public buildings must be fitted with facilities for disabled people and that the department would successfully run the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) which aims to create more jobs and training opportunities for people.

Deputy Chairperson of the council, Advocate Lucky Bokaba described Ms Bogopane-Zulu as a hard worker.

“I am glad for my sister. I have confidence in her that she will uphold the plight of the blind. Many people have the habit of doubting the ability of blind people. The ability is in the head and not eyes,” said Mr Bokaba. - BuaNews
Retail trade figures down 5.3%

Pretoria - Retail trade figures for the month of March decreased by 5.3 percent compared to 4.4 percent in February, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Wednesday.

According to Stats SA, the retail sales for the first quarter of 2009 reflected a decrease of 2.9 percent compared with first quarter of 2008.

Investment Solutions senior economist Mr Chris Hart told BuaNews that the drop was not surprising. “This [the figures] is not surprising. Consumers have not been able to access credit since the economy is in a little bit of trouble,” Mr Hart said on Wednesday.

He further predicted that the drop is likely to lead to another rate cut when the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Commitee meets this month. “This will see a likely cut in the interest rate later this month,” said Mr Hart.

The drop comes despite another 100 basis point cut in the repo rate announced by Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni last month.

According to Stats SA, retailers in household furniture, appliances and equipment contributed negatively to the change in retail trade sales. - BuaNews

Plato elected as Cape Town’s new mayor

Cape Town - Democratic Alliance (DA) outgoing Councillor Dan Plato was elected Mayor of Cape Town on Wednesday.

He takes over the reigns from Helen Zille, who resigned from the position to take up the premiership of the Western Cape, the only province not won by the African National Congress (ANC) in last month's general elections.

Mr Plato beat the ANC's candidate Belinda Landingwe by 119 votes to 66 while six votes were spoilt.

Prior to his appointment, Mr Plato, 48, served as a member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing, where he dealt with a host of problems in the city, including the eviction of illegal dwellers in Delft.

The new mayor said he was under no illusions about the challenges that lay ahead and he understood how high the stakes were.

"We know that citizens have been waiting for too long, for too many promises, made by careless leaders,” he said.

Mr Plato also spoke about the tight deadlines he faced as the 2010 FIFA World Cup approached, referring to the city's Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) project.

In this regard, he said the city was reviewing its consultations with the existing public transport industry while work on IRT infrastructure for the first phase continues.

“The city will work closely with the National and Provincial Departments of Transport to ensure the successful implementation of the IRT system,” he said, adding that this will benefit Cape Town’s commuters and those parts of the city’s existing public transport industry which will be upgraded as a result of the IRT.

According to Mr Plato, his number one priority, would be to make the city government one that promoted job creation through regional economic growth. This, he said, meant building a solid platform of infrastructure and services.

“Cape Town’s roads, public transport, electricity distribution, sewerage systems and water supply must be solid enough to keep pace with economic growth,” he said adding, that urban regulation, administrative systems, traffic and by-law enforcement must be effective enough to establish an ordered environment. – BuaNews

NW Housing MEC commits to eradicating informal settlements

By Kagiso Metswamere

Mafikeng – The new MEC for Housing in the North West, Desbo Sefanyetso, is committed and looking forward to eradicating informal settlements in the province.

The new department has been separated from the Department of Local Government and Housing, which was previously headed by Howard Yawa, who is now the MEC for the provincial Department of Public Safety.

Speaking to BuaNews on Wednesday, MEC Sefanyetso said she was more than ready to take on the department especially to ensure that informal settlements are completely eradicated in the province.

“I am very excited about this job and very much ready to serve the people of the province. I want to make sure that we continue to build on what the former MEC Yawa has done in delivering houses, to continue to make sure that people get decent houses which they are entitled to receive,” she said.

Ms Sefanyetso, a teacher by profession holds a B tech honours in education management from the Tshwane University of Technology.

The MEC, who grew up at the Chaneng Village near Rustenburg, has done much work at the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and trade union federation COSATU.

Ms Sefanyetso explained that even though she never worked in government before, she was a strong and hard working woman who enjoyed learning and working with people.

“I do not think I will have problem in this position as MEC because I will be working with capable men and women who have being doing excellent work in this sector.

“Nobody was born an MEC so the fact that I am new in this position does not mean that I cannot do this job better,” she said, adding that she will do this job to the best of her ability.

MEC Sefanyetso further said she understands most of the challenges faced by the people in rural areas especially with regard to houses.

“I must mention that even though there is a lot of progress being done in providing people with the houses, there are still some challenges in the rural areas were people are still living in bad conditions.

“We will ensure that as we move forward our main focus will be to provide houses to the people in rural areas.

“We have already began now to put the staff of the department together and also identify a building were our department will operate from,” the MEC said.

She said she was going to make sure that she meets with her staff and all the relevant stakeholders who are important in making sure that people get the houses they deserve.

Ntombiekaya Ngxingo, Chairperson of the Masizakhe Women's Group, a construction company in Klerksdorp, welcomed the appointment of the MEC and the new department.

She told BuaNews that they accepted the changes made by the new administration and hoped that they would establish a good working relationship with the new MEC of Housing.

“We have acknowledged that in the new administration there are changes which are made and we also understand that these changes are made with the intention to better the lives of the people.

“This department has been made specifically to deal with the challenges of houses in our province. We welcome it and hope that our people will get the houses at a faster pace,” she said. – BuaNews

Sonjica urges South Africans to use water wisely

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Port Elizabeth - Newly appointed Minister of Environment and Water Affairs, Buyelwa Sonjica has urged South Africans to use water wisely and consider it as an essential source for sustainable development.

Speaking at the Drinking Water Quality Conference in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, Minister Sonjica said water was central for the achievement of the country’s economic and social development objectives, as well as the nurturing of the ecosystems.

“With South Africa being a water scarce country, it is critical that we do all in our power to ensure that we use water wisely for the current and future generations,” she said, adding that this remained a challenge among all citizens.

“We have to raise awareness to all strata of our society, especially through the school children and programmes through the learning institutions,” she said.

Although she acknowledged the existing challenges in the water sector, she said she was confident that her department was up to the challenge.

The minister said she was willingly to work with all stakeholders to ensure the distribution of quality water is achieved, adding that she intended to build on the foundation set by former Minister Lindiwe Hendricks.

Minister Sonjica further assured South Africans that their drinking water was safe, and there was no need to be anxious.

“The vast majority of South African people cannot afford bottled water and depend on us to continue providing them with safe tap water.

“We cannot and shall not fail their trust in us. The question our more affluent citizens should ask themselves is: is it necessary to depend on bottled water when we do receive world-class water from our taps?” – BuaNews

Farmers welcome split in agri department

By Siphiwe Nyathi
Nelspruit – Farmers have welcomed the splitting of the former department of agriculture into two, saying their concerns will now receive more attention.

On Sunday, President Jacob Zuma announced that the department would be split into the Department Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, headed by Tina Joemat-Pettersson, and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, headed by Gugile Nkwinti.

"Establishing the new department will fast-track delivery and give farmers the opportunity to interact with the ministers," said President of the National African Farmers Union (NAFU), Motsipe Matlala.

Mr Matlala, a citrus farmer from Standerton in Mpumalanga, believes government split the old department because of the challenges around land reform, restitution and poor administration.
He hoped the two independent departments would address these problems.
"Farmers play an important role in the country's economy. We hope the new ministers will consult with us and respect our point of view. Farming will never prosper without our involvement," said Mr Matlala.

He said the new ministers must also pay serious attention to farm attacks and invest in agricultural skills development by providing students at tertiary institutions with bursaries to study agriculture. - BuaNews

Nelson Mandela Bay assures water is safe

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Nelson Mandela Bay – The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has assured the local community that their tap water is safe to drink.

“We would like to assure the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay that their water supply is safe to drink,” said Councillor Mtutuzeli Tokota, Standing Committee Chairperson of Infrastructure, Engineering, Electricity and Energy.

This follows the municipality receiving a Blue Drop Score of 85 percent and 99 percent for drinking water quality compliance by the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs on Tuesday.

The Blue Drop Report was released in Tuesday at the Drinking Water Quality Conference in Port Elizabeth which was attended by the newly appointed Minister of Environment and Water Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica.

The main reason for not achieving the 97 percent minimum compliance for the Blue Drop Certification was as a result of some of its standard operating procedures going undocumented in a format prescribed by the department.

The municipality has recently experienced challenges at the Rocklands Water Treatment Works.

However, according to a statement by the municipality, the high levels of aluminium that were previously experienced in the water supply as well as the levels of trihalomethanes have been addressed.

“We are committed to ensure that the status quo remains and we will strive to achieve even higher consistency levels,” said Councilor Tokota. – BuaNews

Health departments settle Nestle debt

Pretoria - Provincial Health Departments have been directed to settle their debt to Nestlé South Africa which provides certain state hospitals with infant formula.

Nestlé last week suspended deliveries of infant formula to hospitals in three provinces which had monies outstanding.

“Departments had been directed to settle their debt to Nestlé as a matter of urgency, to prevent jeopardising the health and welfare of HIV-positive babies in particular,” said national Health Department spokesperson Fidel Hadebe.

He said that the department could not let the situation continue and therefore intervened where necessary to ensure that provinces meet their financial obligations to the suppliers.

Nestlé Southern Africa Region spokesperson Theo Mxakwe said he appreciated the efforts made by the national health department to ensure that provincial health departments fulfil their obligations and settle outstanding debts.

“The department immediately recognised the difficulty we faced in continuing supplies, and has acted speedily to do what it can to ensure the matter is resolved.”

He said he expected the outstanding payments to be made soon and Nestlé will then resume deliveries as has already happened in Limpopo. - BuaNews