ROSSLYN, Pretoria, March 2020 – As we celebrate International Women’s Month globally, we should be aware of the need to continuously invest in women’s empowerment on personal and professional levels as there is an incredible amount of evidence to support the positive ramifications. This year’s International Women’s Day campaign theme is #EachforEqual, which promotes the concept that an equal world is an enabled world and individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. Diversity in the workplace A study by McKinsey indicates gender…
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Cheap fashion comes at high price for local clothing sector
In a shop brimming with rails of high-end clothing brands, shoppers browse through an array of international labels selling at massively discounted prices. The retailer is one of the growing outlets operated by parallel importers, selling European high street fashion and names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Ted Baker to local consumers. It’s a business that has disrupted the local retail space, presenting further challenges to the already distressed local clothing manufacturing sector. Parallel importers such Discount My Fashion (DMF) and Fashion Brand Outlet (FBO) have set up…
Read MoreThe R480 billion industry that has flown under the radar in South Africa – until now
The R480 billion industry that has flown under the radar in South Africa – until now Total turnover for the logistics industry for enterprises only involved in mining, retail and manufacturing, was estimated to be R274 billion in 2018. “However, warehousing, road freight and even pipeline volumes, are often not categorised as logistics,” Ctrack said. “For example, when major retailers like Shoprite or Pick ‘n Pay transport and store goods, the transported volumes are listed under the retail category. Retailers like these see transportation as a cost centre and any…
Read MoreCoal miner plans new climate change strategy
South Africa’s Exxaro Resources said it’s working on a new strategy for its business founded on coal mining amid investor and public concerns about the impact of climate change. The company said it’s planning “structural changes,” including clean-power initiatives, to make the business sustainable in the long term. In the meantime, Exxaro will extract “as much value as quickly as possible” from the assets it holds, especially thermal coal, Chief Executive Officer Mxolisi Mgojo said on Thursday. Read: Exxaro buoyed by equity investments as core profit falls South African businesses are…
Read MoreSouthern Africa: TCC Reaps Benefits of SADC Regional Trade
AS the government is championing to promote inter-regional trade and industrialisation within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), region, Tanzania Cigarette Public Limited Company (TCC Plc), is committed to walking the talk, with its export volume to this region standing at 2.5 billion cigarette sticks in 2018 and continues to grow steadily. The future looks bright for the leading manufacturer of tobacco products in the country, which was highlighted by the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), economic and operations report for the year 2017/18 ending June 2018, which indicates…
Read MoreTax breaks for South Africans who install solar power systems
South Africa’s government, energy regulator and Eskom have often been criticised for obstructing the introduction of distributed, small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) which would help businesses to cut costs and ensure the stability of their power supply during load shedding. But in fact, there are significant and far-sighted tax breaks which have been put in place by National Treasury to encourage and incentivise business owners to install their own generation in the form of grid-tied, rooftop or ground-mounted solar PV systems on buildings, parking lots, warehouses, factories, and farms. Accelerated…
Read MoreOn cusp of pan-African trade deal, giant Nigeria clings to protection
LAGOS (Reuters) – Adeleke Adeleye stands in front of a bank of whirring printers spinning out dozens of envelopes a minute in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos. His stationery company, FAE Ltd, is thriving and will move into a larger factory nearby by the end of next year. But he sees trouble on the horizon in the form of a new African free trade agreement aiming to unlock a market of 1.3 billion consumers – but which many in Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy, view as a threat. “It’s definitely…
Read MoreFurniture manufacturing industry crafts plans to stimulate sector
The South African furniture manufacturing industry, which has shed thousands of jobs in recent years, partly due to cheaper imports, is considering plans to stimulate the sector. The sector is calling on the government to enforce its procurement guidelines which are meant to prioritise local suppliers. The furniture manufacturing industry, which produces kitchen units, office desks and chairs among other products, contributes approximately 1% to SA’s gross domestic product and employs more than 26,000 people in about 2,000 factories. In the early 2000s the sector employed about 50,000 people in…
Read MoreCoal, the backbone of South Africa’s electricity
Seen as the backbone of South Africa’s electricity supply, coal plays a vital part in the country’s energy production.The inaugural Coal Industry Day discussion panel saw corporates coming together in Joburg last week for an in-depth look into ways to resolve power generation challenges currently plaguing the country. Mining investment company Menar’s managing director Vuslat Bayoglu highlighted ways in which the sector could address some of its difficulties. “Coal suppliers need to deal fairly with Eskom by seeking reasonable returns and not excessive profits. High input costs to power…
Read MoreOPINION: Is SA really open for business?
SELLO MASHAO RASETHABA On Friday, the Competition Commission issued a statement that it had recommended to the Competition Tribunal that the proposed acquisition of Murray & Robert (M&R) by German firm Aton be prohibited.It is reported that there are more than 300 German companies operating in South Africa, which employ more than 60 000 people. In his budget vote speech, Minister of Trade and Industry and Economic Development Ebrahim Patel stated that one of the issues he was focusing on this year and beyond was to improve the levels of…
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