Pictured here with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the SA Investment Conference, is Global Africa Network Investment Promotion Manager Gabriel Venter with the latest edition of South African Business.
President Cyril Ramaphosa officially opened the much-anticipated fourth South African Investment Conference (SAIC) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday, 24 March.
Since its launch in 2018, the South African Investment Conference (SAIC) has drawn delegates from South Africa and the rest of the world with the objective of showcasing the investment opportunities available in the country. According to the SAIC website, to date SAIC has attracted more than R700-billion worth of investment commitments.
The South African Business journal, the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, played it’s part in showcasing the opportunities and strengths of the country to delegates attending the event.
The annual South African Business journal provided a valuable take-away for delegates at the event, as it is in line with the SA Investment Conference, which seeks to showcase the strengths and competitive advantages that South Africa offers and why it is an ideal investment destination for local as well international investors looking to grow in Africa.
Read a digital version of the 2022 edition of South African Business below or contact the publishers for any enquiries.
In 2018, the President committed to raising over R1.2-trillion worth of investments in five years to boost economic growth and stimulate employment.
Since that year, the President has hosted three annual Investment Conferences at which he set out the policy context and reforms and the private sector provided feedback and made pledges to invest.
The SAIC has drawn delegates from South Africa and the rest of the world with the objective of showcasing the investment opportunities available in the country. However, in 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of the conference.
According to a statement on the SA Investment site, R774-billion has been pledged to date – two-thirds of the goal, with the investments spread across mining, manufacturing, agriculture, the digital economy and more.
“This leaves another R426-billion to be raised in the next two years. Of the 152 pledges made during the first three investment conferences, 45 have been completed or will soon be completed and 57 are under construction. Some 40% of the committed investment pledges had been expended by the end of February,” the statement read.
The programme at the all-day conference includes a keynote appearance by Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, a South African now residing in the United States, who established a COVID-19 vaccine plant in Cape Town.
Dr Soon-Shiong is a transplant surgeon, billionaire businessman, bio-scientist and media-owner, known for his development of Abraxane which is known for its efficacy against lung, breast and pancreatic cancer.
The morning session will kick off with an investment announcement by the African Development Bank, an introduction by Department of Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel, an opening address by President Ramaphosa followed by a panel discussion on the South African investment case.
Late in the afternoon, the focus will switch to growing opportunities in Africa, via investments made locally.
“The rest of the day will be given over to a wide range of interests, including improving the business environment, focus on infrastructure finance and digital opportunities, tourism, impact investing, the small business sector, energy, mining, manufacturing plus a discussion on social compacts to support investments at district level.”
Of key interest will be South Africa’s creation of an attractive business platform by focusing on economic growth, the rapid introduction of economic reforms, including improving the regulatory environment.
The conference will also host Business Awards with the President wrapping up the conference with closing remarks.
Air Products Women in Engineering. Back: Vuyokazi Mhlwatika and Berndene de Wet. Front: Carine Ganne.
Globally, the engineering industry has traditionally been driven by males, however, there has been a shift over the last few years. Air Products has also been contributing to the transformation of the industry in this regard, by focusing on the significant role that women play throughout the company and their contribution to the field of engineering and science.
According to a report in June 2021 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in the UK, women represent 14.5% of all engineers. This highlights an increase of 25.7% in women in engineering occupations since 2016. Between 2016 and Q3 2020, there has been an increase of 185 199 women in engineering occupations (¹). Even though South Africa scores below the global average of 30% of women pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, they are narrowing the gap, as the country leads in Sub-Saharan Africa (²).
Air Products prides itself on its innovative culture, and this not only relates to production processes, but also being innovative as far as providing opportunities for women.
International Women’s Day provides the ideal opportunity to highlight the importance of females in production as well as commercial positions within the company.
A fine mix of engineering knowledge and experience
Speaking to three women in Air Products’ Bulk division, you realise they are qualified and experienced in the engineering industry and are committed to pursue their careers in this field. According to them, the ability to transform material and to learn new science-related things every day, as well as their aspirations as young girls, is what motivated them to follow a career in engineering.
They state that engineering requires skills, experience and a “can do” approach. Although it remains a predominantly male industry, Berndene de Wet (Business Development Manager), Carine Ganne (Bulk Sales Engineer) and Vuyokazi Mhlwatika (Key Accounts Engineer) all agree that there has been a change in the industry. What they do find encouraging, is the fact that female students are increasingly encouraged to pursue careers in science and math.
Between Berndene de Wet, Carine Ganne and Vuyokazi Mhlwatika, the qualifications alone are quite impressive. Berndene de Wet holds a BEng Chemical Engineering degree, Carine Ganne a National Diploma in Chemical Engineering and Vuyokazi Mhlwatika obtained a BSc Chemistry degree as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management.
Talking about their respective roles within Air Products, it is clear that they are passionate about what they do.
The role of innovative engineering solutions
All three ladies agree that besides providing outstanding customer service, they also aim to assist customers by offering innovative solutions. This is one of the most exciting aspects of working as an engineer as you are challenged to use science to investigate alternatives. Ultimately, what you aim to achieve, is to assist a customer with ways in which they can improve their processes, as well as minimize wastage and downtime.
An as engineer, customers perceive you as the best person to find a workable, cost-effective solution.
Encouraging young females
There is a clear message for females wanting to pursue a career in the engineering field from these Air Products engineers: “Go for it and do not let anyone tell you otherwise if that is really what you want to do. Your determination, passion and drive will carry you through the challenges and obstacles. Giving up is not an option – just find a way to go through or around the obstacles and you will reach your destination.”
The main aspect in nuclear is always safety. Generation four is the highest league where the pebble technology is classified as inherently safe. You do not need passive and active safety systems because of the fuel technology that is used.
The fuel technology has four inherent safety barriers. The pebble fuel has a low power density of 5MW/dm3, compared to PWR fuel which has a fuel density of 20MW/dm3. The pebble coefficient of reactivity is negative. This implies that the fission process requires continuous activation, and if not activated continuously, the fission process decay will decrease and die out. It has a negative reactivity coefficient and that’s a big plus because if you do have a human or mechanical mishap, the plant (through the chemical fission process) goes to sleep, it shuts down by itself.
There are safety mechanisms just for that rare occasion of an accident taking place. It has been demonstrated on a live plant that when severe cases of helium coolant in the reactor are removed, if the temperature of the pebbles goes above or near to 1 600, it suffocates the chemical fission process.
The majority of the over 400 nuclear reactors in the world are pressurised water reactor types; these are classified as generation two. With them, if the fission process does get out of hand, for example as happened at Chernobyl, then you need an active safety mechanism. You insert the control rods and if things continue, you need other systems to be in place.
After Chernobyl and the Three Mile Island challenges, the nuclear industry has learnt a lot and the international nuclear regulator, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, has now put out new safety regulations. For example, at Fukushima when they had that tsunami, all the safety aspects were adhered to during the design of the power plants at Fukushima Daiichi, but when that tsunami came a 20 m wave crashed into the nuclear power plant and knocked out the electrical system and the system which drives the pumps. So they had challenges. There we see that the active mechanisms were there as designed.
With Mozweli pebble technology generation four, you don’t need all those active or passive safety systems because our safety is in the pebble technology. The fuel that we use has its own four barriers of safety and that is a big plus.
In the future design of power plants, most nuclear vendors and designers are talking about generation three-and-a-half. It’s still a challenge, you can have a meltdown, but there are many safety systems. With a passive safety system like those on the pressurised water reactors, they are saying keep a swimming pool of water on top of the reactor building, so that you can release water onto the building to cool it down.
With Mozweli pebble technology generation four, you don’t need all those active or passive safety systems because our safety is in the pebble technology. The fuel that we use has its own four barriers of safety and that is a big plus.
Why is the term “pebble” used?
The fuel that we are using actually looks like tennis balls, spherical, or like a cricket ball. It’s 60 millimeters in diameter but in the past, the field looked like pebbles on a riverbed. Pebble is a misnomer.
What are the other advantages of pebble technology?
An advantage of pebble Small Modular reactors (SMRs) is that the power output is 100 megawatts, compared to the large conventional power plants, which is about 3 200MWe. You can construct, manufacture and get to market in eight years. The Chinese have done that. They started in 2010 and they commissioned in 2018. We take that parameter from the Chinese.
A normal pressurised water reactor takes 20 to 25 years in design and construction. With the PSMR your cost is reduced to US$800-million, your manufacturing is much more convenient and you get to market as quickly as possible.
Pebble nuclear reactors also don’t have to shut down for refuelling. It’s an online process that allows you to keep generating power while you add and remove fuel. For example Koeberg needs to shut down for a month or two to reshuffle the fuel. We don’t have that problem.
You can construct, manufacture and get to market in eight years.
How is The PSMR a mitigator of climate change?
When the power plant is running, for every megawatt of electricity produced there is zero carbon dioxide, zero sulphur dioxide and zero nitrous oxide. That’s why we say it mitigates climate change. A fossil power plant that produces electricity using coal, fossils, oil or gas is taxed for every megawatt ton of carbon dioxide produced. Every megawatt of energy produced by nuclear power is actually a positive, which you can sell to the airways who are producing carbon dioxide.
Does pebble technology store nuclear waste differently?
The pebbles are totally different to a conventional nuclear power plant. For pressurised water reactors, the high-density radiation is plutonium and that has to be kept in a pool of deuterium water. It has to be kept on site for a number of years until the high level of radiation is reduced and then it can be moved to a deep fault in the earth somewhere. You are taking uranium oxide out of the earth, you use it, and you put it back in the earth.
Some of the anti-nuclear people don’t want you to put it back because it’s radioactive. The storage of high-level nuclear waste is highly regulated. Every gram is accounted for by the IAEA.
In pebble technology, we have dry storage. We take the pebbles out of the reactor once we have used the energy, store it below the plant for 40 years and we monitor it. It’s a much safer option and we are doing research on recycling those pebbles. About seven grams of uranium is used; 90% of the pebble is graphite.
Why is the PSMR particularly relevant in the African context?
Our power plant does not depend on a large amount of water for cooling. It does not depend on the position of the power plant. Pressurised water reactors need the ocean or a river to cool down the process. We can put the power plant where the power is needed.
Take for example a mining house. We can place a Mozweli power plant of 100MWe where they are mining. The mine has a life of about 30 years which ties in with the life of the Mozweli power plant, which is 40 years.
We can put the power plant where the power is needed.
We are saying to African countries, here’s a Mozweli power plant as big as a soccer field, put it where you need the energy, 100MWe for your mines or for your people and off you go. You don’t need a lot of water and long transmission lines. That makes economic sense in Africa. The PSMR is ideally suited to place your power plant where you need the power. The time of long transmission lines has expired.
Can you create reactors smaller than 100MWe?
We market a 100MWe of nominal output power. The installed capacity is 144MWe. Four reactors are based on 25MWe each and that is your N minus-three redundancy. If one reactor and its turbine is in outage for maintenance or servicing, your three remaining reactors will guarantee you a 100MWe nominal output power for 40 years is the principle.
The Canadians have enquired about a 25MWe plant and we said we can look into that. The only shortcoming here is that the price of a 25MWe and the price of a 100MWe is the same, US$800-million. This is because the regulatory process remains the same and is just as intense. In any event, we encourage a client to take a 50MWe or a Mozweli MHTR100 flagship because they are going to come back in two or three years’ time saying, “We need some more power.”
Will the COP28 talks have an impact on the growth of your market?
There is a lot of talk that nuclear is the way to go for climate change mitigation. Going into the future, the economies of the world must be hydrogen-based. To make bulk hydrogen, you need bulk energy and that should come from a nuclear power plant. Hydrogen produced from a nuclear power plant is known as pink hydrogen. Hydrogen is made through Permeable Electrical Electrolysis (PEE), the latest technology.
The Europeans and the British are moving to hydrogen in a big way because they believe that all future technologies will move away from fossil fuels to hydrogen. We need to be supplying hydrogen and so we have a latch-on unit onto our power plant, which can produce hydrogen if electricity is not required at that time.
Do you get a sense that a future Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) might include more nuclear capacity?
The IRP that was signed in October 2019 allocates 2 500MWe to small modular reactors. That was put in there just to see how everybody would respond. That is an underscore, because Eskom has announced that it will shut down 10 gigawatts of coal-powered stations in the next 10 years, that is 10 000MWe. They are only going to replace that with 2 500MWe, so they are basically short of 7 500MWe.
There are talks to update the IRP to a 2022 version and they are looking at bigger support for nuclear. The process to go nuclear has been extremely well supported; even the anti-nuclear people have gone quiet because the pebble technology we are presenting is so safe. It’s important to understand that we have now mitigated all the questions that the anti-nuclear people have, and therefore government today feels comfortable that they can increase nuclear capacity.
The only way to go is nuclear because you don’t need to build additional transmission lines, you put the power where you need the power.
The age of large nuclear power plants like Koeberg, I don’t think will happen again. South Africa needs 300 Mozweli 100MWe power plants. In the next 10 years, we will lose 10 gigawatts from coal. You need to replace that with 100 Mozweli power plants. From 2030 to 2040, you will lose another 10 gigawatts from coal and you will have to replace that with another 100 Mozweli plants, and from 2040 to 2050 you will need another 100.
The proposal that we put to government for South Africa to be energy secure is that you actually need 300 plants, that’s 30 gigawatts of power, just to be back where we were in 1976. I believe the IRP will go through changes and there will be an increase.
Renewables will never be able to produce 30 000MWe in 30 years. There’s just not enough land space and the transmission lines don’t have the capacity. The only way to go is nuclear because you don’t need to build additional transmission lines, you put the power where you need the power.
Do you have a lobby group?
Dr Trevor Dudley, CEO of Mozweli (Pty) Ltd
We have a public lobby group in the Eastern Cape which is very proactive and busy. As the Mozweli Group we are making progress and on the issue of affordability for the government, we agree with that. Government has made it clear that any vendor presenting a nuclear solution must also come with a financial solution.
We have spoken to financial investors who will gladly come into the country and invest and assist in the programme. That diffuses the accusations that government will not be able to afford nuclear.
The technology is sound, the proof of concept is working and the team is ready. It is a South African team and we have 26 years of experience. Why not?
Nobody will get hurt in the process, and you will have sustainable security of energy going forward.
Glencore Ferroalloys has responded to government’s National Development Plan (NDP), Vision 2030 Plan which envisages that by 2030, South Africans should have access to education with improved school infrastructure. The mining giant has undertaken a project to build four new classrooms and other facilities for local school, Boshoek Primary School outside Rustenburg.
In 2019, Glencore’s Ferroalloys’ Boshoek Smelter received a request from the school for the construction of a Grade R facility. The Boshoek Smelter management approved the request but had to delay further progress due to the onset of COVID-19. Since then, much progress was made resulting in the smelter’s decision to begin the construction of the new facilities during the month of February.
To celebrate the commencement of the construction project, Boshoek Smelter held a sod-turning event at Boshoek Primary School. The event was attended by Glencore Ferroalloys representatives including the executive team, management from Boshoek Smelter, the Rustenburg Local Municipality Acting Executive Mayor Cllr Boipelo Mareko, as well as the MEC of the Department of Education, Ms Mmaphefo Matsemela and Boshoek Primary School management team and SGB members.
Glencore Ferroalloys Chief Community and Social Responsibility Officer, Conroy van der Westhuizen gave the opening address on the day and affirmed that any investment towards education is one that yields the greatest return.
Glencore Ferroalloys Chief Community and Social Responsibility Officer, Conroy van der Westhuizen.
“It is indeed an honour for us to be here today and we as Glencore want to continue creating shared value and progressing together with our communities. We want to create an enabling environment for our communities and when I look at the mission of the school which is ‘to develop self-directed learners’ I want to make that a condition for our Corporate Social Investment made to the school today. Our hope is to see our learners grow, flourish and prosper into these self-directed learners – the future leaders of South Africa. We make these investments with pride and we know that they will be protected and used for many years to come,” said Van der Westhuizen.
The scope for the construction project is the building of four classrooms, ablution facilities for boys, girls and teachers, as well as a kitchen and storeroom.
Honourable MEC of The Department of Education for North West Province, Ms Mmaphefo Matsemela, praised Glencore for their support towards The Department of Education and for heeding the call of improving educational facilities in the country.
MEC of the Department of Education, Ms Mmaphefo Matsemela.
“It is indeed an incredible partnership we are enjoying with Glencore. It is a partnership that helps government complete its mandate to implement the curriculum and we can only do that in an environment that is conducive for our learners and teachers to operate in. An environment that will make it easier for learners to learn and to be safe in their classrooms. I’m so happy that the construction project is for Grade R learners because government is planning on implementing a structure of having the Grade R learners back in our schools on a full-time basis. We want to stimulate learners at an early stage so that by the time they get to Grade 12, they have already excelled tremendously. The beginning of this project will set the tone for basic education to our learners – again we say all this would not have been possible without the help of Glencore,” she said.
Principal Mokgwatlheng of Boshoek Primary School gave the vote of thanks on the day and was overwhelmed with gratitude for the work done by Glencore in support of the school.
“We as Boshoek Primary School are overjoyed over the incredible work that Glencore has already done for the school, as well as the work that will be commencing today. The classrooms as well as the other facilities will make teaching and learning so much easier as we were already dealing with a big problem of overcrowding in our classrooms. When we made the request to Glencore we were in dire need for more space as we currently have a total of 1138 learners and we continue to receive more applications each year. This will give us the confidence to accept more learners into the school as we will have space to accommodate them. Thank you once again Glencore for being an organisation we can depend on,” he said.
The construction of the Grade R centre project has commenced and is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2022. This project forms part of Glencore’s continued commitment to make a lasting impact and create progress together for the communities near their operations.
Restaurants were hard hit by Covid-19 lockdowns and many small business owners had to close their doors. However, there are a number of indicators which suggest that a recovery is underway in 2022, and SACCI will be working hard to support small businesses. Credit: SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme
As we move into the New Year, there are a number of factors that appear to indicate a better year for South Africa.
For starters, on the southern tip of Africa, it was our scientists who identified the new variant and the country was punished, in ignorance, as being the catalyst for the new variant and its rapid infection rate. While this has indeed spread rapidly – like a quick-burning fire, it has almost spent itself here and the situation has become manageable. A quick look at the rest of the world suggests a very different picture. At the time of drafting this article, South Africa has 74 000 active infections for a population of 56-million people compared to Australia with just over 1.1-million infections for a population of 24-million people. This gives some perspective to the current state of play. The impression left is that the severity of this wave in South Africa has also been milder than in other parts of the world.
Against this background we need to pay attention to our shattered economy. While this has dramatically impacted on every one of us, the effects on the small business sector have been dire. The R500-billion safety net that was supposed to bolster small business, didn’t. Many small businesses that have been around for decades, vanished.
Alan Mukoki, SACCI CEO
The Chamber set up work streams to address the immediate issues and tabled a set of action recommendations both with the President’s advisors and the Deputy President’s office. The plan is to address the areas which have been found wanting, whether this be government agencies or institutions in the private sector, no-one is blameless, but let’s not harp on the negatives.
SACCI itself has not been absolved from the damaging effects of this two-year lockdown. But the organisation adapted and took measures to limit as far as possible the revenue-stream impact by addressing the costs of its operations.
There can be no doubt that the pressures are on to get more directly involved in the small business community where we are well represented. This required a completely new approach, with the mother body taking a more visible presence in the township economies. A whole suite of measures are being looked at, from fast-tracking grant funding to small businesses, addressing the financial support and administrative functions, communication issues, transport network, supply depots to the business community, creating greater efficiency and lower cost of products are all issues that form part of a pilot programme to be instituted. Indeed, we are enthusiastic to implement our plans with key stakeholders in 2022.
Overall, the organisation has taken the time to go into the townships and engage with the communities to gauge first-hand what are the crucial issues. What’s more important is that we listened to our people and are putting plans in place to make things happen for them.
Using the muscle of the mother body and the networks we have, we believe we can make a difference to fast-track our small businesses out of the devastation caused by the pandemic, the rioting and looting last year in key areas and the drop-off in demand experienced over nearly two years.
Mboshini Engineering Steel is a small business based in Lillydale in Mpumalanga which has expanded its range beyond burglar bars and doors to steel window frames and trailers, bull bars and palisades. Credit: SEDA
SACCI remains committed to these initiatives. As we have not had such an experience before, so we adapt our programmes based on our learning experiences as we go along and build on such experience.
In so doing, we grow the programmes outwards to areas we currently have no presence in. This way, we strengthen our role in a positive way for our business community.
SACCI stands for everything good in our business communities.
Total Cost of Ownership graph looking at purchase price and then electricity costs over the years.
Staycold International, a South African manufacturer of self-contained commercial fridges and freezers, offer supermarket and restaurant owners energy efficient units to save on their monthly electricity bills. This goes a long way in easing Eskom’s proposed double digit tariff increase, effective the first half of 2022, as energy costs form a large contribution to the overall running costs of these businesses.
Staycold units have been found to use over 33% less electricity than other brands in a recent energy test at an operational restaurant business in Johannesburg. With most supermarkets, restaurants and bars having multiple refrigeration units, these savings can often amount to thousands of Rands per month and tens of thousands of Rands per annum.
The reasons why these local units are more energy efficient, is that each Staycold model utilise many, or all of the following technologies and designs: Hydrocarbon refrigerants, high energy fan motors, digital energy management device (EMD) and Low Emissivity glass doors. Operators and owners should thus look for these amongst other things, when comparing product specifications to fully take advantage of efficiency gains.
The cold drink isles in supermarkets where the glass door beverage coolers are often deployed, as well as the underbars in the deli used to prepare the food, are areas that require daily electricity and where Staycold offer these units that could help with monthly savings.
Looking at Staycold’s leading cooler, their HD1140-HC, which has a consumption figure of 3.18 kWh/24hr which equates to a daily cost of R7 per day. As of the proposed 1st April 2022 Eskom tariff increase, that same cooler will cost just under R8 per day. Other brands have been seen to use closer to 10kWh/24hrs, so the post hike running costs of these units would be more than R20 per day. So its seen that the Staycold HD1140-HC could save supermarkets R360 per month, or more than R4000 per year. With a few supermarket outlets, this could equate to hundreds of thousands of Rands that could be recorded as a profit, rather than being paid out as an expense.
Looking at the kitchen of a restaurant, a Staycold Underbar consumes approximately R1 400 Rands worth of electricity per annum. Due to this unit utilizing pathway to Net Zero R290 Refrigerant along with high efficiency fan motors and heat exchanges, this consumption was seen to be more than 50% less than a competitor product. Factoring in the Eskom increase, this relates to a saving. At the bar area, Staycold’s double glass door fridge had more than a 30% reduction in energy costs. So instead of spending R7 000 a year on electricity, which will be close to R8 000 with the Eskom hike on these two units, companies could be spending only R4 500 (after the Eskom hike) with Staycold units – a saving of R3 500 per annum.
If a company has a few restaurants, this could equate to thousands of Rands that could be recorded as a profit, rather than being paid out as an expense.
Lena Le Roux, Staycold’s Managing Director, commented: “With the electricity costs in South Africa going up year on year, our market will no doubt be calculating the total cost of ownership of their equipment over their lifespan. By choosing a Staycold, companies are ensuring that they not only get a great quality, reliable, powerful and durable product, but also a product that over time will reduce their energy costs by a significant amount while at the same time being better for the environment as a whole.”
Staycold has been manufacturing self-contained commercial fridges and freezers from their factory in Parys, in South Africa for 40 years. They were also acknowledged last year and included in the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) publication: The Pathway to Net-Zero Cooling Product List. The product list has been designed to support and accelerate the race to zero emissions by 2050 and to demonstrate the feasibility of urgent action.
From the left: Cllr-Corlett Nematshavhawe ward 3, Cllr Victor Manavhela-Head: Local Economic Development and Technical Services), Cllr Fistos Mafela-Chief Whip, Livhuwani Nwachukwu-Senior Manager, Socio-Economic development, De Beers Venetia Mine, Cllr-Godfrey Nkhanedzeni Mawela-Musina Mayor, Phillip Tshivhundo- Security manager De Beers Venetia Mine, Cllr Evelyn Siyaphi Shirilele-Speaker, Nathi Tshiwanammbi-Municipal Manager.
The donation is one of many corporate social investment programme initiatives undertaken by the mine, with the aim to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people in the communities we operate, and comes at a time where the need for relief has increased significantly due to Covid-19 pandemic-induced economic challenges.
In accepting the donation on behalf of the schools within the Musina area, Mayor of the Musina Local Municipality, Cllr Nkhanedzeni Godfrey Mawela said the donation could not have come at a better time as many parents from disadvantaged backgrounds had been struggling to afford essential items for their children in the run-up to the start of the new school year.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Venetia Mine for the wonderful support that we continuously receive. This is not the only initiative that receives support of the mine. We really appreciate the support that we are getting, especially when it comes to the education of our kids. The 150 pairs of school shoes will address some of the challenges that kids are facing in the communities,” said Cllr Mawela.
Musina High School Principal, Abraham Legavha thanked Venetia Mine for the generous donation. “Children who lack proper school shoes have a greater risk of being exposed to injuries, especially in cold and rainy weather. Some of our learners come from very poor backgrounds. Owning a new pair of shoes will motivate them because we know that it is difficult to concentrate on schoolwork when basic necessities are not fulfilled”. This donation shows that Venetia Mine cares about the wellbeing of our children,” said Legavha.
Cllr Daniel Mosena, Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning for Blouberg Local Municipality, said: “As the municipality, we appreciate this good initiative. Our goal is to work hand in hand with the De Beers Group and ensure that supporting the community is a priority. We would like to thank De Beers for the school shoes that were donated to the Blouberg Local Municipality. We will ensure that the shoes are distributed to children who come from economically depressed families during our back to school campaign”.
Phillip Tshivhundo, Security Manager, Venetia Mine said: “Our campaign focuses on providing sanitary pads and school shoes to ensure that children in our local communities stay in school. We need to take care of our communities in order for the mine to prosper. The children who benefit from this campaign will share their skills and make valuable contributions to the mining industry one day”.
Reabetswe Maungwa, founder of Ramotshwedi PTY (Ltd).
Glencore Ferroalloys started the new year on a much needed positive note as they handed over a car and manufacturing machinery to local business, Ramotshwedi PTY (Ltd). Ramotshwedi is a female-owned business founded by Reabetswe Maungwa and is part of Glencore Ferroalloys’ Enterprise Development programme. The programme aims to support SMMEs in the communities near Glencore’s operations so they can contribute to local economies.
The handover was held at the Glencore Business Hub and was attended by Glencore Ferroalloys representatives, Rustenburg Local Municipality MMC Karabo Phutu and Enterprise Development Manager Tebogo Sehloho, Western Chrome Mines (WCM) General Manager Richard Vermeulen and HR Manager Rebecca Mokhothu.
Enterprise and Supplier Development Superintendent for Glencore Ferroalloys, Charlin Ntuli who addressed guests on the day, said that the handover was the beginning of many great things for the community.
“Our commitment to transformation goes beyond just ticking the boxes of compliance, when we see talent and potential we truly go all out. As Glencore, we pride ourselves in creating what we call Progress Together in our communities and we consistently live out this message wherever we can. What drew us to Reabetswe and her business was its potential to grow and add value to the local economy. Her type of business speaks to our intention and commitment as a company, that is, to empower women, minimise dependency and develop local black owned and controlled businesses. Enterprise Development is crucial because we move the dependency away from the operation and ensure sustainability outside of Glencore, so that the recipient can contribute to the economy and communities through creating jobs.There needs to be a further shift in mindset to think of opportunities outside the mine’s core function. We are happy to be here today to give Reabetswe the support that she needs to succeed because her success is also the success of her community,” she added.
The support given to Ramotshwedi forms part of a commitment Glencore Ferroalloys made at the launch of their 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) awareness campaign. On the day, Glencore committed to supporting 10 small women-owned businesses near their Rustenburg operations. The programme is part of Glencore’s Enterprise Development which seeks to upskill and support local SMMEs so they can create job opportunities, thus contributing to the growth of local economies.
Reabetswe Maungwa (left) and Enterprise and Supplier Development Superintendent for Glencore Ferroalloys, Charlin Ntuli.
MMC Karabo Phutu from the Rustenburg Local Municipality applauded Glencore for their commitment to SMMEs, especially those that are women-owned.
“Glencore and Ramotshwedi PTY (Ltd) have got a good story to tell today and it is even greater to witness young people particularly women who have been previously disadvantaged in the past make things happen. Today, I can finally say mining meets agriculture, the two can never be separated. Further to that I’d like to encourage our community members who look for opportunities in mining houses to not only concentrate on the core business of the mines but other possible avenues as well, as who would have imagined Glencore supporting a business that locally produces sauces. I want to congratulate Glencore for all the hard work they have done today, this will become a benchmark in supporting local communities as we have the responsibility to address unemployment and ensure people from our communities are able to use the platforms created to further support those around them as well,” he added.
On the day, Glencore handed over an Opel Combi as well as a fridge, oven, pots and other equipment to Reabetswe so she can continue producing, supplying and transporting her products to consumers.
Reabetswe could barely contain her excitement as she thanked Glencore for their support. “This is such an incredible day for me. I am filled with so much gratitude to Glencore for recognizing my journey and walking with me. When I started this, it was just an idea from my kitchen and I while I had many hopes, I had no idea it would get this far. I am so proud of the sauces I make; I would walk as long as it takes to ensure that people taste it because that is how much I believe in it. The support given to me today will go a long way in ensuring growth for my business and I am excited to get to a point where we can offer jobs to people from this community. I was unemployed and got to see the reality of what is happening in my community and I hope my story can inspire more people to believe in themselves and formalise their business ideas. I am so grateful to the Glencore Alloys team for their support and mentorship, I promise to do all that is in my power to pay it forward by empowering more women,” she said.
From left: Richard Vermeulen, Tebogo Sehloho, Reabetswe Maungwa, Karabo Phutu, Rebecca Mokhothu and Brigette Tayob.
Glencore’s ED Programme will continue to make a positive difference to more SMMEs throughout the year by giving them the support and mentorship they require to grow their businesses. The programme is targeting black owned businesses within Glencore’s door step communities as they continue to help government in fighting inequality and work towards progress together for all.
Themba Maseko was an activist leader who became a lawyer and worked in the Civil Service so that he could be of more help to black people.
In the late 1800s the author’s grandparents and family were forcibly removed from their Eastern Cape farm to a township in Ermelo. His father found work in Johannesburg. Themba Maseko matriculated through his mother’s dedication and with help from nuns at the Immaculata High School.
In 1948 the Nationalist Party came to power and an inferior education syllabus for blacks was introduced. In 1975 Afrikaans became the medium of teaching language and protests in 1976 saw thousands of students, among them Hector Pietersen, killed when police used teargas and live ammunition. Thousands did not return to school, and many left for military training overseas.
Maseko applied for admission to the University of the Witwatersrand, but then Minister of Education, FW De Klerk, told him it was for whites. When laws were relaxed, Maseko graduated there in 1983 after a friend persuaded him not to leave South Africa and to complete his LLB. He was then Assistant General Secretary of the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC).
In the 1980s he became an activist and organised student movements. He was invited to join the SA Communist and ANC parties and was asked to address the rally when Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Prize. Nelson Mandela’s daughter Zindzi read a letter from him to her, the nation and to the world denouncing conditions of release.
In 1990 President De Klerk released Mandela, who became the first President of the democratic South Africa in 1994. Four hundred new MPs were sworn in and Mandela assembled a Cabinet of former enemies. The ANC’s landslide election victory had enabled Maseko, then General Secretary of the NECC, to become an MP, aged 30. He headed the education portfolio.
He helped draft a Constitution and Bill of Rights and was appointed Superintendent-General of the Gauteng Education Department under Mary Metcalfe. He helped integrate four racially-based departments into a non-racial system. Maseko obtained his MBA, but his association with Metcalfe deteriorated and in 2003 he became Director-General of Public Works and Public Service Administration, under Stella Sigcau. Public Works had the task of creating one million jobs by 2009 and Maseko’s programme was announced in President Mbeki’s State of the Nation Address.
His relationship with Sigcau deteriorated and his contract was not extended. Joel Netshitenzhe, CEO of Government Communication and Information System, offered Maseko his job as he was moving to Mbeki’s office. He joined GCIS under Essop Pahad and had to announce Cabinet decisions to media on the day they were taken.
Schabir Shaik, Vice President Zuma’s advisor, was convicted for corruption and Mbeki dismissed Zuma. Mbeki announced that Jackie Selebi, Police Commissioner, had been arrested for corruption and fraud. Vusi Pikoli wanted to prosecute but was suspended. Maseko received calls from everywhere.
At the Polokwane Conference in 2009, Jacob Zuma became President.
The Gupta brothers were by then hand-picking appointments to SOE boards . International Marketing Council Chair, Wendy Luhabe, was dismissed and Ajay Gupta was reappointed. Zuma sent Maseko to Ajay Gupta who said all departments were to transfer media budgets, R600-million annually, to the Guptas. Maseko refused.
In nine years Zuma reshuffled Cabinet 12 times. Meetings with the private sector stopped and “white monopoly capital” was widely used.
Ajay Gupta met Maseko and told him ministers did what he told them to do. Tony Gupta spoke to him about their New Age newspaper soon to be published and said if Maseko did not meet him to discuss it he would have him replaced. When Maseko told this to Chabane, he said others had also been harassed.
Two months later Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital. Maseko protected the family and chaired his first media briefing. Minister Lindiwe Sisulu phoned from Switzerland and said only Zuma had spoken about Mandela. The acting president had approved it but Sisulu said Maseko had defied Zuma. Maseko saw paranoia and mistrust and when he was fired he wondered how he would survive with a wife and two sons to support.
At the Cabinet meeting, e.tv broadcast his firing adding that Mzwanele Manyi had replaced him. Maseko became Director-General of the Department of Public Service and Administration, replacing Richard Baloyi, but officials continued to report to him. Maseko left in July 2011 feeling his refusal to work with the Guptas and being seen as an Mbeki man had sealed his fate. He had also defended work given to off-spring of politicians, not knowing the Guptas had given Zuma’s children government contracts.
Maseko suspected a plan for an alternative state and a move to capture state institutions. This was strengthened when Atul Gupta, not Zuma, led delegates to an economic heads of state (BRIC) function. Zuma announced that wise businessmen supported the ANC.
For a Gupta daughter’s wedding, guests landed at Waterkloof Air Force Base, and police escorted them to Sun City. Chief of State Protocol Bruce Koloane told Chabane there was pressure from number one (Zuma). At the Zondo Commission he admitted to abusing his power of office.
There was relief for Maseko when Deputy Finance Minister Ncabisi Jonas said the Guptas offered him R600-million to be Finance Minister, Vytjie Mentor said they offered her the ministry of Public Enterprises, and Mbalula was congratulated on becoming Sports Minister before his appointment.
Maseko agreed to speak to a journalist. Following publication of his revelations, the phone rang all day – with congratulations from friends and threats from KwaZulu-Natal.
The Guptas were finally to be discussed by the NEC in 2016. Mantashe was shocked by Maseko’s written claims but he stopped investigations when only one written submission came in. Many private companies had also benefited.
Maseko experienced financial difficulties, but in June 2017 Wits friend Bonang Mohale, CEO of BLSA, employed him as Communications Director. Pressure mounted against Zuma. Twenty-seven former Directors General called for an enquiry into state capture and the Guptas, dating back to 1994.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela wanted information on state capture, the Jonas and Mentor statements and Cabinet appointments. Her report was ready by October and Zuma applied unsuccessfully to the High Court to stop publication.
At the ANC’s 54th conference, Ramaphosa became ANC leader and President, and Ace Magashule Secretary General. There were calls for the Guptas, who had left South Africa, to be extradited.
In 2018 Maseko told the Zondo Commission about his experiences with Zuma and the Guptas. President Ramaphosa gave the NPA access to investigations and law enforcement agencies, and gave the Commission the power to subpoena witnesses. Maseko was told to make a formal submission and had to submit an affidavit and he was given pro bono legal advice. Documentation had to be submitted.
During Zuma’s five-day testimony he denied everything, saying the request had come from Chabane to transfer Maseko. Baloyi testified that Chabane had approached him about the transfer from GCIS to Public Works. Zuma “exposed” detractors and made defamatory allegations, and claimed some ministers were apartheid informers. Maseko had to prepare another affidavit.
Critiques insulted him and some threatened violence. Maseko, Jonas, Mentor and others were presented with awards by the Ahmed Cathrada Foundation at a special dinner. He says he aims to continue speaking out against wrongdoing and corruption, supporting whistleblowers and being of service to the nation.
Title: For My Country Author: Themba Maseko Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers Price: R275 Publication date: May 2021
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Talking about their respective roles within Air Products, it is clear that they are passionate about what they do.
Title: For My Country
