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The diamond fibre glistens for mohair farmers and producers

Angora goats, Eastern Cape Province. (Credit: SAMIL Natural Fibres)

When farmers in the Cape Colony wanted better returns for their hard work, they introduced sheep which produced a better quality of wool. That tactic was so successful that the value of wool exports increased exponentially in the four decades after 1820.

However, when Angora goats were introduced, the value of exports of mohair shot up in just five years from £15 000 to £107 000. South Africa had found its “diamond fibre” before the first real diamond was discovered in a field near Kimberley which would launch South Africa’s mineral revolution.

The other high-value livestock idea introduced was ostrich farming and that went very well, until the market crashed around the time of the outbreak of World War I. Mohair continues to shine.

The first Angora goats came to the Cape in 1838 but it took some time for commercial operations to take hold. By 1860, bales of wool and mohair were responsible for the port at Port Elizabeth handling more cargo than Cape Town.

Mohair is a white, lustrous fibre (thus the “diamond fibre”) that is strong and elastic, and it forms a fabric that is easily dyed. Also sometimes called the “noble fibre”, mohair is lightweight, durable, breathes well and is crease-resistant.

The great fashion houses of the world create garments from mohair which is also used to create scarves, socks, blankets, ponchos and throws.

China and Italy are the two main export destinations of South African production, fully 95% of which is exported.

Image: SAMIL Natural Fibres

South Africa now produces about 54% of the world’s mohair and Port Elizabeth is the mohair capital of the world in the sense that its port handles the bulk of South African exports, many companies have their headquarters there and the sector association, Mohair South Africa, is based there.

As the industry’s representative, Mohair South Africa develops international partnerships and promotes the marketing of mohair products. The body’s stated aim is to “create sustainable demand and profitability for all role-players from producer to processor, and from buyer to manufacturer”.

Mohair South Africa is involved in several fashion shows around the world (and other events, such as a series of Vogue magazine knitting events in the USA), which, together with engagements with international brands and textile organisations and attendance at international trade shows, help to keep mohair in the global public eye.

The Empowerment Trust is a Mohair South Africa initiative that helps small-scale farmers towards becoming commercial mohair producers. It also has programmes that train and develop individuals throughout the mohair value chain.

These include farmworkers, shearers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs. If a candidate can show that he or she has the land and a good business plan, interest-free loans (in the form of goats) are paid out, repayable after five years from the profits that come from shearing, which happens twice every year.

Farms around the small towns that dot the open plains south of Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen, Somerset East, Jansenville and Willowmore routinely produce nearly half of South Africa’s production.

The office of the South African Mohair Growers Association (SAMGA) is in Jansenville. SAMGA negotiates with government and non-governmental organisations on issues to do with mohair production. When the International Mohair Summit was jointly hosted by Jansenville and Graaff-Reinet, a Mohair Museum was created in Jansenville.

Grootfontein College of Agriculture, the only tertiary educational institute in the country to offer a programme aimed at Angora goat farming and mohair production, is located in Middelburg, north of Graaff-Reinet.

Processing of mohair takes place in Uitenhage, Port Elizabeth and Berlin outside East London. The mohair value chain includes brokers, buyers, processors, spinners, manufacturers and retailers.

SAMIL Natural Fibres has divisions all along the value chain. This covers farming, combing, trading, spinning and dyeing. The Angora Genetics Laboratory (ANGELA) was established in 2013 to improve yields. The Stucken group controls Mohair Spinners South Africa, Hinterveld (a mill) and a processing company called Gubb & Inggs in Uitenhage.

Several agricultural companies have mohair divisions. OVK has a 100% shareholding the Cape Mohair Wool (CMW), a mohair brokerage. BKB has a mohair division that includes auctions and brokering. The company markets about 35% of mohair produced and runs bi-weekly sales in Port Elizabeth.

Mohair auction facts:
  • CMW, a part of the OVK Group, recorded a turnover of R41-million at a sale in 2018.
  • In the same year a pair of farmers achieved a price of R1 256.10/kg at another CMW auction. That worked out to more than R100 000 for a single bale.
  • At the third sale of 2019, an average price was achieved of R289.66/kg. The highest price paid was R613/kg, for a 23-micron kid mohair clip. By the final sale of the year, the average was R218.97/kg (Mohair SA).
  • A ram sold at an auction organised by the Angora Ram Breeders’ Society in 2018/19 fetched R86 000.
Links:

This article first published as a Special Feature in the Eastern Cape Business 2020 edition business and investment journal.

View the e-book:

Durban Exhibition Centre used as screening centre for city’s homeless response

Health care workers from the Department of Health assist in the assessment and screening of the City’s homeless at the Durban Exhibition Centre.

The Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC) has been utilised as the Reception and Screening Centre for the Ethekwini Municipality’s response to sheltering the homeless during the national lockdown announced by President Ramaphosa on the 23rd March.

The eThekwini Task Team on Homelessness identified various sites for screening and accommodating the City’s itinerant citizens before the lockdown came into effect on the 26th March. The task team is headed up by Deputy Mayor Belinda Scott and Chaired by Raymond Perrier, Director of the Denis Hurley Centre.

The DEC became the central point where homeless people could gather and receive the assistance which the Task Team was providing. The process included receiving meals, blankets, hygiene packs, and be assessed and screened by professionals from the Department of Health and Department of Social Development.

Durban ICC Chief Executive Officer, Lindiwe Rakharebe noted, “The Durban ICC is committed to playing its part in and offering as much support as we can. Initially one-thousand people were expected to be screened at the centre; however we were able to help 1,600 people over the course of the first three days.”

Following the assessment and screening, each person received a wrist band and transport to the various venues provided by the City where they would be housed and fed for the duration of the national lockdown. These venues include the Denis Hurley Centre, the YMCA, Moses Mabhida Stadium, and the Strollers facility amongst others.

The Task Team has enlisted the help of NGOs and municipally-funded caterers to provide meals to all residents throughout the lockdown period. Security and health-care staff are in attendance at each of the various venues as well.

Support and advice for business and industry in Cape Town

The City of Cape Town cares deeply about the impact of COVID-19 on our local businesses and industry. We are mobilising resources to limit the impact and are exploring ways of how best to support you during this time.

Dedicated work-streams are meeting regularly to ensure a significant, all-of-government effort.

We are working with the provincial and national governments, as well as all our partners, to do everything we can to stop the spread of this virus and devise ways to best support you.

You have a role to play to protect yourself and your families. If we all do so, we will protect our communities too. We are all in this together. Healthy businesses are vital to Cape Town’s economy.

More information:

Get the latest articles and press releases, research, useful links and emergency numbers on the Invest Cape Town website:

Invest Cape Town Coronavirus Response: Support and Advice for Business and Industry

Opinion piece: Why plantations are NOT green deserts

Ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Forests on 21 March, Forestry South Africa research and protection director Dr Ronald Heath talks about how the commercial forestry industry is leading the way in conserving and rehabilitating areas of high biodiversity value. He also challenges people to think differently about plantations.

Oribi. Southern Ground Hornbill. Southern Banded Snake Eagle. Cape Batis. Spotted Eagle Owl. Karkloof Blue Butterfly. Hewitt’s Ghost Frog. Pepper Bark Tree. Cycads.

These are some of the species that have found a home within the South African commercial forestry landscape.

Local forestry landscapes are a tapestry of commercial timber compartments – or crops – interwoven with tracts of natural vegetation, which enhance and conserve biodiversity in these grasslands, wetlands and indigenous forests ecosystems.

Approximately 1.5 million hectares of forestry-owned land (1.2 million hectares of timber plantation and 300 000 hectares of conservation area) stretch from Limpopo and Mpumalanga to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern and Western Cape. The country boasts the highest forest certification rate in the world, with some 80% of South Africa’s forestry landscape certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ensuring that land is managed and timber is produced in line with global environmental and social sustainability standards.

From big birds to blue butterflies

Through various research projects, ranging from public bird surveys to camera trap studies, our sector has identified more than 30 mammal species, hundreds of bird species and countless reptile, amphibian and insect species that call forestry-owned land home. This includes a number of rare, endangered and Red List species.

One of these is the “Thunder Bird” or Southern Ground Hornbill. The patchwork nature of forestry with the mixture of insect-rich grasslands and tall trees for nesting lends itself as the ideal habitat for these birds. Researchers are now interested to see whether the forestry landscape would offer the potential to create conservation corridors between Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, the birds’ last great strongholds.

The Southern Ground Hornbill.

Karkloof Blue (Orachrysops ariadne), one of South Africa’s rarest butterflies, has been protected by conserving important breeding grounds and paying careful attention to site disturbances such as harvesting and burning regimes, and creating a better environment for the host plant (Indigofera woodii) upon which the butterfly lays its eggs. There is also a mysterious but symbiotic relationship between the butterfly larvae and an ant species (Camponotus natalensis) which means that the ant species also requires protection.

Orachrysops ariadne female upperside.

Apart from being a significant contributor to the local economy, forestry contributes to the conservation of the country’s natural forests, grassland ecosystems and their associated wetland systems along with a number of treasures for the ecotourism industry. Managed properly, this network of natural areas contributes towards the achievement of South Africa’s biodiversity targets.

A number of our members are working to have the species-rich pockets of natural vegetation found within the forestry landscape formally protected under long-term conservation agreements. Sites like Clairmont Mountain Nature Reserve, Sappi’s first proclaimed nature reserve, which is home to numerous endangered and Red Data List species. It is clear that forestry is a pioneer, leading the way for other land users.

Saving forests and reducing our footprint

South African forestry adopts a responsible forest and land management approach which requires sustainable, efficient and effective land management practices that have the lowest environmental impact and yield the greatest social and economic benefit.

Apart from employing more than 150 000 people and supporting rural communities, plantations are the source of an array of carbon-storing, renewable and versatile products that we use every day – without so much as a second thought: sawn timber for roofing and pool decks, pulp for toilet tissue, paper packaging, labels on new clothing and writing paper, extracts for adhesives and resins, cellulose for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and even food-grade additives and biochemicals. And this is just a short list.

We have come a long way since the early days of afforestation which often involved planting trees without considering the ecological consequences. In the 1990s, the sector voluntarily withdrew 80 000 hectares of planted compartments for the conservation of water and to better manage our water resources. It has also instituted a number of strict planting regulations in line, and going beyond, with legislation and international standards that help reduce the industry’s environmental footprint.

The forestry industry was established by the South African government to meet the country’s timber needs, while preventing the eradication of our natural wooded areas. It simply would not have been environmentally sustainable, commercially viable nor practical to make use of indigenous wood for industrial purposes, especially in the early years of South Africa’s establishment as a mining and agricultural economy.

Today, the forestry landscape is now home to some 649 woody and 636 herbaceous plant species; these form part of the country’s half a million hectares of indigenous forests, which would be even smaller if it were not for commercial timber plantations.

Various biodiversity-focused resources are available on Forestry South Africa’s website:
  • Raptor Refugia
  • Answer the call of the Thunder Bird
  • Saving a species – Oribi
  • Hewitts Ghost Frog
  • Caterpillar custodians
  • Clairmont Mountain Nature Reserve
  • About International Day of Forests

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests in 2012. On this day, we celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. Countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organise activities concerning forests and trees.

The central theme for the International Day of Forests 2020, chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, is ‘Forests and Biodiversity: Too precious to lose’. www.fao.org

About Forestry South Africa

Forestry South Africa represents 11 corporate forestry companies, approximately 1 100 commercial timber farmers and some 20 000 small-scale growers. Collectively, these growers own or control no less than 98% of the country’s total plantation area of 1.2 million hectares.

It supports the industry in common and precompetitive areas such as research and protection against pests and disease, environmental issues, education and training and legislation. www.forestrysouthafrica.co.za.

All images supplied by Forestry South Africa

Lessons on the power of sharing, compassion and cooperation, as taught by a donkey

Book review by John Young

If humans are eager to find “some task that feels urgent and perfectly suited to our skills”, isn’t it logical to assume that “every other creature” wants the same? This is one of the intriguing questions that animates Christopher McDougall’s new book, Running with Sherman. The Donkey Who Survived Against All Odds and Raced Like a Champion.

The question is posed by a canine psychologist in a discussion about detection dogs who can find the tiniest evidence of explosives in an environment designed to distract them. They have a purpose and they are fulfilled, just as humans — and donkeys — would be if they could find a purpose in life.

McDougall’s previous book, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, told the story of members of a Native Mexican tribe who can run great distances at speed in sandals. The book quickly became a best-seller and started an interesting scientific debate about whether the modern running shoe is causing running injuries.

Running with Sherman is no less a serious book, but McDougall succeeds in blending a fast-paced narrative with science-based polemics, some funny anecdotes and a good dose of inspiration. The story is never dull, and the lively style contributes to the sparky mood. The author’s determination to sometimes tip the tone into hyper-informality can be a bit tedious (Holy Moly, it sure can) but he is obviously an informal kinda guy, so what the heck! What can’t be excused is the absence of an index in a book that aims to persuade and quotes scientific studies.

The author and his wife Mika take a bedraggled and abused donkey into their care on their farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The donkey is re-named Sherman. A practical neighbour helps Sherman get the physical care he needs while McDougall comes up with a strategy to mend his mind, by running with him in a race up and down a mountain. But not just any kind of running, running with the equipment of a prospector (shovel, pick and gold pan) tied to a saddle and running in the World Championship Pack Burro Race in Colorado, 4 000 m above sea level. Burro is Spanish for donkey.

More than once while reading this book I thought, “Only in America!” Not only is this burro race part of an annual series of burro races in the state of Colorado, there are some runners who are able to make a living from running during the burro-racing season (not many runners, and not for long, but still!) Given the author’s long-distance running credentials, it is no surprise that he knows about this race. The bulk of the book is about preparing Sherman for the race and the lessons learnt along the way.

Most of the McDougall’s neighbours are Amish. Where these neighbours (and other somewhat unconventional folk) play a big role is in highlighting the important role of community in creating happiness and in reminding the author how far modern society has moved away from working with and learning from animals.

Part of his thesis is that man’s relationship with animals helps humans be better humans. They are also great therapists. McDougall cites studies relating to war veterans and criminals in jail on the benefits of interacting with animals. And then there’s the story of a young man who is the son of a friend. Zeke has lost his purpose since stopping competitive swimming and dropping out of university.

His story becomes part of the book. Because two other donkeys have been roped in as a support team for Sherman and the author and Mika have their hands full, Zeke gets to prepare Sherman for the race. McDougall worries that lining up a young man with issues with an animal with “hooves, sharp teeth and a seriously troubled past” will spell trouble but Zeke’s mother understands immediately, and it works.

“Sherman became his purpose. He’d found someone else who needed healing.”

McDougal makes big claims about the role of animals in healing, but he is equally strong on the power of exercise.

“Today, movement-as-medicine is a biological truth for survivors of cancer, surgery, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, brain injuries, depression, you name it.” It’s a truth he applies to Sherman.

Sherman has a very distinct personality and the advice that the author takes on board, about getting the donkey to believe that doing something is his idea, is well taken.

Another author who travelled with a donkey about 130 years ago noted that his companion was “patient” but also, suggesting that traits of stubbornness were not far away, that the donkey had “a determined under-jaw.” That author was Robert Louis Stevenson in Travels With a Donkey in the Cévennes.* The donkey was named Modestine and what appealed to the author of Treasure Island was “something neat and high-bred, a quaker-ish elegance” about the “rogue”.

McDougall’s conclusions about animals and therapy also find an echo in RL Stevenson’s reflections on the benefits of struggling to keep a pack on a pack-saddle in tough conditions: “And when the present is so exacting who can annoy himself about the future?” The effort, wrote Stevenson, “serves to occupy and compose the mind.”

The story of making the modern-day rogue called Sherman ready for stiff competition makes for an entertaining read, made informative and thought-provoking by McDougall’s timely and relevant digressions.

There are some profound conclusions about how to finish a burro race that the world could use right now: “forget about dominance and ego and discover the power of sharing, compassion and cooperation”.

Finally, there was “one thing” that McDougall believed could save Sherman. That was movement, because movement (especially after injury or trauma) sends a signal “to every cell in our bodies that no matter what kind of damage we’ve suffered, we’re ready to rebuild and move away from death and back toward life.”

This is a life-affirming book.

 

* Travels With a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson was chosen by Robert McCrum in 2017 as one of the Guardian’s 100 best non-fiction books. I found these references in the Books section of the Guardian website.

Running with Sherman is available from Jonathan Ball Publishers | ISBN 9781788162272 | www.jonathanball.co.za

Laerskool Kempton Park scoops top project award

Laerskool Kempton Park (LKP), a full-service primary school in Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni, has just been awarded the Tanzanite Award in the 2019 GDE Service Excellence Awards – sub-category: Best Project – for their innovative INMED AquaponicsTM system and sensory garden.

Adoree Louw, Project Manager at the school says she is over the moon that the project has received this prestigious recognition. “Our school serves a community characterised by challenging socio-economic circumstances. Two years ago we realised we needed to find a better, more sustainable solution to feed our learners.” LKP is a full-service school incorporating learners with special educational needs into mainstream education. “Many of our learners rely on the school for their only hot nutritious meal of the day,” Louw adds. “Our learners simply did not have the funds for this and neither did the school qualify for Departmental funding for the feeding programme.”

Ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking was required. Louw says it was at that point they spoke to Air Products, who had already sponsored a small play area for LKP learners. “They introduced us to the INMED South Africa team, who showed us how aquaponics could work in the school environment,” says Louw.

“The synergy was good for LKP, as the school was also keen to introduce aquaponics as a technical subject for learners expanding on adaptive agriculture.”

Aquaponics is an innovative food production technique that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (soilless crop production in water) in a closed symbiotic system. It produces at least 10 times more harvests year-round than traditional farming in the same space, uses 90% less water, requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides and is attractive to youth who face staggering unemployment rates and have become disillusioned with farming.

INMED has developed a simplified, modular system that can be tailored to any space constraints and adapted to the needs of individuals with disabilities.

The team at Laerskool Kempton Park (L-R): Principal André Page, Philemon Mothua and Adoreé Louw.

“This outstanding project at Kempton Park is a prime example of how aquaponics can address the intertwined issues of food security, malnutrition, climate-change adaptation and skills development for sustainable incomes,” notes Dr. Linda Pfeiffer, founder and CEO of INMED Partnerships for Children, an international NGO that has pioneered the use of school-based aquaponics to improve the nutrition and food security of children in disadvantaged communities in South Africa for more than 10 years. “We are so grateful to Air Products, who has championed INMED Aquaponics in South Africa from the very beginning.”

Following the announcement, Arthi Govender, Chairperson of the corporate social investment (CSI) Committee at Air Products commented: “We are extremely proud of Laerskool Kempton Park, and in particular Mr Page and Ms Louw who have embraced the aquaponics system with enthusiasm. The award is testimony to the commitment to the project – it is definitely one of the greatest success stories as far as our beneficiaries are concerned. Our focus at Air Products is on the youth and education and this project addresses these objectives. It is heartwarming to see the recognition for a project where we are involved.”

Laerskool Kempton Park is the third school where INMED South Africa and Air Products have implemented aquaponics programmes. Launched in 2017, the LKP project includes teacher and cafeteria worker training, classroom education and technical assistance. The system at LKP is a custom size tailored to the school grounds consisting of three fish tanks and five grow beds.

The grow beds were designed with special flooring to allow wheelchair-dependent students to easily participate in the planting and harvesting activities, as well as the care and feeding of the fish. A special addition to the project was the sensory garden—featuring a barefoot walking path of various textures, water and sound walls, fragrant fruit trees and vines, brightly coloured plants and garden toys. It has become a particularly effective teaching tool and therapeutic resource for students with disabilities. INMED South Africa was responsible for the construction and establishment of the infrastructure and Air Products provided much-needed capital.

(L-R): Robert Richardson – Managing Director of Air Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd, André Page – Principal of Laerskool Kempton Park, Unathi Sihlahla – INMED South Africa Programmes Director and Arthi Govender – General Manager: Marketing and Communications Air Products.

Louw says over the last two years they have managed to produce vegetables all year, and the project is operated with the assistance of learners from the school. A new addition to the project is the introduction of catfish (barbel) into the system. The fish are currently being harvested for the school’s feeding scheme with excess donated to families in need. The school is also selling fish and vegetables to the local community.

“This is such a positive way to give the learners invaluable practical experience in the production of food, as well as how it can generate income and help the community. It is a truly win-win situation,” says Louw. The full-service learners also benefit from activities involving the aquaponics system to explain curriculum outcomes on a practical level, while the sensory garden provides sensory stimulation for the sensory-deprived learners. “We are so proud that the school has also got to a point where it can manage and run the programme independently, which is really our ultimate aim.”

Says Janet Ogilvie, Operations Manager for INMED South Africa: “We have introduced a system to grow food which is quick, energy efficient, environmentally friendly and chemical free. It has also planted the seeds in the minds of this community and these learners showing them how this same system can be adapted and replicated on a small scale at home.”

Columbus Stainless launches TechnoGirl Programme

Back (left to right): Andolene Hofmeyr (TechnoGirl Programme Manager), Piet Potgieter (Columbus Stainless General Manager - Finance), Jo Mabhena (Columbus Stainless General Manager - HR), Kutala Bizana (Columbus Stainless General Manager – Legal & Transformation), Johan Strydom (Columbus Stainless CEO), Bertus Griesel (Columbus Stainless General Manager – Commercial), Mpe Majeremane (Ekwazini Secondary School Principal), David Sebothoma (Phumelela Secondary School Acting Principal), Cllr Johan Matshiane (MMC for Social, Cultural & Sports Service), Daniel Makuse (Acting Circuit Manager), with the selected TechnoGirls.

Columbus Stainless has on 11 March 2020 launched the TechnoGirl programme which is set to benefit twelve students from non-fee paying Quintile 1 schools namely; Ekwazini Secondary School in Mhluzi and Phumelela Secondary School in Extension 24, Middelburg.

The event was attended by Columbus Executive Members and CEO Johan Strydom, Cllr Johan Matshiane, MMC for Social, Cultural & Sports Service at Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, Mr Jabu Sindane – Chief of Staff in the Mayor’s Office and TechnoGirl Programme Manager Andolene Hofmeyr.

This heralded the start of a 3-year structured programme, which will include job shadowing, mentoring and soft skills training. Columbus as the host employer will coordinate the programme, as well as the guided plant tours. The candidates will also be exposed to career guidance which will identify their career interest.

The TechnoGirl programme is a flagship programme of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disability in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Department of Basic Education (DBE), Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and the TechnoGirl Trust, which have benefitted many girls across all nine provinces of South Africa to date.

The programme is premised on the understanding that structured exposure to the workplace can significantly contribute towards motivating disadvantaged girls to take up careers that are in demand in the economy and where women are under-represented.

Columbus Stainless, having been awarded the Factory of the Year Award in the category of Large Scale Manufacturing in 2019, will be exposing the learners to International Industry Standards.

Columbus Stainless will afford the selected girls an opportunity during the three consecutive school holidays (autumn, winter and spring), for which they will receive work place exposure, allowance and mentoring session on site for three years. At the end of the programme, the girls will go onto the alumni association where additional support and guidance will be provided to the girls who pursue higher education studies, as well as to develop their leadership skills and serve as role models to future participants.

Transforming Africa’s manufacturing landscape into an advanced technological hub

Africa is a continent filled with potential, talent and untapped resources. Bountiful regional natural reserves have driven the population towards ingenuity and innovation that remain unmatched globally. The creation of unique technologies and solutions is the hallmark of the African industry as a collective. Further to this, the continent is abundant in industrious inhabitants and the fruits are ripe for the picking.

There is now an urgent need for development and investment in the manufacturing industry across the continent in order to bring homegrown, advanced technology to the masses through commercialisation and optimisation.

Most predictions show that the combined GDP of African countries is expected to reach the equivalent of $29-trillion by the year 2050. The unique talents of the African people now require capital and infrastructure to realise their ideas and innovation on a far wider scale. The inclusion of the African manufacturing industry to the global trade and commerce platform is the need of the hour and this can only be achieved through sustained investment and development which must be brought to Africa from all over the world.

Enabling factors of an environment for advanced manufacturing include:

1 – Energy:

No industry can function on a limited energy reserve. The development of energy infrastructure across Africa, including the deployment of clean and sustainable energy solutions, is paramount to the progress of the manufacturing industry in Africa.

2 – Trade Tariffs:

A review of the various trade and commerce tariffs in place across Africa is required to develop more investment-friendly incentives for the benefit of investors. We must learn from the past: During the 1980s, when the rest of the world was undergoing industrialisation, African tariffs were as high as 15 percent on average, which built barriers to investment and commerce. Furthermore, protection of assets and capital must be ensured to drive investment into Africa for the development of the continent.

3 – Skills Development:

The African population is a talented amalgamation of innovative individuals. A robust system of skills development and higher education must be established to increasingly attract students to pursue higher studies. According to the African Economic Outlook Organization, 70 percent of Africa’s youth live on less than $2 per day. Government subsidies and the issuance of student visas with attractive packages must be deployed to promote education and skills development across the continent.

4 – Sustainable Development:

Often caught in the whirlwind of fast-paced development, leaders forget to consider the longevity and sustainability of mega-projects. It remains crucial that whatever investment flows into Africa is put into a sustainable model of development to further benefit future generations.

5 – Diversification of the Workforce:

The African continent is home to a huge group of diverse ethnic groups. To place the African manufacturing industry on an even footing with the rest of the world and to get the continent up to speed with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the practice of inclusivity, diversification and non-discrimination must be prioritised.

6 – Partnerships and Teamwork:

Upliftment of the African manufacturing industry necessitates that the public and private sector work hand in hand to drive the engine of development in the same prolific direction i.e. towards progress.

The case for the African manufacturing industry is as strong as it gets and requires centralised attention, as no industry can compare to the returns and benefits that come with this region’s manufacturing potential. A progressive outlook must be developed and adopted for the future of the continent that lays the most focus on the industrial development of the continent, because Africa is a future leader.

The Manufacturing Indaba remains Sub-Saharan Africa’s most prestigious and informative manufacturing event. The conference has evolved annually and has demonstrated invaluable initiatives in fostering significant business liaisons, forging gateways for manufacturers into new markets and exploring challenges and opportunities to promote innovation in manufacturing operations.

The upcoming conference will prove no different. All these factors pave the way for creating employment opportunities as well as accelerating economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The annual Manufacturing Indaba will be hosted at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from the 9 – 10 June 2020.

The event will comprise a two-day conference and exhibition and is hosted in partnership with the South African Department of Trade & Industry (the dti), the Department of Science & Technology and the Manufacturing Circle, representing the private sector.

For more info on this event, or to register for the Indaba: www.manufacturingindaba.co.za

Clarion Events reschedules African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to November

Following the South African Government’s announcement of a national state of disaster and subsequent ban on public gatherings of over 100 people, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clarion Events Africa (formerly Spintelligent) is rescheduling African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.

The event, which was due to take place from 12-14 May, will now run from 24 – 26 November 2020. The venue – CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa – remains unchanged.

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa attracts over 10,000 people from more than 90 countries and is the largest energy show in Africa. 2020 marks its 20th anniversary.

“The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, employees and the wider public is of paramount importance to us,” said managing director David Ashdown.

“Following the Government’s announcement, we have worked with industry to reschedule African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to November, in order to minimise potential health risks to those connected to the event.

“It is expected that the current challenges presented by the Coronavirus will slow down significantly within the next few months, which means the new November date for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will allow us to deliver the most meaningful event in terms of maximising ROI for our exhibitors and excellent content and experiences for our visitors.

“The power sector in South Africa is facing incredibly challenging times. By committing to running the event this year, Clarion Events Africa can continue to drive energy security on the continent, support the local industry and provide business-critical market opportunities to support our exhibitors’ future prosperity.”

A spokesperson for South Africa’s national power utility, Eskom, said: “Eskom recognises the role that this event plays in addressing the challenges facing the provision of electricity on the continent. We recognise that COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges and are glad that a solution has been found to allow the event to continue this year. We look forward to welcoming energy stakeholders from around the world to Cape Town in November 2020.” Eskom is also the Host Utility of African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is organised by Clarion Energy, which is part of Clarion Events, and with over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, is one of the group’s largest portfolios.

Africa Travel Week 2020 postponed

Reed Exhibitions Africa has confirmed that Africa Travel Week, which comprises of World Travel Market Africa and International Luxury Travel Market Africa, due to take place in April this year, will now be postponed following the escalation of COVID-19 Coronavirus around the world. The event will now take place again in 2021.

In a statement released today, Carol Weaving, Managing Director of Reed Exhibitions Africa said: “We have had to respond to the current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and the ongoing conversations with our customers whose welfare is our number one priority. Due to the uncertainty in the region and around the world, with many of our clients facing company travel bans, we have taken the decision to postpone the event to 2021, which was due to take place from 02 – 08 April 2020. Our thoughts are with all those affected in these difficult times.”

Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director for Africa Travel Week added, “We would like to thank the industry for their support in these unprecedented times. All buyers and exhibitors and industry partners will be contacted in the coming days.”

For more information, visit https://africa.wtm.com/

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