Beyond
3RD QUARTER 2012 ISSUE 16 R29.95
sustainability quarterly
current affairs finance & business development & education travel & TOURISM TRADE & INVESTMENT
Building smart AND sustainable cities
What exactly is sustainability?
www.beyondpublishing.co.za
Monsanto and the new colonisation of Africa
If you still believe that money doesn’t grow on trees…
it’s probably time you take a leaf from our book.
Green II
Why corporate leaders need to embrace sustainability to ensure future profitability
400pp
SAICA has always advocated the importance of embracing sustainability today in order to remain profitable tomorrow. Our latest effort sees the launch of Green II – an update of our 2009 publication which has helped numerous corporate leaders understand and implement the King III guidelines to their advantage. Featuring topics on: broad-based black economic empowerment ■ sustainability development and the responsibility of government ■ global issues to address sustainability ■ the importance of sustainability issues for small and medium-sized businesses ■ integrated reporting ■ management accounting implications ■ how to embed sustainability practices into an organisation
978-0-70
21-9462-7
■
■
Green II is timeous because corporate leaders need to embed sustainability into long term strategy in order to sustain value creation in our changed world. Those corporate leaders who do not so apply their minds will be failing in their duty of care to the incapacitated company which is dependent on them, heart, mind and soul. Professor Mervyn King SC
To order a copy of the book contact Juta Customer Services: Telephone: 021 659 2300 ■ E-mail: orders@juta.co.za ■ Website: www.jutalaw.co.za
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BUILDING WITH PRIDE
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CONTENTS 18
32
44
52
08
Editors note Charlene Heyburgh
10
BY THE NUMBERS
12
WORLD NEWS
14
SOUTH AFRICA NEWS
16
SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
18
SUSTAINABILITY What exactly is sustainability?
20
SUSTAINABILITY London Olympics 2012
24
SUSTAINABILITY Making ‘green houses’ affordable
26
Ethics is dead! Long live ethics!
28
Gauteng Partnership Fund celebrates 10 years of housing delivery
30
SUSTAINABILITY Sustainable development buzzwords & their implications
32
SUSTAINABILITY Building smart and sustainable cities
34
FINANCE The state of entrepreneurship in South Africa
36
FINANCE Number of South African women starting businesses on the increase
38
Woman of Substance Bobbie Pryce-Fitchen
40
SUSTAINABILITY Solving the education, energy and food crisis
42
How to develop KPI’s in South Africa
44
FINANCE No shortage of money
46
DEBT REVIEW Fake debt review shot down by Regulator
48
Navigating stormy seas
52
ECO Is climate change really happening?
54
SUSTAINABILITY Monsanto and the new colonisation of Africa
58
SUSTAINABILITY The slow food movement
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CONTENTS 54
76
86
92
8
60
HEALTH Hypertension and how it affects South Africans
62
SUSTAINABILITY Make stuff that matters
64
FINANCE Does your business work for you?
66
SUSTAINABILITY South Africa’s transition to a low carbon economy
68
ECO The public sector going green
72
Gas desulphurisation plant
76
TECHNOLOGY Responsible rivalry between tech giants
78
ECO Greening your home saves money
80
ECO Considering the water cycle for sustainable operations in Africa
82
ECOTOURISM Tourism is part of the eco solution
86
MOTORING Toyota Yaris hybrid
88
HYBRID’S Some frequently asked questions... answered
90
Technology REVIEWS
92
Technology Nokia Lumia 900
94
BOOK REVIEWS
96
DIARY OF EVENTS
98
BEYOND THE BEAT Events, events and more events!
Give our youth a sporting chance to help make South Africa successful Sport For All, South Africa’s first registered Development) and Code 700 (Sociosocial franchise, utilises sport as a vehicle Economic Development) B-BBEE for development and social change. It requirements. In other words, it is verifiable provides an entrepreneur (owner/operator) and measured, so a supporting enterprise with a rewarding business; offers youth can stimulate business at grassroots level employment opportunities and whilst doing social good with gives children - who are inactive meaning and real results and or who have limited access to rewards. Get your company quality sport coaching - a involved and chance to participate in over 15 Sport For All CEO Kelli Givens different sport codes and life create social change gives an insight into the quid skills training. pro quo benefits of this social that’s good for franchise: “Everyone wins! This is NOT a charity project, it Companies utilise their BEE business too! is a sustainable business model Codes of Good Prac tice that uses structured curricula to provision to get up to 20 points deliver developmental sports training on their BEE scorecard, the franchisee gets programmes and the latest smartcard the seed funding necessary to set up and technology to track cash flows and monitor kids who can’t otherwise afford to the progress and participation of the participate get the opportunity to be a part children. As such, Sport For All is the of Sport For All. The community benefits by ‘beautiful solution’ for companies who having better-rounded youth growing up would like to fulfill Code 600 (Enterprise and becoming active citizens”
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EDITORS NOTE CREDITS “Sustainability is not “about” the integration of ecological, social and economic issues, nor is it “about” widespread consultation, nor is it “about” improving quality of life. It’s about maintaining or sustaining something.
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recently received a letter from one of our readers who wanted the answer to a very simple yet relevant question. “What exactly is sustainability?” The editorial team and I decided to explore the true meaning of this term which seems to be popping up more and more lately. The word has become a buzzword in the corporate world today with most companies adopting a sustainable approach in the way they conduct their business. We are bombarded with the terms, “Economic Sustainability”, “Ecological Sustainability” and “Social Sustainability” on a daily basis but an easier way to understand the term is to remember that it has to be applied to something before its meaning becomes clear and people usually don’t specify what it is applied to when they use the term. It certainly is confusing! In this edition of Beyond, we take a look at sustainable housing solutions where we feature the “I-Shack” which was developed by the Sustainability Institute at the University of Stellenbosch which ties in perfectly with the Housing Departments new policy of creating sustainable human settlements. In “Building smart and sustainable cities”, we use the Alexandra township in Sandton – which recently turned 100 years old- as an example that upgrading slums, better public and non-motorised transport and education are the keys to making our congested areas liveable. Another interesting article is “ Monsanto and the new colonisation of Africa” where we discover the darker side to big agricultural corporations that claim to be “feeding the world and helping Africa out of poverty” but are actually using Africa as a test site for GM crops and worst of all is that the South African Government has recently given them the go-ahead to test a highly controversial GM maize variety , which is yet to be approved anywhere else in the world, on our very own soil. Look out for our motoring feature where we answer all of your questions on Hybrid vehicles and we test the new Yaris Hybrid launched by Toyota. Book reviews, technology reviews, a little bit of tongue-in-cheek in Beyond the Beat and much more. Enjoy the read.
Managing Director TB Mabecha Editor Charlene Heyburgh PROJECT MANAGER Jerome Dyson Sales ExecutiveS Jerome Dyson Joseph Gumbo Khayalethu Jacobs Anthony Botha Emile Polman Linda Schady Laurenda Hagglund Thando Jevu Simphiwe Mbekile John Theron Traffic Controller Kiara Hagglund Accounts ExecutiveS Laurenda Hagglund, Kelly Keur Office Administrator Carmen Puma DESIGN Aerspacestudios, info@aerspacestudios.com PRINTING
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Beyond Publishing CK 2008/187319/23 25 Voortrekker Road, Unit 29 Goodwood, 7460 Tel: 021 592 5725, Fax: 021 592 5714 Email: beyondpublishing@telkomsa.net www.beyondpublishing.co.za The opinions in Beyond are not necessarily those of the publisher. COPYRIGHT MABECHA PUBLICATIONS. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the publisher.
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Nedbank Limited Reg No 1951/000009/06, VAT Reg No 4320116074, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandown, Sandton, 2196, South Africa. We subscribe to the Code of Banking Practice of The Banking Association South Africa and, for unresolved disputes, support resolution through the Ombudsman for Banking Services. We are an authorised financial services provider. We are a registered credit provider in terms of the National Credit Act (NCR Reg No NCRCP16).
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BY THE NUMBERS 288
Wealthiest Americans have 288 times net worth of a typical family
The number of people killed by Ebola the contagious virus for which there is no known treatment
United States astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon died on the 25 August 2012 at the age of 82 following complications from cardiovascular procedures
photo by NASA
25 August 2012
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2.7 million
spectators crammed into venues for the 2012 Paralympics
200 million 33 592 264
Adam Cudworth only a teenager floated a camera into space to capture the curvature of the earth The camera reached an altitude of 33 592 metres. Adam spent 40 hours working on the home-made device
people were forced to evacuate after a long-simmering volcano exploded in Guatemala
$750 million 51 000
raised in ticket sales for the 2012 Paralympics
children across the world fail to reach their full potential because their early brain development is held back by poverty, disease and malnutrition
9 MILLION
people were killed after a fire engulfed a garment factory with workers trapped inside in the Pakistani city of Karachi
33 000
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$70 million
4
new bat species discovered in southern, eastern Africa
Zambia sold a long-awaited $750 million Eurobond, becoming the latest African country to reduce its dependence on foreign aid
Nissan recalls 51 000 cars worldwide after steering wheel detaches in Finland
tickets were sold for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Partnering with local government
to move
our country forward
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photo by Nick Webb
photo by NASA
WORLD NEWS
SPACE LEGEND, NEIL ARMSTRONG DIES USAIN BOLT STILL THE WORLD’S FASTEST MAN AFTER LONDON OLYMPICS
LANCE ARMSTRONG STRIPPED OF TOUR DE FRANCE TITLES AND BANNED FOR LIFE
Pulling away from the pack with every long stride, Usain Bolt crossed the finish line and wagged his right index finger. Yes, he’s still No. 1 in the 100-meter dash. Maybe not better than ever, but Bolt is definitely back. Only sixth-fastest of the eight runners to the halfway mark, Bolt erased that deficit and overwhelmed a star-studded field to win in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that let him join Carl Lewis as the only men with consecutive gold medals in the marquee track event at the Summer Games. “Means a lot, because a lot of people were doubting me. A lot of people were saying I wasn’t going to win, I didn’t look good. There was a lot of talk,” Bolt said.
The US cyclist opted not to contest USADA drugs charges, saying he is tired of fighting the allegations. He strongly denies doping. USADA said Armstrong’s decision not to fight the charges against him triggered the lifetime ban and led to his results dating back to 1 August 1998 being erased. He won the Tour de France in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Armstrong retired from cycling in 2005 but returned to the sport between 2009 and 2012. USADA says 10 of Armstrong’s former teammates are prepared to testify against him. He claimed USADA was acting beyond its remit and had offered “corrupt inducements” to other riders to testify against him. Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer prior to his record breaking Tour de France wins said that he would now be focusing on working with his cancer charity.
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Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who made “one giant leap for mankind” when he became the first man to walk on the moon has died. He was 82. “We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures,” Armstrong’s family said in a statement. Armstrong underwent heart surgery in August. “While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves,” his family said. Armstrong took two trips into space. He made his first journey in 1966 as commander of the Gemini 8 mission, which nearly ended in disaster. Armstrong kept his cool and brought the spacecraft home safely after a thruster rocket malfunctioned and caused it to spin wildly out of control. During his next space trip in July 1969, Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted off in Apollo 11 on a nearly 250,000-mile journey to the moon that went down in the history books. It took them four days.
Universal Trading Universal Trading are extremely proud of the past seven years it has been in existence. Although small in terms of years, we have grown in a manner far exceeding our own expectations. No job is to small or to big for us to contend with and we aim to supply the product/s required in the shortest space of time. We are extremely proud of the fact that for the second year running we were awarded our Level 1 BBBEE contributor certificate as a testimony of our commitment to building our business as a brand and also to contribute in terms of giving back in whatever sphere. Our speciality includes various types of piping, valves, flanges and fittings for the conveyance of water, gases and liquids to all related industries. We pride ourselves in sourcing the required products for our clients and would never disappoint in terms of effort. Our current clients include local municipalities in the Western Province, the Department of Health, the SA Navy and Transnet NPA. Our focus has always been to supply all our clients with the requested materials – in the shortest space of time – that they in turn can deliver a higher standard of service delivery to their respective constituents and departments.
Universal Trading Unit 15, Bedford Park, Carbon Street, Athlone Industria 2, Cape Town PO Box 38, Mitchells Plain, 7789 TEL +27 (0) 21 691 8075 FAX +27 (0) 21 691 7934 EMAIL ashley@unitrading.co.za
SOUTH AFRICA NEWS
SA GETS FIRST CHESS GRANDMASTER
SOUTH AFRICA LIFTS FRACKING MORATORIUM
A Cape Town man who grew up in Mitchells Plain has become South Africa’s first chess grandmaster. Kenny Solomon, a 32-year-old father who started playing the game when he was 13-years-old was in a team of five South Africans at the 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Turkey. Solomon was one of just eight international contestants to receive chess’s highest honour. The grandmaster title is also one that is held for life. To become a grandmaster a player must have a performance rating consistently above 2 500. The Mitchells Plain man had a rating of around 2 600 over nine rounds at the Olympiad as well as at three other previous tournaments. “The best rating in the world is 2 880. Kenny has been working very hard for the grandmaster title - even while he trained me he was preparing himself. He deserves it,” said a friend of Kenny’s. After he started playing, Solomon began reading chess books, taught himself and in two years won the national championship. According to cultural affairs and sport MEC Ivan Meyer Solomon is only the second chess player from sub-Saharan Africa and only the eighth in Africa to achieve the grandmaster title.
South Africa has lifted a moratorium on shale gas exploration in the semiarid Karoo region, where the extraction technique of “fracking” might be used to tap into some of the world’s largest stocks of the energy source. Minister in the Presidency, Collins Chabane, said the cabinet has decided to lift a moratorium imposed in April of last year. “Cabinet endorsed a recommendation of the report on the lifting of the aforestated moratorium,” Chabane told reporters. According to an initial study commissioned by the US energy information administration, South Africa has 485 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas resources, most of which are located in the vast Karoo Basin. The amount is the fifth largest of 32 countries included in the study and is pitched as a long-term solution for the energy problems of Africa’s largest economy. The area is home to gas reserves now being investigated by energy company Royal Dutch Shell and petrochemical group Sasol. South Africa last year imposed a fracking moratorium on oil and gas exploration licences in the semi-arid region to gain time to examine the concerns of environmentalists who say the process would ruin the area.
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CALL TO BOYCOTT WOOLWORTHS OVER EMPLOYMENT EQUITY Calls for Woolworths to address its employment equity policy as it excludes white people, have taken to cyberspace, with online protesters calling for a store boycott. The protesters include the ProAfrikaans Action Group (Praag) leader Dan Roodt and the man who started it all, Justin Harrison. In his blog, Harrison said he had decided to call for a boycott against Woolworths after conducting an investigation which showed that the retailer’s job posts were open to African, coloured and Indian candidates only. “After all, I find it only fair that if they expect white people to spend money in their stores, they should provide equal opportunities to all. I mean, how do I support a store that will not employ my children?” he asked. Trade union Solidarity is the latest protester to join the boycott with the slogan – Woolworse: Making a differentiation. Woolworths has rejected these allegations: “The Employment Equity Act expects all South African companies with more than 50 employees to plan their workforce by race, gender and disability. “Our workforce is diverse and includes all races,” the retailer said. It said the company had a role to play in transformation, and for this reason, “some positions were for designated groups which were Africans, coloureds and Indians, women & people with disability”.
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SUSTAINABILITY NEWS SOUTH AFRICA’S GREEN BUSINESS SECTOR GAINS MOMENTUM
POLYFLOR’S SUSTAINABILITY REPORT SHOWS VINYL IS ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE Leading international vinyl floor manufacturer, Polyflor, has released impressive sustainability achievements reached during the past financial year. According to Tandy Coleman-Spolander, Sales and Marketing Director for Polyflor SA, the environmental achievements the company has posted in its 7th Annual Sustainability Report prove that vinyl flooring is considered to be an environmentally sound and responsible choice. “Vinyl is a cost effective multifaceted plastic that has become a necessity in everyday life due to its flexibility, durability, performance and 18 16
functionality”, Tandy says. Used in flooring, cables, windows, packaging and medical equipment including blood bags and surgical tubing, this material is irreplaceable for many of its lifesaving applications. Until recently, however, PVC was not considered an environmentally responsible building or décor material. “Vinyl is the most thoroughly researched, tested plastic, meeting all international health and safety standards as per the intended application. Whilst having achieved a great deal in recent years, Polyflor is by no means ‘perfect’ and realize we have an environmental impact just like all manufacturers do. However, we are acutely aware of our responsibility to minimise this impact and will continue to strive towards building an international business that is both environmentally and economically sustainable ”. www.polyflor.com
Much like in the United Kingdom, where the number of “green” products available in the market increased by 73%, within the space of one year - South Africa is starting to demonstrate a similar trend – that of a steady increase in available green products and services. It is essential to move towards sustainable green technologies and products as South Africa strives to transform into a low-carbon economy. Industry is constantly looking for new, innovative and trusted products that will satisfy the need for energy-efficiency and a lower carbon footprint. A cradle-to-grave approach to product development and management has brought about many progressive sustainable principles, with innovation and technology driving a lot of the new features in greener products. In many instances product designers are also looking to nature for intelligent and sustainable solutions. Premier exhibition to showcase green products and services. The exhibition component of the 5th annual Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) Convention and Exhibition offers an unparalleled venue for responsible businesses, involved in sustainability, to showcase their services, products and innovations to a discerning network of industry professionals within the built environment. Taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from the 23rd to the 25th of October 2012, this event has become one of the highlights on the South African property and construction industry calendar – and provides a world-class platform for knowledge sharing and peer networking centred on sustainability. The 2012 exhibition has already reached 60% capacity in terms of bookings and year on year there is a marked increase in the sophistication and innovation in green products.
SUSTAINABILITY
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What exactly is sustainability? Writer Rishqah Roberts
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development that meets the needs of the as a result our natural ecosystems are unable n an over simplistic definition present without compromising the ability of to keep up and so losing their capacity “sustainability” means; “able to be future generations to meet their own needs”. to endure. There is numerous scientific maintained”. So what does “able to This definition requires reconciliation evidence in support of the statement that be maintained” mean for us? And amongst the demands of the three pillars humanity is living unsustainably. how should this maintenance take of sustainability, being; environmental, By just taking our over simplistic definition of place? Surely the great concern for economic and social. For this reconciliation sustainability; being “able to be maintained”, “sustainability” has not always been to be successful these demands can not be we’ll realise that this is a very broad topic such a great concern. So when did the topic mutually exclusive, instead they are to be that basically relates to everything in all become hot on everyone’s lips? And the mutually reinforcing to ensure success. facets of life, economics, the environment; concern of whose should this rightly be? This definition of the UN And where should the concern be Sustainability relates to everything in all however, has not been universally addressed? These are the questions we all have regarding the topic facets of life, economics, the environment, accepted. Instead the simple definition, stating “sustainability and the simple place to look energy, in fact the entire globe. is improving the quality of towards is government for all the human life while living within the carrying energy; in fact the entire globe. Specifically answers. As they are the ones who are meant capacity of supporting ecosystems” has been where energy is concerned, sustainable to have all the necessary resources at their more welcomed. Although this definition energy would be; those generated from clean finger tips, not to even run into sustainability is extremely vague, and leaves much open sources and technologies and using the energy issues in the first place; meant to have the to interpretation, as no clear guidelines wisely. Clean sources are environmentally best interests of their people as their primary are given by it. It does make clear that friendly meaning; those which do not objective; surely this automatically includes sustainability has quantifiable limits. negatively affect the environment, these are the issue of sustainability. But could they According to the Earth Charter “a sustainable wind energy; solar energy; hydroelectric even foresee the huge issue that sustainability global society is founded on respect for energy and natural gasses. This is just one has become? Do they even have the answers nature; universal human rights; economic of the simple links between the environment themselves and can they alone address an justice and a culture of peace”. This supports and energy relating to sustainability. issue of this magnitude? Which in the end the notion of the required reconciliation Where humans are concerned, sustainability affects us all. amongst the three pillars of sustainability. is; the potential for long-term maintenance of The first time I realised that sustainability Although globally we have been unable well being. This depends on the well being of was an issue worth our thoughts and attention to settle upon a single definition for the natural world and the responsible use of was when ESKOM announced their load “sustainability”; the various definitions natural resources. Globally there have been shedding plans; and suddenly everyone all seem to include the same principles many initiatives initiated with this exact was affected in a way we had never before. of responsibility and not being wasteful; purpose in mind, such as the international Not only that the price of electricity units with regard for the well being of future Slow Food Movement. Started as an attempt suddenly sky rocketed and all of a sudden generations as well as concern for their to return humans consumption levels of we found ourselves in search of sustainable ability to maintain their lifestyles in a natural resources to within the sustainable solutions. We were now searching for similarly sustainable manner. Thus leaving limits, for this to be successful however, it solar panels and geyser blankets; we did all of us with the responsibility to be as will most definitely require a major collective things like put our geyser’s off and we just sustainable as we can be for the well being of effort, of which we all have to be a part of. generally became much more aware of our generations still to come, and thus insuring The most widely quoted definition of energy consumption. These are all issues that our children and their children and their “sustainability” is that of the Brundtland which were granted heightened awareness in children’s children are all better off. Commission of the United Nations (UN) the 21st century, due to our greater impact first quoted on the 20th of March 1987. upon the greenhouse effect. It states that “sustainable development is Earths population is increasing rapidly and 21
SUSTAINABILITY
LONDON
OLYMPICS 2012 Writer Kendal Brown
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A catalyst for sustainable change
S
event. Efforts such as the greening of the Europe for 150 years; and the construction ustainability, yet another in a vast supply chain, regeneration of an inner city of the Olympic Stadium, which is the most collection of buzz words. In many area and bringing energy efficiency measures sustainable Olympic stadium in history and cases it’s just a term for using to local homes, can build the confidence to which was completed on time, on budget and whatever you have to maximum wider society that sustainability is not theory to high sustainability standards. In addition, capacity and to cut out the waste. but infinitely do-able with the policies and London 2012 was the first Olympic Games to It came about a decade or two ago technologies available today not tomorrow.” measure its carbon footprint over the entire when countries started realizing project term, and is also the first Games to that after hosting big events (like the Execution commit to a zero waste to landfill target Olympics) they were left with a whole lot All our venues were designed to ensure through the strategic Zero Waste Games of things that had cost them mega millions that all the athletes performed to the best of Vision. In 2011, LOCOG also became the and for which there was no longer any great their ability while pushing the boundaries of first Games Organising Committee to be demand. If you’re struggling to remember sustainability knowledge and design. independently certified to the British Standard an example let me jog your memory... the From the start, planning was with legacy in 8901: Specification for a Sustainability 2010 Soccer World Cup? Several stadiums mind. Where possible, existing venues were Management System for Events, and has built which are now grossly under utilized, used such as Wimbledon, Excel, Cape Town stadium a case in point, and are nothing more than London 2012 was the first Olympic Games Lords and Earls Court rather than creating new ones. Where white elephants. And before you to measure its carbon footprint over the there was a legacy need, new jump on any political high horses, entire project term, and is also the first venues were built - the Olympic a white elephant was a gift given in India by rich rulers to someone Games to commit to a zero waste to landfill Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome and where there they didn’t like. As a gift it had to target through the strategic Zero Waste was no need, temporary venues be cared for for fear of insulting Games Vision. were built in iconic places such the highly placed giver. As a gift as Greenwich Park, Hyde Park and Horse contributed to the development of ISO 20121 though, it was useless and expensive to Guards Parade. - the international standard on sustainability maintain. Aims were to: in event management, which will supersede And so, back to the question of sustainability. - inspire communities to improve public BS 8901 and be part of a potentially very When a country pours millions of dollars, spaces – for example parks and watersides; influential global legacy. euros or pounds into an event nowadays, - enable people to learn new skills and The idea is that the Olympic Games function they want to know what will be the benefit develop new interests; and as a major asset for cities and communities to citizens once the two week extravaganza - improve the environmental quality of our to maintain and restore land, soil, forest, is done and dusted. It’s a very fair question communities around London 2012 venues freshwater, wild fauna and flora, and prevent actually and one that should have been asked and beyond, to create long-lasting change. the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems. and answered many decades ago. I think Partners included central Government, The Olympic Movement has clamoured that perhaps in those days of excess, money regional bodies, the London 2012 aboard the bandwagon of the global wasn’t too much of a problem especially if Commercial Partners, charitable movement for sustainability and contributes the tax payer was essentially footing the bill. organisations and non-governmental bodies. to the greening of economies through the Things have changed though and tax payers Some of the positive things achieved with organisation of the Olympic Games believing quite rightly need to know that if millions are the help of thousands of volunteers were: that it can function as a major asset for cities being spent on an event like the Olympics, • Collaboration with 6,075 people, many of and communities to maintain and restore “What’s in it for me?” whom lived locally to the Olympic Park land, soil, forest, freshwater, wild fauna and Well, with the London Olympics still fresh • Volunteers have given nearly 15,000 hours flora, and prevent the loss of biodiversity. It in mind then maybe we can take a look at of their time for the benefit of the community does seem as though they are headed in the the approach the British took to achieve the • Planting of more than 3,000 trees, which right direction. sustainability factor! will help tackle climate change for many UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, years praised the sustainability measures taken Planning • Removal of more than 15 tonnes of waste by LOCOG which underline the IOC’s Sustainability was a key consideration for from the parks, rivers, and canals of London. commitment to the environment. He said: the London 2012 Organising Committee That’s the equivalent of 2066 shot puts “I witnessed the thoughtful approach to (LOCOG). Major achievements included • Creation of nearly 7000 square metres of bringing sustainability issues into the the creation of the Olympic Park, which is new wildflower meadow, brightening up east planning and development of a mass scale the largest new urban parkland created in 21
London and providing much needed new habitat for birds, bees and butterflies • Transformation of the environment at twohundred and fifty sites, benefiting thousands of people across the country • Removal of more than 2000 square metres of graffiti. That’s the equivalent of eight tennis courts One of Changing Places’ most successful projects was ‘Transform’, coordinated by Groundwork London. Inspired by the regeneration of the Olympic Park, the Changing Places programme secured funding to transform up to fifty poor quality sites that were derelict, run-down or just under used. The aim was to turn these spaces into a thriving resource for local people, and that could be anything the community wants. From community growing spaces to new areas for play the potential was massive. However, it is the involvement of the community that is vital in the planning and delivery of the transformations so that the sites can continue to be a fantastic resource for many years to come. Sustainability The project has already proved incredibly successful with some dramatic transformations, and 200 members of the community have been recruited who will sustain the projects and continue to pull the community together once our involvement has finished. We estimate that over 10,000 people have reaped the benefits of improved environmental quality from the Transform project alone. 24
In summary six major highlights demonstrate the new standards the programme set for sustainability: 1. The Olympic Park – Is the most sustainable Olympic and Paralympics Stadium ever built, the Olympic Park was completed on time and budget and to high sustainability standards. The Park is the largest new urban parkland in Europe for 150 years and more than 60% of construction materials were brought to the site by rail or river to build it. Designed to deliver lasting legacy benefits, the Park was handed over to LOCOG at the beginning of 2012. 2. Carbon management – London 2012 was the first Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to measure its carbon footprint over the entire project term. By using the outcomes of the footprinting assessment to inform decision-making, radically improved the ability to avoid, reduce and substitute carbon emissions associated with delivering the Games. 3. Sustainable transport – Commitment to delivering a 100% public transport Games meant nine million spectators experienced sustainable events like never before from the way they travelled. The supporting Active Travel programme, launched in 2011, achieved one million extra journeys by walking and cycling in London each day of the Games. 4. Food vision – London 2012 was the largest peacetime catering operation in the world. As of 2011 all caterers were on board and meeting the revolutionary Food Vision standards LOCOG had set, the first Games
ever to set such a policy. Aspirations were to serve 14 million sustainably sourced meals. 5. Waste – Commitment was to deliver a zero-waste-to-landfill Games was another first and has required detailed planning. Targets were exceeded, achieving up to 98.5% reuse and 99% recycling of materials in demolition and construction. 6. Standards – In 2011, LOCOG became the first Organising Committee to be certified to the British Standard 8901: Specification for a Sustainability Management Systems for Events. The standard was inspired by the London 2012 bid and is proof of how deeply sustainability has been embedded into the process. Achieving the standard underpins the ability to deliver sustainability across all the areas that matter to stakeholders. All in all it looks like LOCOG took the whole thing very, very seriously and with some serious planning, transparency, accountability and innovation went about achieving sustainability at the very highest level. Shows what can be done when people really put their minds to it! Certainly it would appear they seem to have set the benchmark for future Olympics and indeed any major sporting event (SWC, RWC et al) except that none of these is quite as large as the Olympics and therefore should find it very much easier to comply. So hats off to LOCOG. We all hope you will share your experience with Rio who will host the next Olympics and will take sustainability to the next level.
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SUSTAINABILITY
Making
‘green houses’ affordable Writer Michelle Nel
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Repurposing buildings to meet a changing city: green retrofits and new build
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phone charger together with all switches, fuses and cables. This costs around R3500 and is upgradable to accommodate another inside LED 3 W light, an outside motion sensor spotlight and a DC Radio. TV, DVD and fridge can be added with extra batteries and PV panels. These systems will be sold through ‘barefoot solar engineers’ working out of an ‘energy spaza’. Sellers receive training in solar theory, maintenance and installation of the system. The spaza is more than a shop; it is a social and institutional system driven by community members which is important to ensure longevity. Unskilled labour can be used The I-Shack was developed by within national installation the Sustainability Institute of the standards because it runs below University of Stellenbosch the 50 V regulation. Appliances can be connected to generate income: car and cell phone battery chargers, I-Shack was developed by the Sustainability shavers, and sewing machines. A training Institute of the University of Stellenbosch. It centre will be established at the Sustainability faces north or north-east. Windows are placed Institute. The shack and energy system are for temperature regulation and forming a replicable to all parts of South Africa. draft between the east and north side. The The solar system is cleaner and safer than roof overhang shields the front of the shack the alternative: Eskom power tapped from from the midday sun. The back wall is built prepaid meter holders, paraffin and candles, from cob (a mud and straw technique) that and heaters including fire. It also creates act as a temperature regulator cooling the jobs. shack during the day and radiating warmth at night. Bigger sustainable buildings Insulation is made of waste cardboard boxes The GreenHouse Project (GHP) in Joubert and tetrapacks. A clay and recycled brick Park has almost completed the latest tranche floor adds to warmth. Protoypes have been of buildings – the old historic conservatory erected in Enkanini: Informal Settlement of and its earth building (partly built from mud), Stellenbosch for research purposes. Weather as well as a ‘green edu-tourism project. GHP stations have been positioned on the I-Shack wishes to be become financially independent and a non-improved shack as control. With of donor funding by running conferences, an average outside temperature below 15C, educational workshops and greening I-Shack measured 17.8C and the control training. at 14.08C. The Improved Shack needs less The GHP is being relaunched in spring 2012 energy for cooling and heating. with the 1st Green Championship Challenge Lights and plugs are supplied by photovoltaic in which business have to complete various panels. Using DC appliances rather than AC tasks including recycling, permaculture, appliances means smaller panels, batteries renewable energy and energy efficiency and and converters can be used. The energy setgreen architecture. Each company will plant up includes: one 20 W PV panel with a 12 a lemon tree with a company plaque at the V battery, three LED 3 W lights and a cell he problem with green being trendy is that it’s also expensive. For example the Vodafone Site Solutions Innovation Centre in Midrand, the first ever 6 star Green Star rated building in South Africa. This is fantastic but the cost is R24 million excluding the salaries of 12 experts who will reduce Vodafone’s international carbon footprint. Enter the I-Shack. This dovetails with the Housing Department’s Breaking New Ground policy on creating sustainable human settlements through in situ upgrading. The
entrance of the conservatory which dates back to the 1900’s. The first school to do the Green Planeteer Challenge is the Centurion College in the inner city. The non-profit GHP is located at the junction of Klein and Wolmarans Streets, Joubert Park, Johannesburg. Its overarching vision is to ‘green’ Johannesburg. GreenHouse Project objectives Demonstrating working examples of buildings and landscapes growing food and cycling resources (such as money, materials, energy and water); Supporting civil society organisations, with information, capacity building and office space; Development and dissemination of sustainable living and development information. GHP inherited the old Parks Agency maintenance depot, which included an old potting shed and through reusing and recycling it was turned into an office. Learn and build courses were held during renovations. Topics covered included: straw bale walling, dung floor making and natural paint techniques. The GreenHouse Projec t (GHP) is about to complete three groundbreaking building projects: the refurbishment of the 100 year old Conservatory, a multi-technique, multiuse building and a recycling centre – to the value of over R7 million The GHP is providing a tangible demonstration of green building technologies, notably through an office which has solar cookers, solar water heating, composting toilets and has been built from recycled materials. The project also has permaculture food gardens. The conservatory renovation will be funded to the tune of R3,2 million from the National Lotteries Trust. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s Poverty Relief Fund has allocated R2 million for the GHP two-storey multi-use building and recycling centre. In addition National Lotteries has made R1,9 million available for the edu-tourism initiative. 27
Ethics is dead! Long live ethics! Writer Cris Robertson
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ociety has a problem, but pinpointing that problem is not as simple as one would think. As a result, we have fallen into a shameless blame game, refusing personal responsibility and denying our potentiality to change our behaviour and actions for the better. Surely, a more ethical society would contribute positively to a more sustainable society. Yet, ethics appears to be a word that most people are familiar with, but have little confidence talking about or acting upon. Whilst it may be a very ‘out there’ concept, rooted in classical philosophy, ethics presents a valuable lesson in principles, a moral standing – something that is lacking in our modernist, money-hungry world – a tool that can rally society towards a better and fairer tomorrow. Apart from the necessary support of technological innovations, we need responsible citizenship. We keep on hearing how human beings have become the parasites of Earth, but instead of pointing fingers or turning a blind eye, we need to be more hopeful and active in our response to the various socio-economic and socioecological crises that are facing our global populations. South Africa’s anti-apartheid activist, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, shared this sentiment in a recent interview saying that “we must mobilise society ... we must stop waiting for some messiah”. Recent studies have found that the ‘peak oil’ predictions may not be as accurate or even as certain as previously thought. Now, what are the implications of this in a society that operates with little ethical motivation? ‘Peak oil’ has brought about a huge interest in renewable energies and safer, cleaner technologies, but will knowing that there’s more “oil in the soil” distract the growing ‘green economy’ to return to harvesting cheap and dirty non-renewable resources? An ethical perspective will no doubt choose what is best for people, planet and even
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Identity: An Ethical Perspective, which he profit in an interconnected global context, co-authored. Understanding that context knowing the complexity of each potentiality. shapes one’s decisions will certainly expose The importance of reintroducing ethics into one to the complexity of ethics in action. The society is clear. difference between ethics in theory and ethics An ethical approach to life seems long in action is likely to be one of the reasons gone; a bastardised way of life that has that there is a lot of talking about it, but little been forgotten by globalised cultures that ‘walking’ of it. We need to champion explicit have only one common principle: profit. ethical actions and decision-making, each of However, negativity is “an illusion created which are contextually-based. One may even by the limited mind to protect and defend call this contextual ethics. itself” says Ambika Wauters, director of the Contextual ethics is still a relatively underInstitute for Life Energy Medicine. Besides developed field that requires more research from those driven by desperation, negativity also breeds apathy. Desperation is an An ethical approach to life seems long incentive we don’t gone; a bastardised way of life that has have time to wait been forgotten by globalised cultures that for and definitely have only one common principle: profit. a headspace we don’t want to be and support from academia, government and in. Without sounding too reductionist, the the average citizens willing to live a more question we then ask ourselves is: How do responsible life. There is a possibility that we bring ethics back from the dead? And developments could go so far as to cultivating not just referring to the old, traditional an actual model for ethical decision-making understanding of principles and values, but in complex contexts. This would perhaps a call to action, a model of action. How do draw on Edmund Husserl’s concept of what we ‘institutionalise’ a behaviour of informed he called ‘pure phenomenology’, but what empathy? is great is that there is a vast, rich library of To even begin to answer the questions, philosophical, sociological, psychological one must acknowledge that there will be and other literature that can always build on different answers that will suit each and research, so as to improve and equate value every respective context we find ourselves to all possible contexts. in. This applies to answers of most questions. Talk of a societal transition to a sustainable However, this does not necessarily mean future has been dominated by the quantitative we are faced with different types of ethics perspective. Though not intending to devalue – although this cannot be ruled out either. quantitative studies or perspective, think of What is vital to the beginning of this how the ‘green economy’ has generally paradigm shift is that we acknowledge that overshadowed all debate. However, other each action, each decision we make, is an qualitative perspectives that can once again ethical one. The late Professor Paul Cilliers empower the concept of ethics deserve just of Stellenbosch University was a masterful as much attention, like philosophy, or “the proponent of this kind of thinking, blending art of reflection”, as Professor Paul Cilliers complexity theory, deconstruction and ethics calls it. in a beautifully poetic way. These themes were very common in his publications, especially in Complexity, Difference and
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Gauteng Partnership Fund celebrates 10 years of housing delivery
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he Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF) has funded developments yielding almost 20 000 housing units through partnerships with the private sector over the last ten years. The GPF which is celebrating its tenth year of providing funding solutions for housing projects in the Gauteng Province through progressive strategies, offers investors a win-win model of operation, while delivering a roof over the heads of many previously unaccommodated people. The challenge faced by the GPF was to facilitate delivery of affordable housing to the gap market of income earners below R15 000. Boni Muvevi, Chief Investment Officer at the GPF, told Engineering News that: “We are dealing with a section of our community that does not qualify for RDP housing grants because they earn too much, but they also do not qualify for “traditional” financing because they earn too little. Our solution has been to encourage the private sector, particularly the financial institutions to join us in minimising the housing backlog by offering financial and risk incentives, while at the same time ensuring that housing projects identified and developed are sustainable investments. Chief Executive Officer of the GPF, Kutoane Kutoane commented: “The GPF
was established by the Gauteng Provincial Government to address specific challenges in the social housing sector in terms of affordable rental. Here we are talking about households with a monthly income of less than R15 000. During these ten years, the GPF has created risk-sharing facilities with Absa and Standard Bank to the tune of R340–million for affordable housing projects.” The GPF has recently equally partnered with the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), and we have jointly created a R200-million Entrepreneur Empowerment Property Fund (EEPF) to remove the constraints that have, in the past, hindered historically disadvantaged (HDI) property entrepreneurs. This EEPF aims to provide a funding solution so that HDI property entrepreneurs are no longer stymied by constraint issues. This enables them to partner with us in the development of affordable housing rental projects, while at the same time giving them the opportunity to expand their businesses,” said Kutoane. Muvevi said: “The EEPF programme is one of the highlights of our tenth anniversary, as it was an opportunity to contribute to the transformation of the property market while addressing social issues, as well as building and expanding small businesses,
professionals and contractors.” Projects of Partnership Pride We believe the GPF has, during our ten years of operation, made a difference to the lives of many people. We injected equity into our initial projects but, over the years we have partnered with a variety of private sector and social housing investors such as Standard Bank, Absa, the Trust for Urban Housing Foundation and the NHFC. We are also targeting corporate pension/investment funds, budgets within national government as well as local and international development agencies of foreign governments represented in South Africa-we believe they can all contribute substantially by partnering with us in the development of sustainable housing projects,” said Muvevi. The Next ten Years The GPF believes government and the private sector have differing investment expectations, one of a more social slant and one of a more profit-driven slant respectively. “The GPF has found a middle ground between these two return philosophies where everyone benefits and this formula is a source of much pride to us at the GPF, and it is a working formula that we carry forward into our next ten years of operation,” Muvevi concluded.
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SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable development buzzwords & their implications Writer Cris Robertson
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he last thing the world needs now is a problem with semantics. From your average Joe to policy decisionmakers, we need to agree on the nature of socio-ecological issues – the probable causes and projected effects – and there needs to be a consensus on hopeful solutions. Yet, rather than working towards providing basic needs to societies and enhancing biodiversity, it seems that governments and businesses spend more time discussing the appropriateness and the etymology of the newest buzzwords. Of course, language is central to communication, and communication is central to activating change, but what does ‘sustainable development’ really mean anyway? Buzzwords are terms or phrases that have been picked up and thrown around by the media, like the latest fashion fads, to such a degree that their meaning becomes blurred, socio-politically manipulated, or they become cliché. Examples include ‘eco-friendly’, ‘pro-poor’, calling something ‘green’ and of course, ‘sustainable development’. Much of the nonsense regarding buzzwords is partly because of legal matters, whereby definitions surrender to reductionist thinking, instead of clarity. This is what is loosely referred to as ‘bureaucracy’ or ‘red tape’; a process of doubtful necessity. (These are not buzzwords; these are institutional developments that we just have to deal with). Also, marketing plays a huge role in putting the semantics of buzzwords on the agenda. To be fair, marketing responsible products, services and behaviour are important to driving societal change, especially consumer change, but the capitalist incentive to make as much money as possible is the strongest motivation – as any advertising school will tell you.
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In South African governmental White Papers, speeches and election mandates, these words go hand-in-hand with empty promises and sensationalised public goals. “Today’s development policies capture this sense of purposefulness and resound with a decisive ring of optimism.” says social anthropologist, Andrea Cornwall and development consultant, Karen Brock. ‘Sustainable development’ is all over the African National Congress’ policy plans, but with little connection to the intentions of The Brundtland Commission’s definition. A bunch of words that national strategies depend on should not require all this saturated effort on interpreting a definition. The effort needs to focus on a shared vision of action. How are we, as the general public, truly able to keep politicians accountable if we don’t know what they’re talking about? Cornwall and Brock pick up on this, saying that “it is easy enough to get caught up in the emotive calls for action, to feel that, in the midst of all the uncertainties of the day, international institutions are working together for the good, and that they have now got the story right and are really going to make a difference”. An interesting trend in buzzword ‘literature’ is how colours are aligned to specific aspects of sustainability or sustainable development. To the uninformed, or those unfamiliar with the concepts, anything that referred to those terms was usually associated with the abstract and unfamiliar – Nature. And so, a distinction between environmental and social fields has been adopted; the colour green and red, respectively. This is ludicrous, given that the idea of meeting present needs without compromising future needs is certainly a complex and interconnected issue that requires transdisciplinary measures.
Even advancements in development policy that link social issues with environmental issues cannot escape the colour code; urbanisation, which is a critical focal point of in the context of global decline, has been presented with what is called the ‘brown agenda’. Surely, we are way past reducing our planetary problems to colours. Just think of how ridiculously simplistic and onedimensional the warning of the ‘Red Scare’ was in USA, or the ‘Swart Gevaar’ here in South Africa. The tricky part is this: we still need to communicate our shared vision of actions; one cannot complain and refuse to interact in this language. All words and gestures in every conversation have their own subjectivities that we have to manage and interpret on a daily basis. At this point in time, objects, words and numbers are what run economies. Only when we realise how to respond to global pressures without falling for these reductionist traps will common values and visions run the economies. “The linguistic crisis is real, and is not going to go away,” says Guy Standing, author of Globalisation: the Eight Crises of Social Protection. “Nobody trying to be influential can afford to neglect the fine art of buzzwords,” he says. The danger and the “fine art” of semantics must be comprehensively understood before societies can effectively work together. Perhaps, something similar to German philosopher-sociologist Jürgen Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action will diminish the threat of buzzwords. Until then, the existence of these terms and their risks must always be kept in the back of our minds when we hear politicians or corporations promise change.
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SUSTAINABILITY
Building smart AND sustainable cities Writer Michelle Nel
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Upgrading slums, better public and non-motorised transport and education are the keys to making congested areas liveable.
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lexandra township in Sandton turned 100 recently. It changed from a settlement of freehold brick houses and smallholdings to a slum choked with shacks. Everyone jostles for that desirable ‘position’ close to work, shops and amenities. There have been many attempts to make Alex more liveable, not least the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP). The main challenges are to build suitable housing and de-densify in a fair manner. ARP has also been eyeing adjacent land in Linbro Park which in itself provides an important green lung with nurseries and smallholder agriculture but this will never solve the Alex problem. As fast as new housing is built, the shacks will be re-flooded by a new influx of rural folk or foreigners desperate to live near the money. The Alex shacklands have many problems. There are no proper services. Shack dwellers need clean water, safe electricity and proper sanitation. There needs to be space between shacks to allow emergency personnel and police in. People need to be educated to put their rubbish on the pavements only when rubbish trucks collect. Currently, the streets are an informal tip where rats proliferate. The ARP was launched in 2001 with R1,3 billion as a joint initiative between government, business and community organisations. Its targets include cutting crime and building housing. A total of 10 development precincts have been demarcated, while over 10 000 households were relocated from the banks of the Jukskei River. A precinct near the highway has been fitted with solar water geysers. Besides low rise blocks, a portion provides for a family home plus a ‘cottage’ that can be rented out for income. Democratic Alliance Gauteng said a “door-to-door survey” conducted on the ARP initiatives concluded that 22% felt that Alexandra specifically needed service delivery, while 21% wanted houses, and 19% improved education. “The DA will push for job creation that will allow people to uplift themselves, rather than be dependent forever.” To densify or not to densify And while town planners are trying to densify the city so that it is less sprawling and people are closer to amenities, one cannot densify ad infinitum. What is more realistic is a very good public transport system that will make it possible for people in Midrand
to work in Sandton without paying usurious tolls or idling in traffic. According to the International Energy Agency, 2 to 3 billion cars will be on the world’s roads by 2050, in comparison to the 800 million today. Emissions from transportation are 80% of air pollutants causing 1.3 million premature deaths annually. Trains and buses need to be affordable and dependable to be of benefit to the working poor. And finally, decentralized nodes – so creating Midrand as its own little village, where people live and work and can cycle to work - is a third option. At Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 the eight largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) to commit 500 staff and to dedicate $175 billion for sustainable transportation. This was facilitated by the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT), which brings together 68 MDBs, civil society organizations, UN agencies, and research and industry organizations. We need to stop unsustainable investments such as high-capacity motorways. Instead we should foster walking, cycling, use of high quality public transportation, and traffic management. The sustainability paradigm is called “Avoid, shift, and improve:” • Avoid unnecessary trips with planning, pricing, and telecommunications; • Shift trips to more sustainable modes with investments in bus rapid transit (BRT), walking, cycling, and traffic management, by limiting and pricing parking, by applying polluter-pays incentives, and better information; and • Improve vehicle efficiency with cleaner fuels, better-operated networks, and efficient vehicle technology. The Worldwatch State of the World 2012 celebrates three successes: Rapid bus transit, Bogota, Colombia: 1.7 million people daily enjoy fares averaging R8 per trip. Congestion and emission charging in London: Drivers who enter London pay a “congestion charge.” The charge generates funds for public transport. Public bicycles in Hangzhou, China: With a population of 6.7 million, Hangzhou is one of China’s fastestgrowing cities. This growth comes with rapid motorization. In 2008, Hangzhou launched a bike-share program that currently provides 60,000 bikes. The program has alleviated pressure on roadways and is accessible to all because of its pricing scheme—the first hour of bike use is free and the second hour is approximately US$0.15. The city reports
that 90 percent of total trips are made in that first free hour, and more than 25 percent of trips are made during peak commuting times. And recently the South African Green Cities Conference, a project of the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), in partnership with KfW Development Bank (on behalf of the German Government), and the Department of Transport aimed at promoting the National Greening Programme and nonmotorised transport (NMT). South Africa is investing in walking and cycling ‘instead of’ focusing on public transport only. The first demonstration project was undertaken in eThekwini Metro in hosting the UNFCCC COP 17/CMP7 event, with an aim to promote safe, healthy, low-cost urban mobility by extending NMT infrastructure and establishing an integrated NMT network. Getting nature to help Until the cleaner, greener Alex is a reality, the EcoSolutions township owl box is using owls to hunt rats. This is part of the Siyakhona initiative to end rodent problems in Alexandra. Siyakhona is an educational and outreach programme. Some 100 rat cages are distributed for free. A cage can catch up to 60 live rats. The bounty hunters turn them in for rewards such as cell phones. Close to 4 000 rodents were fumigated. 8ta, the cellphone company, sponsored prizes through Lifeline, which is one of the partners among Hillside Digital Video Journalists, Region E, Pikitup, Alexandra Renewal Project and local councillors. Earlier in the year, the City and EcoSolutions installed several owl nesting and release boxes in three schools in Alexandra – Zenzeleni Primary, Iphuteng Primary and Minerva Secondary. The owl box project will run in Alexandra for the next three years. Part of it will be teaching adults and schoolchildren about the important role the birds play in eradicating rats. It is possible to establish a breeding population of barn owls who live and hunt within townships. A family of Barn owls (tyto alba) can consume 2500 rodents per year. Children compete to feed the baby owls before release. Schools within Katlehong; Vosloorus and Thokoza have also been identified. There are currently over 50 schools in Gauteng that participate in the owl box project. Traditional healers, local councillors and school children need to co-operate to achieve this. 35
In terms of doing business South Africa ranks 35th out of 139 countries, according to the 2012 Doing Business Report, and are particularly proficient in various areas of business, which include starting up of a business, dealing with construction permits, getting credit and protecting investors.
FINANCE
The state of entrepreneurship in South Africa
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outh Africa’s entrepreneurial activity, over the past eight years, has shown vast improvement, however the economy lags behind comparable economies and has not fully utilised the economic potential that is available in entrepreneurial opportunities. According to Nimo Naidoo, project manager of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, South Africa has the ability and the resources available to support entrepreneurs, but believes that the country has yet to develop a strong entrepreneurial culture to drive it. Naidoo describes South Africa’s improvement in entrepreneurial activity as a positive sign but believes that we have not fully met our full economic potential. “According to the 2011 South African Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report (GEM), South Africa has been ranked as 29th out of 54 countries, with its Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate of 9.1%, which illustrates growth of 71.7% since
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2006. However, South Africa is still below average when compared to other efficiency driven economies.” She says that contrary to belief South Africa supports a relatively stable environment for South Africans to conduct business. “In terms of doing business South Africa ranks 35th out of 139 countries, according to the 2012 Doing Business Report, and are particularly proficient in various areas of business, which include starting up of a business, dealing with construction permits, getting credit and protecting investors.” However, Naidoo indicates that despite these favourable conditions South Africa still possesses a high business failure rate. “The GEM report found that 5.6% of South Africans had discontinued their business over the past year. South Africa ranked as the 9th highest country amongst 54 countries worldwide in this regard and although discontinued business may occur for positive reasons, such as retiring and a change in business, the report indicated that people doing so in economies such as South
Africa most often cited negative reasons for doings so, which include lack of profitability and funding. Major obstacles potentially hindering growth in this area include education, health, crime and infrastructure. ” She says because South Africa’s society has a culture that neglects entrepreneurial activities, especially individuals who have failed in the past, individuals are not opting for entrepreneurship as first choice when it comes to career preference. “Over the last five years, necessity driven entrepreneurship has grown by 22.1% and currently accounts for 34.8% of entrepreneurs, whilst 63.45% of entrepreneurs are motivated by opportunities. This a worrying sign since, opportunitydriven entrepreneurs are four times more likely to employ six or more employees than necessity-driven entrepreneurs.” She says that GEM research revealed that only 16.9% of entrepreneurs have a tertiary education and that 0.0% of entrepreneurs have a masters qualification or higher, which indicates that 83.2% of all entrepreneurs have no tertiary education. “This supports the fact that individuals are choosing an entrepreneurial career out of necessity, and dream of finding a job rather than creating one.” However, Naidoo points to a few promising signs in the entrepreneurial sector. “Not only has South Africa experienced a 43% increase in female entrepreneurship, but research indicates that South Africans perceive entrepreneurship as a viable business opportunity and have a low fear of failure. However, to translate this entrepreneurial intent it into actual entrepreneurial activity, it is essential that the culture of entrepreneurship in South Africa is promoted.”
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FINANCE
Number of South African women starting businesses on the increase
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omen are increasingly holding senior positions in their professions or running their own business. According to the 2010 Women-Owned Businesses in the 21st Century report the number of women-owned businesses in the United States grew by 44% between 1997 and 2007, twice as fast as male-owned firms. Also highlighting female involvement in businesses is the 2010 South Africa GEM report, which noted the gender difference in the established business rate in South Africa is 53% male and 47% female. According to Nazeem Martin, Managing Director of Business Partners Limited, there has recently been a noticeable shift in the number of investments approved and disbursed to female-owned small businesses. “Over the past five years, Business Partners Limited has experienced a steady increase in the number of female clients, and this past financial year 43.3% of the number of investment disbursements were to femaleowned businesses, and 36.2% in value. “These increases are encouraging in that it shows more women are venturing into small and medium enterprises, as well as expanding their businesses as they grow. This continued female involvement in the SME sector is a key contributor to economic growth, as well as job creation in South Africa.” In light of Women’s month we look at two success stories of female small business owners who have started and grown their 38
own business. Delia Cupido of the Western Cape is a serial entrepreneur, with various successful businesses to her name. Coming from a strong financial background, Cupido first opened her own estate agency, Delia Properties, in 2005. In 2006, together with her husband, Colin, she bought Chameleon Pre-school and Educare Centre in Sybrand Park, which is now home to 110 full-time children between the ages of three months and 7 years. In 2009, she purchased another school in Kenwyn, Busy Bumble Bee, and in 2011, she purchased a property for the ABC Educare in Kenwyn, which was later renamed Chameleon Kenwyn. In June this year she purchased another school, Toddler College. Cupido says that she has always been business orientated and an entrepreneur by heart, even when she worked as an accountant. “My first love has however always been property, and after selling a dilapidated property I’d bought a few years previously for a substantial profit in 2006, I had the capital to start a new business venture. “I then came across the opportunity to purchase the Chameleon Pre-school and Educare Centre, and as my daughter-in-law was qualified in this area and could assist with the school, I invested in the school and property.” Cupido now owns all three of the schools and their properties and employs 40 staff members. “I believe there are many opportunities around us and that you must persevere for what you love doing. It is important to go after what you believe in and to not hesitate because you are scared of
failure or rejection,” says Cupido. Margaret-Ann Alberts of East London started her company, Sew Kool, with a business partner in 2005. Originally an interior decorating company, the business soon invested in two embroidery machines due to the constant requests from customers for special designs in embroidery work. A short seven years later, Alberts is the sole owner of Sew Kool and has built the brand into a household name in East London. Due to the success of the company, she currently employs 10 full time employees. “I had always seen myself as a follower until one day I decided to take a chance on myself and my passion, interior decorating. I started small, working from a garage, with only two domestic machines and today, we have our own premises and 32 industrial machines,” says Alberts. Alberts attributes her company’s success to identifying her growth possibilities through good service and quality. “My biggest challenge as a business owner is to keep my customers satisfied and happy on a monthly basis, as without customer satisfaction, my business could not grow. Over the years we have delivered on our customers’ expectations and as a result, have been able to grow five times in size.” “Don’t expect miracles to happen in a day or two. Opening a business is a journey down a long road and it can be very difficult at times, but it is important to not give up. At the end of the day, it will be worth it,” says Alberts.
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Woman of Substance
Bobbie Pryce-Fitchen Writer Lee-Anne Richards
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using chocolate with drama leaves you with delectable sweetness and a dramatic twist. Beyond spoke to Bobbie Pryce-Fitchen, a drama teacher and a chocolatier, rooting for local, handmade products that will assist with our economic development. Who is Bobbie Pryce-Fitchen? I was born in Port Elizabeth in 1958 - all the women in our family considered themselves to be solid Frontier Women - tough and tender. Due to the politics of the day, my father moved us to Lesotho, but the irony was that I ended up going to high school in Bloemfontein, as my mother did not want me to go to the local American Peace Core School. My adolescence was spent in a deeply conservative and racist town and then I had my holidays in Lesotho, with friends of every nationality and culture imaginable. We spent endless days on horseback riding in the Muluti Mountains and swimming in pristine rivers. Tell us about your working life and experiences? I came to Cape Town in 1977 and tried journalism. The Argus offered a cadet school and I really did not enjoy it. I went off, after much discussion with my father, to drama school and did teaching as well. My father was adamant that I was on a road to NOWHERE. I was soon involved with interesting projects and meeting politically aware people and met for the first time; South Africans who were my age and who were fairly like- minded. I had opportunities to work at THE SPACE THEATRE, Yvonne Brycland and Athol Fugard were still very much around, and in Johannesburg worked at the Market Theatre, with the wonderful director Barney Simon. I taught at FUBA in Newtown and in SOWETO with the Open Foundation, and I used drama as a teaching tool. I had done Drama in Education and it was a fantastic opportunity to work with
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youth and students who were boycotting the Apartheid education system. Back in Cape Town, I headed up the drama projects at CAP Community Arts Project, an incredible blend of activism and art. This was a significant time in my life as I learnt so much from so many talented and committed people. It formed so much of what I continued to do. The focus of my interest has always been using creative methodologies and teaching in non-formal or out of the classroom experiences. I had the privilege of working at SACHED with Jean Peas and the late Dr Neville Alexander and we set up container classrooms in KTC, under constant police harassment. I did TEFEL and TESEL and worked at KANYA COLLEGE and the National Language Project. In 1986 I had a baby girl and this inspired me to know more about Early Childhood development. I did a Montessori Foundation Course and with a friend, Linzi Rabinowitz, we cofounded THE YOMELENI PROJECT, an Early Childhood training project based in Khayelitsha. Out of this we formed a loose collective of social workers, psychologists and creative art, music and drama practitioners called MUSE. We offered short courses to teachers and anyone interested in using integrated creative learning and teaching. HIV/AIDS loomed on the horizon in the early 90’s and again with Linzi Rabinowitz and ASRU (Aids and Society Research Unit) at UCT, headed up by Prof Nicoli Natrass, we developed teaching aids and conducted research on effective teaching resources for youth in schools. This then led to YOU, ME &HIV, a book co-ordinated by UCT and Oxford University. It was at this time, as I was travelling around the country, I realised that poverty and lack of opportunity was the catalyst for so much of the hardship experienced. With the assistance of ELGIN LEARNING FOUNDATION, a community college, we started training women in the non-formal settlements to make FELT. After several years of hard
knocks, we formalised NAB -NATURAL AND BEAUTIFUL into a collaboration of co-ops and business. We developed beautiful felted hand bags, throws, slippers cushion covers, ottomans, used organic dyes and worked with talented textile designers. This was my first real exposure to marketing, running a business, understanding the ethos behind sustainable business models. Talk about ignorance, it is bliss!! Give us a short bio on what you are currently doing. My challenge for my business, CHOCOLATE TIME, is to find markets that enjoy a unique product, is not too expensive, can assist other business in marketing themselves in a fun way and not be constantly compared to Cadburys! I would love to go into a local hub, where rent is not too expensive, where local people shop and nothing comes from China. Handmade does not need to be expensive and handmade needs to be valued! What are your views on women in business and what would you consider as milestones of achievement in your life? So to be a woman in business in South Africa, you have to be TOUGH and TENDER. My son, who is 18, has just completed a 5 month adventure, only using public transport from Cape Town, via Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. His focus was to climb the technical summit of Mt Kenya and to visit as many local schools and meet as many local people as possible, a South African looking to Africa for inspiration and a future. His take on the whole thing is that we have no idea how to live simply. We need to find sustainable solutions in local markets and support each other. And this is how I would like to grow Chocolate Time, find a space where my small, unique business can add value to other people. I think we look far beyond our own experiences and forget that the answer lies in us. We must become our own Inspiration and Solution!
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SUSTAINABILITY
Solving the education, energy and food crisis
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he National Development Plan wants employment to almost double by 2030. One method would be to achieve a food trade surplus with a third of food supplied by small scale farmers. But South Africa is hell-bent on remaining jobless and the idle turn to mischief and set fire to trains, schools and electrical cables. In a country struggling to develop; destroying books is the ultimate heresy. This is followed closely by burning government buildings, allowing infrastructure to decay and letting water and land be mismanaged. And in a country struggling to develop, isn’t it insanity to change the curriculum at least twice in 20 years? New books and teacher courses are required. All that money spent (SA has a very high spend on education) and literacy and numeracy are in decline. I was asked recently to help update text books for the new curriculum. To be honest, I thought the old textbooks were so good that rewriting felt criminal at worst, pointless at best. Once you have your syllabus outline, you can draw on many textbooks. I have non-fiction books on my shelves that are some 20 years old and still useful. Just as I cannot throw food away, I never bin a book. There is always a library, prison, old age home, doctor’s waiting room or child needing project material. David Silman, special advisor to Angie Motshekga of Basic Education is involved with a Rotary Project in which container loads of text books have been donated from America. So, the spelling will be American, there will be nothing about the Great Trek or Shaka Zulu, yet they are still useful. In any case, the best teachers carry most of the information in their heads or teaching notes. A teacher can replace a text book, never vice versa. Greed for tenders is dumping books instead of delivering to schools in Limpopo and Eastern Cape. Enter entrepreneur, Zakes Ncanywa , delightfully described in Mail and Guardian as a hawker of study guides and cheap computers in his home town of
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Peddie, Eastern Cape. He is an ICT entrepreneur in rural Eastern Cape, where there is a big demand for computers – and little supply. Zakes works with a Cape Town start-up project called Paperight, which has recently built a website that allows any business with a printer to print books legally. Its aim is to fill gaps left by traditional book distribution. Educational publishers estimate that 30% of their mostprescribed materials are copied illegally because of a lack of access and money. Peddie is in Ngqushwa, a poor district of 92 000 people, deep in South Africa’s poorest province. The problems in Peddie are more about infrastructure than personal economics, with mismanagement and lack of resources. Zakes’s biggest problem is no ADSL and very poor 3G reception. He buys refurbished computers from a depot in Cape Town and resells them in Peddie. His computers are only R1500 each, including the monitor, software and peripherals and literally fly out of his office. Small business responding to real problems makes money and makes sense. Indeed, selling affordable household photovoltaic systems or solar water geysers is part of the idea of “One Million Climate Jobs!” Climate jobs are decent, primarily publiclydriven jobs that directly reduce the causes and impacts of climate change and include: the building of renewable energy power stations such as wind, solar, wave and tidal; the building of public transport networks that would reduce the need for private cars and fossil-fuel intensive trucks; energy efficiency in construction and housing, including retrofitting; transforming industrial agriculture; reforming production and consumption; and addressing the energy intensification of the economy. Significant jobs could be created in the related areas of research, education and training, to ensure the country has the skills to undertake the transition to a low carbon, labour absorbing and socially developed sustainable future economy. By linking climate change
Writer Michelle Nel to the transition to a sustainable, lowcarbon economy that provides meaningful mitigation opportunities, climate jobs solve many problems at once. Greenpeace reports that new installed capacity of renewable power – especially wind and solar photovoltaics – is much larger than new installations of nuclear power. The overall capacity of the fleet of nuclear power plants is in constant decline. The growth of renewable energy has been unprecedented over 25 years. In addition to replacing nuclear, renewables could lead to phasing out of over 90% of fossil fuels in the power and heating sectors by 2050, while in transport fossil fuels could be reduced from 98% to 30% by 2050. And food? We could create multiple jobs by encouraging people to grow organic food, fed with animal manure, from open pollinated saved seed close to where we live and buy directly from growers. Otherwise peasant farmers are forced to seek loans to secure their position on the industrial agricultural treadmill. Environmental writer Glenn Ashton warns that when crops fail, peasant land is sold to industrial agricultural interests which wrings profits from the land at the cost of biodiversity and social stability. Huge swathes of land have already been absorbed in land grabs by foreign governments, private entities and speculators to grow biofuel or feed and fodder crops. Displaced farmers migrate to urban areas seeking jobs. In the West, families spend 15% of income on food – in the global South this rises to 80%. Yet the dominant economic model claims that small-scale, self-sufficient farmers do not contribute to tax or the national balance of payments. Yet they represent nearly a third of the world’s population and feed even more. These farmers add to food security, social cohesion and poverty reduction goals. And small farming projects are far more resilient to climate instability than the intensive, industrial model being promoted.
How to develop KPI’s in South Africa Writer Kendal Brown
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or more than two decades, efforts have been made to measure the performance of government and human services agencies. Why this drive to measure performance? Simply put, it’s the desire to improve services and quality control issues. Among the components required to achieve this are identifying the programme’s mission, objectives and customers, to name but a few. Intrinsic to the whole process are the people who have to execute the services, namely the employee. For this reason, managers are always keen to improve the process of performance management. Basically, managers are looking to see how well an employee is performing their duties. Here is where KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) come into play. An employee may be giving it their all but not really succeeding. KPI’s apply both the organization and individual. In fact if an employee is underperforming it may reflect on the employer who is failing to achieve the organizations stated goals and
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objectives. Yes, that is possible. For instance, as in the case of many organizations, your aim may be to provide superior customer service. In this case you may use a KPI that measures how many customer support requests go unanswered at the end of a week. By watching these figures you may be thinking that you’re determining how successful your drive is to meet your goal of excellent customer service. How though, are you interpreting those figures? If you are receiving fewer complaints you may feel that you are achieving your set goals. Have you considered that you may actually be getting fewer customers and that that is the reason for fewer complaints? So, your KPI has to be the correct one to accurately monitor your business’s performance. As the saying goes, ‘nothing is as simple as it seems!’ The KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) principle can apply here when it comes to setting KPI’s for your employee. Just make sure that their goals are aligned with the department’s strategy which is of course aligned with the
organisation’s strategy. You’ll agree that’s a step in the right direction. To help define effective KPI’s ask yourself these four questions to help you understand the context. What is our vision for the future? What is the strategy and how will it accomplish our strategic vision? What are the organisation’s objectives and what will keep us moving in our strategic direction? What are the success factors critical to success and where should we focus to achieve our vision? Perhaps you could also use these questions to help define your KPI’s. 1. Which metrics should I use to help indicate if we are accurately pursuing our vision and strategy? 2. How many metrics should I use? 3. How often should measurements be taken? 4. Who takes responsibility for the metric? 5. How in-depth should the metric be? 6. Against what should it be benchmarked? 7. How can the strategic drivers for organizational success be reflected? 8. How can we prevent the metrics being falsely manipulated? 9. How do we prevent the creation and use of negative and perverse incentives in this metric? KPI’s (metrics) are a critical tool for business in our times and their accurate usage is becoming a key factor for business big and small as competition in all spheres of business continues to hot up. They are being used by executives, analysts, IT pro’s and business users to monitor business activity and corporate performance management to aligning the measurement of business performance against an organization’s objectives and strategic goals. Given their ever increasing role in business today the space in this article hardly allows for an indepth discussion. But as someone who has done a fair amount of research on the subject let me encourage you, the business owner (or even someone wanting to be a business owner), to do the same. There is a mine of great in- depth information out there that can help you get a handle on this vital subject. So move with the times! In conclusion final tips on how to ensure your KPI’s are successful. They must be 1 Specific – in line with the goal of the organization 2 Measurable, allowing the organization to monitor and assess progress 3 Achievable, realistic with respect to your business environment 4 Relevant, in line with the business and metrics 5 Time-Bound, linking goal achievement in a particular time frame
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Thobethulani Trading C.C. provides reliable, prompt, continuous services conducted in accordance with the client specification and up to the required business standards. Thobethulani Trading C.C. provides their staff with full uniforms of all seasons. The owner and founder of Thobethulani Trading C.C. is Thobekile Mtshali. Thobethulani Trading C.C. is committed to the development of trained, appropriately licensed staff that is well –served in customer relations, goods handling, relevant legislation, providing quality and prompt service, and governed by the company policy towards attaining agreed upon set standards. The equipments that is used to pursue work at Thobethulani Trading C.C. are SABS approved and for our staff personnel we use accredited / fully trained staff. Thobethulani Trading C.C. is offering a service that caters for the clients needs but is also cognisant of the realities obtained I this industry.Thobethulani Trading C.C. will be able to negotiate competitive and affordable prices with the client. Thobethulani Trading C.C. is currently involved within the Department of Education program of developing the ECDs (Early Childhood Development Classrooms) all around K.Z.N. The implementing agents that Thobethulani Trading C.C. work with are COEGA and the IDT. Our “hands-on” approach, dedicated service and the ability to advise customers, has led to others very good potential customers in Government Departments, private companies and individuals in the community. We trust that this company profile will give you some idea of what Thobethulani Trading C.C. can do for your company.
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FINANCE
No shortage of money Why is accessing finance such a challenge for most South African businesses? Writer Anton Ressel
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government funding agencies, equity investors or venture capitalists, more advanced businesses are also currently struggling to gain finance, for a range of reasons. Naturally, the global credit crunch has had a huge impact on lending , but other reasons may be that some businesses are deemed too risky, others are early stage startups or perhaps don’t fit the BEE criteria laid down by government to access support. In fact, Minister of Economic Development Mr Ebrahim The key obstacle to small business Patel recently noted at development is not a lack of available the Launch of new SME finance, but rather the knowledge on funding body SEFA (Small Enterprise Funding where and especially how to access it Agency) that “in a very short space of time, lending has dropped CEO. This finding was confirmed in the 2011 from near all-time highs to record lows. For Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) example, growth in credit extension last year report released by the University of Cape was the lowest in over 50 years.” Town’s Graduate School of Business, which For a country that desperately needs to found that a key obstacle to small business accelerate growth in the small business development is not a lack of available sector, this is not good news. What use finance, but rather the knowledge on where are the dozens of funding agencies and and especially how to access it (GEM Report options, if getting money out of them is so 2011, pg 44). challenging for the average entrepreneur or non-profit leader? Knowledge is key Simpiwe Somdyala, Head of the Masisizane Non-profit sector under strain Fund, which supplies soft loans to high Non-profits and social enterprises seem to potential black-owned and communitybe taking particular strain. “Funding seems based businesses, is forthright in terms of the to be more and more difficult to access these challenges faced by the financing sector. “In days,” says Louise Batty of Keep the Dream our experience it is proving more and more 196, a child-focused non-profit based in difficult to find suitable emerging businesses Limpopo. “Most of our funding now comes for our loans. The problem is that many from overseas donors, and I find that we need organisations just don’t understand their own to be increasingly proactive and creative finances or indeed the needs of the banking with our fund-raising if we want to maintain sector – so much education is needed,” he our programmes at their current levels.” explains. Victor Mzimela, Head of Enablis “From a Corporate Social Investment (CSI) business incubator concurs. “A lot of our perspective, funders increasingly look at work is about educating business owners how return on investment just like a banker best to manage their finances, how to retain or investor would – not from a monetary records and how to build a solid offering gain perspective, but from a social and so that they become attractive to sources of economic impact perspective. If we give a finance such as banks or investors,” he says. certain organisation R250,000 in funding or According to Cynthia Olmesdahl, financing, will that translate into a positive Business Management Specialist, financial return in terms of job creation, sustainability management is a common challenge at or building a better community?” explains SMME and non-profit level alike. “Smaller Clarence Tshitereke, Head of the Old Mutual organisations often confuse the need for Foundation which funds numerous ED and better financial management with the need CSI projects nationally. for finance. Some simple tools to help with the management of cash flow and stock Practical Solutions levels, for example, can sometimes negate The starting point to financial success in the need for major finance and ultimately business is a solid understanding of the unlock a whole new business future,” she fundamentals of money, knowing where to explains. find it and how to use it in the organisation. Simple tools, practical training and basic Lending at record lows access to information are sorely needed. In spite of numerous financing options “South Africa has a wealth of opportunity, a available, from commercial banks to recent snap survey by enterprise development specialists Fetola, showed that 93% of small businesses are uncertain about where and how to access finance. “It seems that in South Africa a primary challenge is the difficulty associated with accessing funds, as opposed to the actual availability of funds for businesses,” says Catherine Wijnberg, Fetola
growing population and a growing economy. Now is the time for business leaders to get help, get wise and manage their finances in a practical and positive manner,” says Catherine Wijnberg. “What is needed is much more clarity in terms of when and where to use loan finance, where the money is and most importantly, how to get hold of it. We also need to translate the language of finance into the language of small business. For example, when a potential investor talks about “Equity-based finance” they really mean “we give you money in exchange for part of the ownership in your business” – but many emerging entrepreneurs and SMEs do not understand this language, and so feel at a disadvantage in discussions. These are just some of the gaps that need to be filled,” she concludes. Resources available Luckily, there are some innovative local solutions that are making inroads, such as Angelhub – a South African initiative that attracts collective private investments into high potential, high growth local businesses, mostly in the Tech and IT sector (www. angelhub.co.za ). Other solutions include the growing internetbased fund-raising, or crowd funding opportunities that attract large numbers of small investors into profit and nonprofit enterprises, who pitch their business proposition on the net. (eg: www.kickstarter. com ). For black-owned businesses, there are also numerous government agencies that can assist with start-up and other funding requirements, provided the business case is compelling and all criteria are met. For individuals and organisations wishing to learn more, an upcoming Access to Finance workshop and interactive conference for SMMEs and non-profits will be held in Johannesburg in September. This practical event forms part of the Legends business development programme and will feature a number of business leaders, financing agencies and other experts who will cover how, when and where to get the necessary finance to grow an organisation. For more information visit: http://fetola.co.za/ legends_magic_workshop/. Other resources for entrepreneurs wishing to learn more about finance include ABSA Enterprise Development Centres (see www. absa.co.za), FABCOS (www.fabcos.co.za ), Small Enterprise Funding Agency (SEFA) Tel: +27 12 394 1807 and many of the SEDA branches nationally (www.seda.org.za ).
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FINANCE
DEBT REVIEW Fake debt review shot down by Regulator Writer Zak King
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few months back, the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) announced to the world that they were looking to launch a lovely campaign to help over indebted South African consumers. They followed through by asking the National Debt Mediation Association (NDMA) to start a program of voluntary debt mediation. They called the project VDMS. As time went by, the NDMA asked 3 big debt counselling firms and one of the payment distribution agents (the guys who handle the money side of debt review) to get involved. They decided that they would make use of some software which debt counsellors use to do debt review matters and lumped all these facets together into VDMS. All was set to go. Then at the last minute COSATU, along with some debt counsellors and attorneys, approached the National Credit Regulator (NCR) with concerns that the project might be overstepping the boundaries of helping consumers into the realm of trying to replace
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debt review. The NCR decided that they would investigate, and asked the NDMA not to launch their trial project while they did so. After a few weeks the NCR came back with their findings. In a real display that they are not a toothless dog whose bark is bigger than their bite they issued instructions to all parties to stop the process. You might wonder why they would do so. Surely the voluntary debt mediation project looked to help consumers. Well, the NCR found that the project which looked like debt review, and worked like debt review, and indeed smelt like debt review was in fact debt review by another name with one or two notable differences. The main one being that the VDMS process would not be one that would be regulated by the NCR. The program also ignored very important parts of the National Credit Act (NCA). The National Credit Act says that only debt counsellors can do the job of a debt counsellor and they need to register with
the NCR. It also says that Debt Counsellors can’t work for a creditor. It would be a conflict of interest especially if the Debt Counsellor decided not to investigate things like reckless credit because they did not want to bite the hand that feeds them. Another concern is that this alternative type of debt review would not include part of the NCA called Section 103(5). This section states that if you go into default with a credit account, the creditor can then only ask back the amount you owe plus fees, interest and charges that equal that amount. So, if you owe R500 and you go into default the creditor can only ever get R1000 back from a consumer. This part of the NCA protects consumers from getting into the situation where they pay off a debt for years and years without ever reducing the balance due to high interest rates. These and other concerns have motivated the NCR to shut the VDMS project down. The NCR are now calling on BASA and other creditors to wholeheartedly get behind the current debt review process. The process has helped hundreds of thousands of South Africans to deal successfully with their debt. Each month, millions of Rands are paid by consumers under debt review, to various creditors. One benefit to creditors is that they are able to recover these funds without having to pay a collection agent to get involved. It is encouraging to see the NCR get behind the debt review process and prevent big banks and creditors from trying to take advantage of consumers. South Africans are indeed very fortunate to have such a progressive and ‘consumer friendly’ credit act.
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Navigating stormy seas
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s any business leader with a few years under their belt can testify, all organisations go through challenges as part of the natural growth cycle. These range from managing excessive growth as the result of a surge in business, to dealing with a downturn that leaves you feeling as though everything is hanging on by a thread. The measure of a good leader is one that can weather all these storms, and come out smiling and stronger at the end! Tough times In South Africa we have been largely shielded from the recession that is sweeping across the globe, but there is no doubt that many businesses are feeling the pinch, and a lot of entrepreneurs are beginning to feel insecure. The recent labour disputes, strikes, rising youth unemployment and growing sense of militancy add to these concerns, which can feel overwhelming to the business owner just trying to get on with it. On the non-profit side many South African NGOs have already put out the white flag of surrender, and concern about a lack of funding support across the board has NGOs struggling to come to terms with how to manage this rapidly changing environment. It feels as if things are in flux; long-term planning and strategy are very difficult at the best of times, and near impossible at the moment it seems. Look to the future The reality is that in every situation there is opportunity. Now more than ever, leaders need to focus on what can be done and develop the strengths and the strategy needed to get ahead no matter the external factors. Right now there are those who are succeeding, and those who are struggling. Focus is needed to turn both of these positions into ones of strength. The starting point to the future is having the information you need, knowing how to use it and maintaining the confidence to make it happen. These four simple tips can help you maintain focus: • Get the information you need, when you need it • Know who to turn to for help • Build organisational sustainability • Stay confident, be courageous Get the information you need Because financial performance is so integral to sustainability, one of the most important
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aspects of any business is to really understand where your money sits, and how well it is working. In many small organisations this information is often vague and poorly recorded, and that needs to change. Good cash-flow management can reduce the need for every-day finance, but a rapidly growing organisation also needs access to expansion finance, and knowing where and how to get it is important. In a recent survey conducted by my company Fetola, a whopping 93% of respondents said that they felt underinformed on where, when and how to access finance - a combination of both lack of access to information, and the inability to understand what is being said. This lack of knowledge is holding many small organisations back. The internet is awash with free and paid resources that business leaders can access to educate themselves on the language of money. If you are the boss, you need at least an understanding of how money works in terms of your organisation the buck literally stops with you! Know who to turn to for help Finance for growth and sustainability is readily available in SA. Sadly, the average business owner is lost when it comes to applying for finance because firstly the language of finance the bankers language - is not understood, and secondly the level of detail required by potential financiers is beyond the skills of most small organisations. Most small business and NGO leaders are ill-equipped to manage the sophisticated and often onerous processes needed to prepare detailed financial applications, yet too often the ‘service providers’ assisting with business plans and bank applications use cut and paste that results in poor end-results. It is essential to have someone you trust on your team, who can translate banker speak into something that you understand, and help with the preparation of documents that potential financiers require. There are also a number of private and government-aligned finance and business support organisations that can assist and advise, of varying quality. The Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) is an amalgamation of Khula Enterprise Finance, the South African Micro Finance Apex Fund (SAMAF) and small business activities previously housed within the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) –
Writer Catherine Wijnberg
and hopefully will prove more effective and efficient than its predecessors. Build organisational sustainability It is critical for organisations to develop self-sufficiency, to reduce the reliance on external funding and build real growth. Ideally one should be able to maintain an organisation without outside finance, by generating income through activities and building reserves for development. This level of sustainability is driven by sales (or fundraising for NGOs) and is a crucial part of business success. Beyond effective sales there is the need to create business leadership – the state of being in control of both oneself as the business leader, and the business as a whole. Leadership skills, and the ability to effectively position oneself in the working environment is often what sets the best apart from the rest. While it is true that some people are ‘born leaders’, there are a number of tactics and actions that others can apply and assimilate in order to strengthen their leadership skills and create a happier, more effective and ultimately more successful company culture. Confidence and courage All the tools, tips and capabilities are useless without the confidence and the courage to use them. While true confidence comes with knowledge and experience, finding a courage partner, mentor or like-minded business group can often be the boost that a leader needs to make bold and difficult decisions. Staying positive and informed, networking with winners and gathering the information one needs to be ahead of the game is essential to personal and organisational confidence. Business leaders that take the time to learn, to network and to develop new skills generally have the confidence to make bold choices. It is true that we are navigating some stormy seas on a global scale. The recent global financial crisis is dire and analysts are warning that more is quite possibly on the way. Now more than ever, leaders need to develop and maintain their skills, surround themselves with good people and make bold and courageous decisions when the situation calls for them. Whether your organisation sinks or swims is really in your hands.
ASPASA Contact Nico Pienaar on Tel: +27 11 791 3327 Cell: 083 419 0010 email: office@aspasa.co.za or nico@aspasa.co.za Unit 8 Coram Office Park, Ferero Road, Randpark Ridge, Randburg, Gauteng, South Africa, PO Box 1983, Ruimsig, 1732 www.aspasa.co.za
Providing customer-focussed supply chain solutions will increase within the coming years and future investment plans are in place to provide additional capacity for container and general cargo handling and storage. Cementing FPT’s position as a dominant and dependable player in the fruit logistics sector will remain a key focus area going forward. The group will also invest in providing
Last year FPT handled 520,000 tons of bulk cargo, 600,000 pallets of fruit, 250,000 tons of break bulk cargo and 25,000 TEUs.
F
PT Group was formed in 2001 and boasts multipurpose terminals located in the major Southern African ports of Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Maputo. FPT’s comprehensive range of services includes cold storage, terminal services, warehousing, transport, stevedoring and logistics coordination. FPT handles a wide range of cargo types including general cargo in the form of agricultural bulk, container handling services for shipping lines and their shippers, and break-bulk services for general and perishable cargo, including import and export fruit. FPT’s diversification of services
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integrated customer-focussed supply chain solutions. FPT provides secure, dedicated berths to shipping lines and the coordination of cargo at its premises, as well as storage facilities which include cooling and ambient slots for a wide range of cargo types in covered and uncovered areas. In addition, a container stack offers 144 full reefer plug-in points, with an additional 72 mobile plug-in point units for containers at the Cape Town terminal. Last year FPT handled 520,000 tons of bulk cargo, 600,000 pallets of fruit, 250,000 tons of break bulk cargo and 25,000 TEUs. The terminals in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth specialise in the management of export programmes involving specialised cold treatment of fruit destined for countries such as the United States, Japan and Korea, where very strict import restrictions are imposed. Transport is provided by FPT’s
dedicated transport team based in Centurion, moving fruit and general cargo within South Africa and cross-border. FPT views empowerment, education and the environment as important aspects of its social corporate responsibility. The company has been BBBEE certified, placing the company at an overall BroadBased BEE Level Three Contributor status, with a BEE Procurement Recognition Level of 110%. FPT is committed to the highest standards of quality in its quest for zero defect in the execution of its operations. To this end, FPT’s terminals are ISO 9001:2000, NOSA and HACCP certified. Moreover, FPT is a member of the international 360 Quality Association and three of the twelve certified global terminals are FPT port terminals. As its contribution towards conserving the environment, FPT has embarked on a carbon footprint analysis of its activities. A number of energy audits have been performed to benchmark its electricity consumption, electricity being the largest contributor, and to enable the company to track improvements. “Ultimately our businesses cannot succeed without our people,” says Schoeman. “I know it’s a cliché and everybody says so, but our mission is to dedicate ourselves to finding ways of exceeding the expectations of our customers and our shareholders. That is why we need to have in our FPT family passionate, entrepreneurial and pioneering individuals who think outside the box.”
Ntshongweni Clinic - Front View Ntshongweni Clinic - Front View
Nshongweni Clinic - Side View Storm water crossing Nshongweni Clinic - Side View 900mm 900mm Storm water crossing Surve Sur
Images of some of our completed projects and on progress
Photos taken during the progress of past projects are presentedImages in the table ofbelow: some of our com
INGCWETI PROJECT MANAGEMENT Ntshongweni Clinic - Front View
ngweni Clinic - Front View
Nshongweni Clinic - Side View
Nshongweni Clinic - Side View
Dlangamandla brick paving Dlangamandla brick paving
ngamandla brick paving
900mm Storm water crossing
D168 ready for marking
Dlangamandla brick paving complete
Survey (storm water cros
Photos taken during the prog
Dlangamandla brick paving Dlangamandla brick paving complete complete
Surfacing D168 with chip&spray
Dlangamandla brick paving
900mm Storm water crossing
Survey (storm water crossin
Mseleni Hospital Access road Mseleni Hospital Access road
Concrete V-Drains on D168
Mseleni Hospital Access road
M
V-Drains
Mseleni Access road
Ns
Ntshongweni Clinic - Front View
Mseleni Hospital Access roadSurfacing D168 Mseleni Access road with chip&spray
Dlangamandla brick paving complete
LimeMhlupheki stabilizing on D168 Stabilizing G5 layerJo Steel fixing-Nkwali Reservoir UMzinyathi Concreting-Nkwali Lizwi High School P SchoolReservoirNshongweni High School Clinic -High Side View Mhlupheki School 900mm
High School UMzinyathi P School Clinic - Front View IngcwetiLizwi is a civil, structural, projectNtshongweni management and construction
Nshongweni Lizwi High School UMzinyathi School - Side View Mhlupheki High School StormJozini tshongweni Clinic - Front View 900mm water Highcrossing School stri supervision engineering company, which was incorporated in 1998 PClinic footing
and founded by Mduduzi Cyril Ntuli. The main purpose of this entity is to create an arena to engage in engineering skills and qualifications to express excellence.
Lizwi High OURSchool PURPOSE
UMzinyathi P School
Sub-soil drainage
Mhlupheki High School
Bulk Earthworks on P68/1
Steel fixing-Nkwali Reservoir
Dlangamandla To deliver in a professional (Ingcweti) manner, the building and works to public and private of the users. The word ‘Ingcweti’ in isiZulu means “one who does things the right way or with perfection”. OUR PROJECT APPROACH Aug-12
Jozini High School strip
Earthworks in progres footing D brick paving
Planning around Existing clientsElectrical that meetservice the expectations
Ingcweti Project Management cc
Ingcweti Project Management cc Mselen Dlangamandla brick paving We are responsiveAug-12 to clients needs. Dlangamandla brick paving ug-12 Ingcweti Management cc cc complete Aug-12We develop customised solutions that meet Ingcweti Project Management each client’sProject peculiar circumstance. We promotes health and wellbeing of the people ,communities and the environment which it delivers itsMseleni services. Hospital Access road Dlangamandla brick for paving Dlangamandla brick paving Sub-soil drainage We comply with all government relevant legislation. complete We provide all the services the client needs for the supply of their facilities. In case we cannot supply a service ourselves we ask a member of our network of trusted partners (one stop shopping).
Ingcweti Project Management cc
OUR SERVICES
Integrated project services Facility Planning Traffic studies Project management Contract management/supervision Structural Engineering services Civil Engineering services Lizwi High School Quantity Surveying
Aug-12
Aug-12
Ing
Lizwi High School Lizwi High School
UMzinyathi P School
UMzinyathi P School
Mhlupheki High School
No. 13 Bauhinia Drive, Glen Anil, 4051 PO Box 36175, Ntokozweni, 4066 Tel 031 569 1818 Fax 031 569 4534/086 638 6499 Email info@ingcweti.co.za Ingcweti Project
Aug-12
Mhl
www.ingcweti.co.za
Management cc
Ingcw
ECO
Is climate change really happening? Writer Michelle Nel
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It has become common belief that ‘greenhouse gases’ including carbon dioxide, are heating the planet and leading to climate change. But some scientists are saying the sun may be to blame.
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he climate change narrative usually goes in three directions: business as usual (accompanied by denialism), catastrophism (accompanied by expensive high tech ‘cures’), and climate justice (precaution, energy saving and renewables). This article will examine some of the views of the denialists and discover that strange bedfellows meet in this space. An eminent South African scientist, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been trying to question whether man-made carbon dioxide is in fact causing climate change. The scientist points to the gullibility of the media. Call something an ‘ology’ and people believe you, he says. Nobody questions the climate establishment which has morphed into “an extremist organisation that brooks no dissent”. Denialists can lose their jobs or funding, he warns gloomily. The theory of climate change states that manmade carbon dioxide is warming the planet. Yet CO2 is only a trace gas in the atmosphere says ‘Prof Sceptic’ (0,04%)0. Of this 0,04%, 96% comes from nature (volcanoes) and only 4% is manmade Co2 is increasing and temperatures are rising at the same time. Scientists have assumed that CO2 causes temperatures to rise but it may well be rising temps that cause more CO2 to be released. British astrophysicist Corbyn Piers recently told a South African conference that patterns of warming and cooling of earth are caused by sun activity (solar flares and so on). The middle ages were a warm time. Then 1300 was a mini ice age. The planet has been warming ever since. He claims that climate change figures were doctored by East Anglia University. At the start of the research there were 16 000 weather station readings and by the end of the research only 6 500 remained. Stations whose result contradicted the hypothesis were excluded. Corbyn asserts that the climate scientists were practicing ‘confirmation bias’ which includes focusing on results that support your theory and curve-fitting reasoning. When climate skeptics are told they should respect the consensus, this contradicts the tradition of scientific enquiry. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) uses three methods to
support climate change, two based entirely on model simulations. Models should illustrate and reproduce data from the real world—increasingly models provide data and ‘become’ reality. This begs two questions: • If the Medieval Warm Period was warmer than today, with no greenhouse gas contribution, what would be so unusual about modern times being warm also? • If the variable sun caused both the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age, would not the stronger solar activity of the 20th century account for 20th century warmth? I ask Prof Sceptic why, in the face of contradictory data, climate change belief persists. Combating it will cost billions. Who stands to gain? He replies that the United Nations and bodies including the IPCC represent poorer countries. It suits these countries to blame the West for their woes and ask for support called ‘climate justice and equity’). It is a political agenda which uses ‘science’ as justification, he grumbles. Sceptic says carbon traders have huge vested interests. Things start to get interesting when political economist activist and academic Patrick Bond enters stage left. He agrees with Prof Sceptic many points; yet their standpoints are polar opposites. Bond, who heads the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is a true believer. Still, both profs are vehemently anti carbon markets. Bond asserts that the new carboncredit market is a virtual repeat of the commodities boom. Except it has a delicious new wrinkle: the rise in prices will be government-mandated. Goldman won’t even have to rig the game, grins Bond. “Climate denialists are really rather useful,” says Bond, warming to his topic. “The fossil fuel firms – especially BP, Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil fund denialist thinktanks and astroturf advocacy (such as the right wing industry Global Climate Coalition).” Astroturf advocacy? Bond is known for his colourful aphorisms like ‘climate-crisis capitalism” and the Kyoto-CopenhagenCancún cul-de-sac. He says 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) closed with “thunderous self-
applause and elite back-slapping” before the COP17 in Durban. ‘Climate-crisis capitalism’ means turning a threat into a short-term source of commodification, speculation and profit. Everything that sucks up CO2 becomes a carbon sink, especially forests but also agricultural land and even the ocean. Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism and other for-profit climate financing programmes is directing capital towards renewable energy and sinks. The incentive? The continuation of business-as-usual. But markets have let us down. The price of carbon is subject to the world’s worst-ever financial market failure and derivatives – a financial asset whose underlying value is several degrees removed – were implicated in the crash. The idea of market solutions to market failure does not make sense, says Bond. The path that Bond advocates is ‘climate justice’ supported by a widespread civil society movement. Sceptic disagrees. “The new religion of climate change is a mass displacement activity. Instead, we need to fight the loss of biodiversity and protect the earth’s life support systems. There are too many people consuming too many goods. Climate change has become the new scapegoat to blame for drought in the Sahel or hurricanes.” “We need to change energy sources for the right reasons, for example, Fossil fuels will have run out by 2070. Renewables are dispersed and not always effective. However every household could be independent for lighting and entertainment.”
Main greenhouse gases 36–70% WATER VAPOUR 9–26% CARBON DIOXIDE 4–9% METHANE 3–7% OZONE 55
SUSTAINABILITY
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Monsanto and the new colonisation of Africa Writer Cris Robertson
W
hat makes it so easy to simply talk about ‘Africa’ when referring to any nation on this continent? There is no common language, common culture or common race. However, what we do have is a shared history of victimisation. From the Scramble of Africa to the introduction of debt, whoever ‘Africa’ is hasn’t exactly had it easy. Now, a new form of outside dominance is looking to extend this harsh history. Big businesses, especially big agriculture corporations like Monsanto, are arriving to continue their exploitive tactics under the same guise of compassion and civilisation. Sure, there are mouths to feed, but monocultures of chemical crops shouldn’t be welcomed just because the ‘West’ says so. Africa needs to take a look around and learn from the past. Search “Monsanto” on the internet and you’re going to see two very different sides of the industrial agriculture heavyweight. On one hand you’ll see claims of feeding the world and being a farmer’s friend, with the support from U2’s Bono and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. On the other hand, there is endless opposition to their devastating effect on the environment and livelihoods, which are being deviously hidden from the public by an extensive legal team. Further research will give you damning accounts of irreversible ecosystem damage, the health risks of genetically-modified foods, and the corporate’s link to thousands of small-scale Indian farmers’ suicides. For clarity, however, it is Monsanto’s open and unashamed desire to own the world’s food supply through its patented genetically engineered seeds that really sends off the warning bells and undermines their legitimacy. The African Centre for Biosafety has recently reported that the South African government have given Dow Chemical, a subsidiary of Monsanto, the go-ahead to use the “highly controversial GM maize variety, DAS-40278-9 ... which has been genetically-
engineered to withstand liberal applications of Dow’s toxic chemical herbicide 2,4-D” – one of the main ingredients in Agent Orange, the Vietnam War-era killer. This has yet to be approved in anywhere else in the world. What are our supposed ‘leaders’ thinking? Where was the democracy in this? The mechanisms of industrial giants like Monsanto are such that agricultural operations will forcibly become reliant on more and more of these chemical and damaging inputs – a poverty trap, with declining yields and declining environmental wellbeing. Are farmers aware of this? It is understandable that farmers want to have large yields, and there is an incentive to feed the hungry, but this type of mentality, from both politicians and farmers, is similar to the neutrality of Africa’s newly independent liberation governments in the sixties that falsely promised so much. Africa has the means to feed its citizens with sustainable agriculture like agroecology, but lacks the institutional capacity to support these actions. Therefore, we are left with neo-colonialism – big businesses that endanger our land and societies, with only one thing on their mind: control. During the period of New Imperialism, imperialist urges of colonial forces dictated the rules of the game. These questionable and unbalanced relationships persist with the big businesses like Monsanto, but also with likes of China and the United States of America competing in their own power struggle. The irony of this continent’s beginnings to globalisation is that whilst other industrialised countries were happy to open their doors to trade and to complex interaction with other nations, the African continent had its door opened from the outside. The door was unlocked, unaware of nosy intruders. Our problems of poverty and hunger are arguably tied to the historic effects of these introductions, and systemic in nature. Environmental activist and food sovereignty champion, Dr. Vandana Shiva, has been fighting against dominant powers like
Monsanto for decades. Instead of Western influences prescribing the future of impoverished countries, Shiva campaigns for ‘grassroot’ agricultural solutions that are more democratic, more understanding of the complex interconnectedness of ecosystems and ultimately, more nutritionally beneficial. She says, “the idea that you have to introduce more chemicals, and you have to introduce miracle seeds in order to make productivity grow and in order to make rural incomes grow isn’t just not true, it’s a blatant lie.” Agricultural projects that boost local economies, conserve biodiversity and provide necessary vitamins and minerals are the very initiatives that will take Africa out of victimisation. These are opportunities that will bring integrity to being categorised as simply, ‘African’. This is not unlikely either. Healthy and sustainable alternatives to chemically-driven farming are growing all over the world, with little or no help from governments. In Cuba, Havana produces 90% of all of the food it consumes within the city. Urban agriculture provides a variety of foods and unshackles city-dwellers’ from dependence on food supplies outside of the city. Even in USA, where Monsanto lobbyists practically control the laws on GMO-labelling and easily sway decisions made by the Environmental Protection Agency, the organic food community has grown to a $30-billion industry. Responsible initiatives, like the ones mentioned above, are not crippled by the corporate ideology of short-sightedness and an addiction to profit-maximisation. These are food strategies that have future generations in mind, as well as the future wellness of the Earth – long-term thinking is the very nature of sustainable development. These are plans that will bring pride and integrity to the umbrella-term of ‘Africa’.
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You can now rely on us for a wide range of bulk services. Last year FPT handled 520 000 tons of bulk cargo, 600 000 pallets of fruit, 250 000 tons of break bulk cargo and 25 000 containers, making us a dependable player in this market.
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Cape Town: +27 21 401 8700 Centurion: +27 83 636 0674 Durban: +27 31 369 6800 Maputo: +258 21 426 650 Port Elizabeth/Addo Cold Store: +27 41 501 5800 www.fpt.co.za
SUSTAINABILITY
The slow food movement Writer Rishqah Roberts
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low Food, is an international movement, with more than 100 000 members; in more than 130 countries, worldwide, founded by Carlo Pertini of Italy, in 1986. It is a non-profit, ecogastronomic organisation; based on Pertini’s motto being “good, clean and, fair food”. This relates to his vision for the movement as being one where; high quality, delicious, clean, natural food which is part of a cultural heritage; grown sustainably in an environmentally friendly manner; produced by farmers and artisans with food sovereignty. Meaning that they are free to choose how, when, where and what food they wish to produce and in return are to be adequately remunerated and respected for their work. In Cape Town, specifically, these objectives are being realised by; safeguarding local and traditional dishes which are made according to traditional methods; and giving preference to food grown and produced sustainably by small farmers and producers, using traditional skills and methods. In this way meal times are converted into celebrations, of the various religions and cultures we find in our society, for those of us who believe that the enjoyment of food is a right to which are all entitled. The Slow Food Movement is an idea; a way of living and a way of eating. The Movement links the pleasures of good foods with the community and the environment, as what we consume affects the world in which we live. The Movement makes pleasures and responsibilities linked to what we eat inseparable and forming an alternative to fast foods. Making the Movement opposed to genetically modified foods, and instead, in favour of free range products. The Movement strives to promote small businesses and preserve traditional and regional cuisine worldwide, by emphasising local ecosystems, and celebrating, protecting
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and promoting sustainable foods, which are good, clean and fair. Amongst South Africans, there has been an increased disconnect in our population and the food we consume. This is cause for great concern amongst many among us, such as, the members of Slow Food Mother City. Slow Food Mother City, are one of the several Slow Food convivia (groups) in South Africa. Each of whom has a different approach to the motto of “good, clean and fair food”, depending on the resources, members and opportunities available to it. Slow Food Mother City, are keen to connect Capetonians to the local producers in the surrounding areas; introducing consumers to the “good, clean and fair food” available to them, such as the local food gardens planted in Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and the Eastern Cape. Slow Food Mother City have hosted a number of events ranging from a Food Film Festival to a Wine and Biodiversity Outing which was a family friendly experience, where kids were welcome; including a picnic. Over the years Slow Food Mother City has seen their membership increase significantly as more of us become aware of the connection between what we eat; our people and our environment. Join Slow Food Mother City by visiting the website at www. slowfoodmothercity.co.za. Also in the area of the Western Cape are; the Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market and the Willowbridge Slow Market, which are the epitome of what the Slow Food Movement is all about. As they do not use cold storage transportation to bring the foods to the market; and no chemicals are used in the production of the products and so there are no doubtful methods used in their production. These markets house a variety of fine foods and wines every Saturday from 09:00 – 14:00. Customers enjoy an ancient way of shopping, setup in a modern context, where they will have the opportunity to taste test their purchases before they buy them. S
Set in a flea market type setting; community friendly manner customers are free to bargain and trade recipes; making it the perfect setting to strengthen old friendships and create new ones. These markets are aimed at making the food chain more sustainable and environmentally sensitive, as all the foods on sale are locally grown and thus seasonally fresh, making them simple, nourishing and delicious. Intrigued? Log onto www.slowfoodmothercity.co.za or pay a visit to the Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market or the Willowbridge Slow Market and check out what all the action is about. Take the initiative and become a part of this global Movement and consume “good, clean and fair food”, and in this small way make the link between the pleasures of good food and satisfying the responsibility which we all have towards our environment.
END 2012 ON A HIGH NOTE WITH WITS LANGUAGE SCHOOL! Don’t let the curtain come down on 2012 with nothing to show for it! Take your pick from the last courses available for this year.
Upcoming Courses: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages 12 November – 7 December
Principles and Practice of Interpreting 1 October – 9 November
English as a Foreign Language 22 October – 7 December
Intercultural Communication 8 October - 26 November
Teaching Business English 8 October – 1 November
Sworn Translation Workshop 8 and 9 October
Introduction to Interpreting skills 1 October – 29 November Professional Language Enhancement 6 October - 14 November
Principles and Practice of Translation 1 October – 9 November
Visit our website and access the full list of courses we offer all year round. Contact us today and get started! Email: wls@wits.ac.za Tel: 011 717 4208 Web: www.witslanguageschool.com
HEALTH
Hypertension and how it affects South Africans Writer Natasha Braaf
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hey call it the silent killer. I recall a time – many years ago - when I was first diagnosed and had the living daylights scared out of me by my GP. He verbally painted a picture of me sitting in a wheelchair, with drool running down my flaccid left side after the stroke I will have if I don’t religiously take my medication. I was not to be persuaded and believed that I wanted to treat the cause and not the symptom. “I shall overcome”, I said but I didn’t – overcome, that is. Now I know my resistance stemmed from ignorance – not quite understanding what this thing is and how it comes about. We hear about “Hypertension” and we hear about “High Blood Pressure”. Are they one and the same and what exactly does it refer to? My research has led me to the following conclusion: “Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but typically, the term ‘high blood pressure’ refers to a blood pressure reading of consistently above 140/90”. This is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. www.health24.com The “silent killer” tag stems from the fact that an elevated blood pressure can be present for a long time without exhibiting any symptoms; and then one day – it hits you like a ton of bricks – and life as you know it becomes entirely altered. That’s if you are smart, sit up and pay attention! A media release by the “Southern African Hypertension Society” claims that Hypertension affects one in every five adults
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and is the leading cause of death in adults over the age of 50 to 55. Statistics from the last South Africa Demographic and Health Survey shows that a shocking 6.1 million South Africans have high blood pressure or are taking medication for hypertension. The sad reality is that vast numbers of South Africans remain undiagnosed and are walking around with proverbial ticking bombs like strokes, heart attacks, kidney disease and early deaths(hence the flaccid left side). Studies show that you have a higher risk of high blood pressure if you: are black, are obese, are often stressed or anxious, drink too much alcohol (more than one drink per day for women and more than two drinks per day for men), eat too much salt in your diet, have a genetic disposition for high blood pressure, are a smoker. According to Dr Dominique Stott, of PPS financial services, high blood pressure is on the rise in South Africa because of the lifestyle changes brought about by urbanisation: “It is largely because an urban lifestyle leads to things that can lead to hypertension - like a lack of physical activity, being overweight, more salt and a stressful occupation. The results of a survey conducted by pharmaceutical multinational Glaxo Smith Kline in 2010, show that the results of South Africa’s addiction to unhealthy living makes for embarrassingly grim statistics: 61% of South African’s are overweight, obese or morbidly obese. 70% of South African women over the age of 35 and 59% of black women over 15 are overweight or obese. 25% of teens and 17% of children younger than 9 are also classed as overweight or obese. 49% of South Africans claim to do
no exercise. 71% have never attempted to cut down on their food intake. 78% of obese and 52% of morbidly obese South Africans believe they are perfectly healthy. http:/mg.co.za/article/2012-01-20 Well citizens, since it is clear that we are not helping ourselves, it appears it is up to lawmakers then. In an interview with the times, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi expressed his concern about the obvious lackadaisical manner at display here. He warns of the dawn of harsh health laws, one of which was passed early in July whereby food manufacturers are forced to reduce the amount of salt in processed food including bread, gravy, spices and margarine. Manufactures have until June 2016 to comply. He warns that smokers are going to be hit even harder – look out for cigarettes in plain packaging (no longer branded!). Mr Motsoaledi says that if we do not turn this around, global healthcare will spin completely out of control. Dr Hoffman of the Wits School of Public Health says that chronic diseases such as hypertension are causing the same cycle of poverty as breadwinners are disabled and dying prematurely, leaving families headed by children. Says Minister Motsoaledi: “present regulations are a school picnic…” Seems if he has his way, we’ll quite literally be tightening our belts sooner rather than later. www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/07/23/ get-healthy---or-else In the meanwhile – let’s check our BP, adjust our lifestyles, get exercising and take that medication if you must! Like it or not, I know I am...
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SUSTAINABILITY
Make stuff that matters Writer Anton Ressel
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y 2050, it is estimated that the earth’s human population will be 9.07 billion. 62% of the people will live in Africa, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia - numerically this is the same as if all the world’s current population lived in just these three regions. In addition, another 3000 000 000 will be spread across the rest of the world. Africa’s population alone is expected to nearly double by 2050, from 1 billion to 2 billion people. Imagine the strain on our already stretched food supplies, water, sanitation, waste disposal, arable land, natural resources...the list goes on and on. With this somewhat sobering thought as a context, I would like you to think about whether the products you make are designed to add to, or alleviate the pressure on our global ecosystem? Have you considered not just the birth of your product, but it’s inevitable ‘death’ as well? 64
The Price of Progress As the global population continues to swell and advances in medical and health technology extend the lifespan of those already on the planet, an inevitable outcome will be an increase in the production of manufactured goods, cars, clothing, electronic appliances and other ‘stuff’ to clothe, transport, amuse and entertain all these billions of people. Another inevitable outcome will be an ever-increasing challenge to get rid of all this ‘stuff’ when it has served its purpose or outlived its usefulness. Already, the landfills of the world are groaning under the strain of yesteryear’s VCR machines, walkmans, cassette recorders, TVs, mass-produced toys, plastic bottles, boogie boards, toothbrushes, prams, disposable nappies... how will they possibly cope with double the load in less than 40 years time? The short answer is, they probably won’t.
It is a safe bet that dealing with the waste produced by over 9 billion humans is going to get ever more difficult, damaging to the environment and certainly more expensive. More surplus waste and redundant products to process will require more people, trucks, petrol, incinerators, electricity, land - deserts, seas and wilderness areas alike will be under constant pressure - and most importantly, more money. From purely a business perspective, designing products that a) have a long and useful lifespan, and b) are easy to dispose of when the time comes, makes excellent sense. Reduce, Reuse, Remain in Business So what does this mean for you, here and now in 2012? How will the inevitable and relentless march onward of the human race impact how we design, manufacture and consume products ten years from now? Twenty years? Fifty years? Renowned journalist and publisher Henry R Luce said “Business, more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future; it is a continual calculation, an instinctive exercise in foresight. “ In this instance, I would hazard that the future of consumerism, and in particular how that will impact on design and manufacture, is less about foresight and more about common sense. As the world gets more crowded, space to store all our stuff will get scarcer and thus more expensive. Costs to get rid of our stuff once it has outlived its usefulness or reached the end of its lifespan will soar, from simple refuse removal and disposal fees to recycling taxes similar to our current crop of ‘sin taxes’ on products like cigarettes and alcohol. The money to deal with all our surplus stuff has to come from somewhere, and usually that means Joe Public. An inevitable outcome is a move towards a minimalist lifestyle, in sharp contrast to the rampant excess and consumerism of the Eighties and Nineties. People will buy less, but they will buy things that have meaning and are made to last – or else to biodegrade or be recycled easily and inexpensively. They will also buy useful and functional things more readily than pure decor or novelty products. Trends will come and go, but an increasing non-negotiable will be products that add real value to life. Simply put, if you want to be in business fifty or 100 years from now, design stuff that has meaning, is functional and can be repurposed or recycled when its time has come. The throwaway culture we have embraced for too long is coming to an end and a new era of conscious consumption is surely around the corner. Be ready for it.
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FINANCE
Does your business work for you? Writer Anton Ressel
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t is well documented that famous entrepreneur Richard Branson had a string of unsuccessful ventures and outright failures on his journey to building the empire that is Virgin today. What makes his story so compelling is that he was able to recognise when to push on with a business concept or idea, and when to put it aside and start something else. This ability to see the wood for the trees seems to be a common trait amongst many successful entrepreneurs, and yet we are often taught differently. We are told to persevere, to hang in there, to vasbyt. But when does it become a mistake to carry on? At what point do we need to accept that our business in its current form is just not working and that we have two choices - either make wholesale changes, or close up shop and start again? The latter option is one of the most difficult, and bravest moves an entrepreneur can ever make. Before I continue, let me just clarify what I mean by the business ‘not working’. I am not referring to a few bad months, or a slight dip in sales year on year. These cycles are natural in any business and just as you will have boom times, so too will you face lean 66
and difficult ones. Similarly, I am also not talking about a fairly new venture – almost all business ideas and concepts take a while to get off the ground, up to three years in some cases, and you do need to be prepared to give the business a proper chance at success before moving on. What I am talking about is a scenario in which you have poured time, money and energy into the business, tried different strategies, products and approaches, done the shows, developed the website, ticked all the boxes and yet have not seen a return on your investment, despite your best efforts. I am talking about a business that is three or four years old, or even older, that makes no money, or worse, costs money to keep afloat. Would you work for free? So how do you recognise when it is time for a change? Well, there are a number of alarm bells and red flags that usually indicate that things are not kosher. Firstly, ask yourself why you started your own business in the first place – chances are it was a combination of the freedom to be creative and be your own boss, and also the prospect of financial freedom and success. I doubt very much it was so that you could work yourself to the bone to pay salaries to
everyone – staff, suppliers, subcontractors - but not to yourself. I also doubt it was so that you could pour your life savings into the business, borrow more money and end up stressed out and deeply in debt several years down the line, with no end in sight? If this sounds familiar, you need to ask yourself “Would I work for free for somebody else?” Of course you would not, so why are you doing it for yourself? Again, let me not create the impression that you should throw in the towel at the first sign of adversity. Like anything of value, creating a successful business takes time and effort, and it will often be necessary to borrow money, draw very little out for yourself and make real sacrifices when getting things off the ground. However, if you are still in that same position 3 or 4 years down the line, something is not working. If you find yourself in this position, it may be time for some tough questions and honest introspection. Should you soldier on, or should you close up shop and start again? Only you can answer that question, but the simple fact is that your business should be working for you, and not the other way around.
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SUSTAINABILITY
South Africa’s transition to a low carbon economy Writer Reagan C Adams
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outh Africa is the most industrialised country in Africa, with an economy highly dependent on energy production and use, making it one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. SA has however taken major steps to formulate and implement measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change. The country is committed to reduce its emissions below a baseline of 34 percent by 2020 and 42 percent by 2025. While the aim is to reduce emissions immediately, the transition to a low-carbon, resilient economy is gradual, based on strategic planning, evidence gathering and investment. Mapping out the transition to low-carbon economy relies on the need to reach a broad consensus on the challenges and compromises, the implementation of SA’s climate policy, could face. Although there are different opinions on how the country should move to a low-carbon economy, there are several significant areas where consensus have been reached. The National Planning Commission has set a vision for 2030 which reads as follows. By 2030, SA’s transition to a low-carbon, resilient economy and just society is well under way. Having undertaken the difficult steps to adjust, all sectors of society are actively engaged in building a competitive, resource-efficient and inclusive future, and
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the country is starting to reap the benefits of this transition. SA has reduced its dependency on carbon, natural resources and energy, while balancing this transition with its objectives of increasing employment and reducing inequality. Development initiatives, especially in rural communities, are increasingly resilient to the impact of climate change, with mutual benefits between
actions; an appropriate mix of carbon pricing mechanisms; policy instruments that support mitigation; an expanded renewable energy programme; an advanced liquid and bio-fuels sector; an effective mix of energy efficiency and demand management incentives; proactive local government climate change programmes in areas such as waste management and street lighting;
South Africa will require clear long-term strategies for adapting to the effects of climate change through adaptation policies and reducing its carbon emissions to a sustainable level through mitigation policies. sustainable development and low-carbon growth quickly identified and exploited. The state has significantly strengthened its capacity to manage the ongoing internalisation of environmental costs, and to respond to the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. Two key aspects to achieving this vision, is adaptation and mitigation. To put it in context, SA will require clear long-term strategies for adapting to the effects of climate change through adaptation policies and reducing its carbon emissions to a sustainable level through mitigation policies. The primary approach to adapting to the impact of climate change is to strengthen the nation’s resilience. This involves decreasing poverty and inequality, increasing levels of education, creating employment, promoting skills development, improving health care, and enhancing the integrity of ecosystems. This strategy requires ensuring that local, provincial and national government embrace climate adaptation by identifying and putting into effect appropriate policies and measures. Adaptation policies and measures include: adequate support for the vulnerable; equitable disbursement of financial assistance; significant investments in new adaptive technologies and techniques in the water, biodiversity, fisheries, forestry and agricultural sectors; early warning systems for adverse weather, pest and disease occurrence; disaster relief preparedness; and significant investment in conserving, rehabilitating and restoring natural ecosystems to improve resilience. From a mitigation perspective, SA is one of a relatively small number of countries with abundant coal, minimal hydroelectricity and little production of natural gas. SA’s energy emissions account for over 70 percent of its total emissions and coal accounts for the bulk of energy supply. Key contributors to stabilising emissions include: a commitment to undertake mitigation
regulation to promote green building and construction practices; investments in an efficient public transport system; and a robust and transparent monitoring, reporting and verification system. Additional investments in research and development, manufacturing, training and marketing are also critical. A number of guiding principles for the transition has been proposed by the commission. A few of these are: Just, ethical and sustainable – Recognise the aspirations of SA as a developing country and remain mindful of its particular starting point. Global human solidarity – Protect and promote the interests of SA’s citizenry, in the context of global human solidarity. Ecosystems – Acknowledge human wellbeing as dependent on the well-being of the planet. Manage transition – Build on existing processes to attain gradual change and a phased transition. Opportunity focus – For business, growth, competitiveness and employment creation, and for South Africa to attain comparable equality and prosperity. Effective participation of social partners – Be aware of mutual responsibilities, engage on differences, seek consensus and expect compromise through social dialogue. Accountability – Lead and manage, as well as monitor, verify and report on the transition. With all these principles and regulations it is clear that the transition to a low-carbon economy will take time. In my opinion a lot can be done to educate civil society about this movement. As it affects our world, we have an obligation to be part of it.
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ECO
The public sector going green
Writer Reagan C Adams
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n this era of climate change concerns, living environmentally friendly is increasingly becoming part of lives in an effort to leave a legacy of sustainability for generations to come. As citizens of this nation I believe it is valuable for us to know how the public sector is progressing in implementing green solutions. For the last decade or so we have constantly been exposed to the phrase, going green. I think, and perhaps we can agree, a fitting description for going green would be “a phrase referring to individual action that a person can consciously take to curb harmful effects on the environment through consumer habits, behaviour and lifestyle.” Considering the road towards sustainability, lessening the strain on resources, and literally attempting to undo certain damage – realistic or unrealistic – it is encouraging that the awareness about environmentally sustainable buildings is growing. And at the forefront of greening buildings, is the public sector. Adopted and gazetted by the Department of Public Works, the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), is a full member of the World Green Building Council. Its system is considered to be ‘best practise’ for design, by the government, although it is not regulated and legislated. “Government is saying that they recognise the [green building] space and they’re on board,” says Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). 70
In November 2011 National Building Regulations was amended to include, that anyone planning new commercial or residential developments or alterations will need to ensure their plans meet new energy-efficient goals, such as using efficient methods of water heating. This means that all new buildings are to use solar water heaters, heat pumps or similar technologies. While ceilings, walls and windows will have to meet minimum requirements in insulation, to minimise heating in winter and cooling in summer, energy-efficient heating, air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems have to be fitted in buildings. Last December the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa, announced that a government building energy-efficiency programme, led by the Department of Public Works, would conduct energy and emissions audits of all government buildings and facilities. “Ambitious goals for energy efficiency will be set for all new government buildings,” Molewa said. Now the GBCSA utilises the only South African green building rating system, Green Star SA. Between four and six stars are awarded to buildings that meet certain requirements. According to this rating system, any property developer who doesn’t develop four-star buildings is not futureproofing their buildings and is exposing them to potentially high building utility costs.
South Africa’s first six star-rated building, the Vodafone Innovation Centre in Midrand, uses solar technology to generate electricity. Its system generates twice the amount of energy it requires and feeds the excess energy back into the Vodacom Campus grid, which stores it for use in periods when no energy is being generated. The five star-rated Aurecon office building in Century City, Cape Town, has a roof garden, which reduces the heat absorption of the building. In the housing sector an interesting project has recently started in Atlantis, a town home to thousands of previously disadvantaged groups. South Africa’s first eco-friendly and energy efficient low-income housing development is revealed here. The project, an initiative of the City of Cape Town, aims to build “eco houses” for 2 400 families in Witsands, Atlantis’s poorest neighbourhood. The city hopes the project will set a national benchmark for sustainable living in low-cost housing developments. “It’s not just building houses, it’s building communities”, Beth Basset of Green Communities, said. “We made a park and playground. It’s the first time some of those kids have walked on grass. This whole greening gives such an impetus to people’s health and well-being. It’s making neighbourhoods.” Councillor Ernest Sonnenberg, from Cape Town’s Mayoral committee on Human Settlements, made an important statement that the pride people take in their neighbourhoods implicitly translates into savings for the city. In addition to the environmental and health benefits of greening buildings and communities, the new building standards will also create new job opportunities. Speaking at a South African Bureau of Standards convention in Midrand, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said they would boost the manufacturing sector and contribute towards the government’s goal of creating 5 million jobs by 2020. According to Davies the regulations will have a positive effect on South Africa’s economy as a whole. The installation services industry alone can benefit from government’s plan to produce and install 1 million solar water heaters by 2014/15. The solar water heating programme kicked off in 2010 and is managed by state utility Eskom through the SWH Rebate Programme. “If we achieve this, we expect to create around 18 000 jobs,” he said. Greening regulations and practises are creating a beneficial relationship with nature, infrastructure and livelihood. It is proving to be more than just saving our world, it is saving our lives too.
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uplifting communities One of SA’s fastest growing black-owned construction companies is consistently delivering quality services to meet the needs of communities and the built industry. Written by Ntsako Mbhokota
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stablished in 2005, Masiqhame Trading 379 cc, is one of the fastest growing black-owned construction companies to emerge out of SA in recent years. Based in Durban, the young company’s mission is to consistently deliver quality services that respond to the needs of the current and future requirements of the SA built industry. This is easily recognized in their excellent service delivery. Hundred percent-owned and managed by Previously Disadvantaged Individuals (PDI), Masiqhame Trading 379, offers a broad spectrum of building expertise; including the construction of schools and ancillary services, medium and low cost housing construction, implementation of housing projects, construction of community centers, construction of community residential units (hostels), the company also gives construction mentorship, training and development programmes to the people of their community. Among the many building projects Masiqhame has been involved in is the Magabheni Housing Project, the rectification of wire wall houses in Edendale, the development of Umlazi T Community Residential Units, the construction of Zwelinzima Senior Secondary School. Since inception, Masiqhame Trading 379 has managed to attract a large clientele from both the public and private sector. This includes Ethekweni Municipality, Best Buthelezi Investments, Department of education Delca Systems, Mahluze water, Department of Housing Groundwork and the Department of Education Umgeni water and many more.
based service delivery approach,” explains CEO Bongani Zulu. Masiqhame Trading 379 is not only driven to make profits but is also dedicated to making a difference in its community. With much emphasis placed on the empowerment of the youth and women of the region, the ultimate aim of this accomplished Durban construction company is to alleviate poverty and unemployment through training and skills development initiatives. Masiqhame Trading 379 has a strong philosophy that says growth can and will happen as people work collectively to capture opportunities. This is highlighted in their proven working track record. The company has enormously expressed support and commitment to the following documents/ programmes; • The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) • Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) • Labour Relations Act • Skills Development Act Contact details Tel: 031 702 4619 Fax: 031 702 4649 Cell: 076 867 0087 E-mail : bzulu@masiqhametrading379.co.za Website: www.masiqhametrading379.co.za
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The recently held COP 17 conference pinpointed a number of critical issues that need to be addressed to ensure compliancy to the committee.
Gas desulphurisation plant First of its kind for South Africa: gas desulphurisation plant sets the precedent for ‘environmental friendliness’ at Kusile power station.
T
he wet flue gas desulphurisation (WFGD) system being installed at Kusile Power Station by the Cosira Group/Alstom Consortuim, is the first of its kind in South Africa. The WFGD will dramatically reduce the sulphur dioxide (SO2), content
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from the power plants flue gases. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) exists in flue gases as a result of burning fossil flues during power generation and is the foremost contributor towards Acid rain. While wet flue gas desulphurisation has been a popular choice for flue gas scrubbing on
the international market, South Africa has chosen, until now, to utilise other methods of decreasing sulphur dioxide from gas emission. Although other methodologies exist to reduce (SO2) from flue gas emissions, advanced proven technology such as Wet flue gas desulphurisation processes are adopted to improve on the limits set by international committees” says John da Silva, Chief Executive Officer of the Cosira Group. “WFGD has been a popular choice for fossil-fuelled power stations for over 25 years in Europe and the United States. The technology is set to become a standard in developing countries as awareness of its benefits increases. There is no doubt that, the WFGD is the preferred environmentally ‘friendly’ choice as it removes at minimum 95% of sulphur dioxide gases from the emissions” says Richard De Arruda, Cosira WFGD Project Director. “The recently held COP 17 conference pinpointed a number of critical issues that need to be addressed to ensure compliancy to the committee. In many instances project funding is attached to compliance to insure that climate changing emissions are keep to the acceptable levels as prescribed by the committees” De Arruda adds. “Sophisticated sensors interconnected with the WFGD Plants control systems continually record fuel gas emissions. These sensors provide the control systems with accurate monitoring information necessary to ensure that emissions are kept to the performance levels of the plant. Should emissions exceed the acceptable levels; alarms will trigger control mechanisms which adjust the plants’ inputs to correct the levels.” De Arruda explains. “We are proud to be a part of the precedentsetting initiative at the Kusile Power Station in terms of reducing greenhouse gases and improving South Africa’s carbon footprint. This project clearly mirrors the Cosira Group’s own proactive approach towards creating a sustainable environment. We are confident that its success will open the doors for upgrading other industries in addition to power generation in the future,” Da Silva concludes.
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Open Trade Training Centre 20 years of achievements
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hen OTTC opened its doors in 1992, Peter, Isolde and Susanne Döbelin were not sure if they could make a living by training people in Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Ammonia. Together they shared a goal: they wanted to contribute to their adopted country, South Africa. With their combined experience and qualifications, they sought to make a difference in the lives of those who have chosen the field of refrigeration, air-condition The first OTTC-Refrigeration Courses comprised of R-1 to R-6 with theoretical and practical modules followed by a full week of diploma testing on all subjects covered during the training. To support the training, Peter built three model plants: a refrigeration plant, a chiller plant and a refrigerant recovery unit, with all the necessary testing points.
The first course was held in June 1992. The participants were: Monte Jeffries, Malcolm Whitehouse, Mark Price, Craig Hayte and Juan Potgieter. The OTTC Courses were held in the Drosty Hotel in Geduld from June 1992 to December 1994. The first participants who obtained the OTTC Technical Refrigeration Diploma were: John Alan Deliyannis, Norman Gama, Oupa V Mkhonta and Nhlanhala F Simelane. Oupa and Nhlanhala travelled from Swaziland to complete this training. (Ministery of Health, Swaziland. Over the December holiday of 1993, Peter built a classroom next to his private home as a surprise for his students in the New Year. The biggest OTTC Diploma Graduation of September 1994 was held in a tent erected on the site of the future OTTC campus in a German style beer feast. As Peter developed more and more courses, including the practical subjects like
Installation, Mechanical and Plant-Technic, the classroom was not enough. By 1997 he was ready to build the OTTC Training Centre, which he proceeded to do in his spare time with the help of a builder and an assistant. It took 1½ years to complete the main hall and lecture rooms. The opening of new OTTC Training Centre was celebrated in August 1998 with local Industry, students and Press. Peter Döbelin was very happy to present the OTTC to his invited guests from Germany, VDKF – Verband Deutscher Kälte Fachbetriebe, NKF – Norddeutsche Kältefachschule, IKKE – Informationszentrum für Kälte-, Klima-und Energietechnik, the Editor of KK- Kälte Klimatechnik, Mr. Peter Weissenborn from Gentner Verlag. The CEO of NKF, Mr. Karsten Beermann, pledged Patronage of OTTC.
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TECHNOLOGY
Responsible rivalry between tech giants Writer Cris Robertson 78
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he business world has received its fair share of blame for the current state of decline in pretty much everything. Rather than hiding from their responsibilities to society, however, the majority of firms and corporations have risen to the occasion and embraced the challenge of answering the calls to be ‘green’ – whatever that means. Sustainability has become the new competitive advantage and a powerful marketing tool, especially among the tech companies. Whether the motivation behind the new strategies and initiatives are driven by a sincere desire to ‘do good’ is debatable.
One of the most intense rivalries in the tech industry is between Apple and Microsoft. Two companies catering for two very different classes of people, but each equally competitive in becoming the greenest.
Nevertheless, one should reward these efforts and give business the attention it deserves, and undoubtedly expects. If competition drives innovation, and innovation drives solutions, it would be interesting to follow that trail and investigate whether the sustainability rivalry does in fact produce some solutions for the world. In the latest rankings of companies participating in the race for business’ Holy Grail – competitive advantage – it showed that tech companies, like IBM, Dell, Microsoft and Apple lead the ‘green’ leaderboard. This is great news, given the influence of these companies on society today, particularly the
youth. But, it is also not surprising. David Schatsky, principal of Green Research, explains that “the industry is inherently lowimpact, compared with, say, utilities”. These companies will therefore score higher in the greening of their products and operations. However, it has been widely commented that the ranking systems are flawed in their methodology and focus on big companies. There are bound to be new start-ups that are making ground-breaking innovations that could literally change societies for the better. Schatsky goes on to say, “sustainability isn’t all about competition, of course, collaboration also plays important role”. ‘Collaborative consumption’ is a growing trend that can offer more to a community that one firm working on its own can. This is mainly due to its nature of co-production and innovation driven by entrepreneurship, not profit-maximisation. That begs the question: are rankings a fair judgement of how ‘green’ a company is? In the rat-race of sustainability rivalry, how do the rankings relate to actual performance? One of the most intense rivalries in the tech industry is between Apple and Microsoft. Two companies catering for two very different classes of people, but each equally competitive in becoming the greenest. Microsoft is actually higher on most rankings than Apple. This may partly be due to their public sustainability goals of carbon footprint reduction levels; whereas Apple’s secretive corporate culture has received a lot of criticism. In this regard, one can argue that whilst Microsoft has yet to open itself up to collaborative efforts, there is little chance that Apple ever will. Also in Microsoft’s favour is the employee shuttle service on their Seattle campus, reportedly saving 10 million gasguzzling driving-miles. Apple, on the other hand, has astonishingly managed to curb its carbon emissions, despite its dramatic growth in the past few years. Both companies struggle on transparency, but remain quite progressive in their produce efficiency. Currently, Microsoft leads in the greener
side of things, though Apple’s citizenship values put up a fabulous fight in the social aspect, which is arguably consistent with each company’s targeting of their respective markets. Nevertheless, the performance of the two companies is historically tit-for-tat and perhaps more focused on the race than on the shared prize of a better future for generations to come. What is noticeable on the rankings is that IBM is always at the top of the list, if not first. IBM has been very progressive in building this competitive advantage, and certainly ahead of its time – before sustainability was even considered a competitive advantage. John Elkington, founder of SustainAbility and the ‘triple-bottom-line’, has been with IBM through most of its sustainability journey. He recalls how in 1971, IBM formalised their “corporate environmental policy designed to make the company an environmental leader in all of its business activities”. Additionally, the tech company has developed requirements of its suppliers to uphold “corporate responsibility, an environmental management system, and disclose performance”. Consider the difference between this and Apple’s boast that 98% of its carbon footprint is in its products and only 2% in its factories, as if the responsibility with their products ended when they left the factory. IBM thoroughly deserves the recognition for its sustainability efforts, but to think that Microsoft and Apple are only a few places away on the rankings list is worrying. Therefore, one can argue that the rankings system is a fair portrayal for those companies on that list, but not a true reflection of all companies across the globe. It is not enough for corporates and firms to have one duty to society, like making money, as Milton Friedman argued, or ranking high on a list. IBM definitely has its faults and is no doubt working towards improvement, but one feels that more can be done from these companies that have so much influence.
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ECO
Greening your home saves money Writer John Roberts, CEO of Just Property Group
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f you are looking to make your home more energy efficient you will be inadvertently adding to the resale value. So in addition to reducing your power bill and carbon footprint you are making one of your most important assets even more valuable. In this article we highlight what options are available to South African home owners and what the benefits of each are. Is going green your best option as a homeowner? There are many costs associated with ‘green’ homes – both in retrofitting applications and initial design and construction. For this reason ‘going green’ is more popular with owner-occupied homes than tenant-occupied ones. The rationale behind this is that owners reap the benefits over time directly and indirectly, while tenants are reluctant to pay higher rent despite benefitting from lowered power and water bills. Geyser insulation Geysers can be responsible for up to 40% of a home’s energy consumption so it makes sense that this should be one of the first things addressed when looking to make a home as energy efficient as possible.A geyser blanket is an additional layer of insulation designed to be wrapped around the geyser. Most products available typically consist of a 50 mm layer of glass fibre insulation with a reflective foil sheeting cover on one side. However the thicker the insulation the better (100 to 150 mm is not much more expensive but it is twice or three times as effective). Hot water pipes leading out of the geyser should also have a layer of insulation wrapped around them. Ideally the full length of all hot water pipes should be insulated or at least 3-5m of all hot water pipes leading away from the geyser. Solar water heating Solar water heating (SWH) or solar hot water (SHW) systems comprise of several innovations and many 80 78
mature renewable energy technologies that have been well established for many years. Eskom has a rebate scheme which makes the initial outlay of the system very affordable. The obvious benefits of installing such a system over the long term include energy saving for the user which directly translates into a decrease in electricity usage which in turn saves them money as well as reducing their carbon footprint. SWH systems are designed to deliver hot water for most of the year. Due to being a popular choice for making homes more energy efficient it is not uncommon to hear of people building their own SWHs from scratch – SWH building kits are also readily available as are plans on the internet coupled with video tutorials. DIY SWH systems are usually cheaper than commercial ones but it is advisable to explore the subsidy available from Eskom, which includes installation costs and workmanship guarantee. Solar panels South Africa is blessed with one of the best climates in the world in which sunny days are by far the norm rather than the exception. Batteries can be charged using solar panels instead of using mains power, achieving permanent saving as well as a permanent reduction of demand on the country’s electrical power. Solar panels also enable home owners to endure power failures that persist longer than a day because batteries will charge as soon as the sun comes out again even if the power doesn’t return. Ceiling insulation The installation of ceiling insulation in a home allows for a warmer home in winter and a cooler home in summer which is ideal for the South African climate. Because heat is a form of energy it always seeks a cooler area, flowing out of the home in the winter and into the home in the summer. Insulation creates a barrier and reduces heat flow, therefore a thermal insulated home or requires less energy for heating and cooling and as a result an increase in energy efficiency. The “greenest”
material for ceiling insulation is cellulose fibre (recycled newspaper). A well-insulated home will increase the overall comfort of the home and also add to its resale value. Light bulbs The easiest and most accessible way of making a home more energy efficient is by changing all incandescent and halogen light bulbs to either compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) or light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs. Fluorescent lighting is one of the most efficient forms of lighting in domestic applications. Fluorescent lights emit high amounts of light for a given amount of electricity consumed (they use about one sixth of the power of an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light). The two most popular types are the older “strip or tube lighting”, and the modern small “energy saver” bulbs which last far longer than incandescent bulbs (up to six times longer than normal incandescent bulbs). Other options Water usage can also be reduced through the installing of lowflow taps and dual-flush toilet cisterns. The installing of skylights, atriums and glass façades drastically reduces the need for artificial light in a home while adding a pleasing aesthetic touch to the home. Another retrofit option for many would be the installation of double-glazing. What are the real benefits for homeowners? “Green” building and sustainable practices are currently the ‘buzz’ all over the world. We hear and see advertisements from major manufacturers of everything from building materials to vehicles and suppliers of services and energy sources on a daily basis. There are programs on television, the radio, and even on the big screen that emphasize awareness of living a more sustainable lifestyle and how that might affect the future of our planet.
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ECO
Considering the water cycle for sustainable operations in Africa
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ater is a vital resource. It is essential for human life and wellbeing, healthy ecosystems, global food security, energy and industry. Without it, human existence and development of the global economy is doomed. Never before has the issue of water security and availability received such focus, and rightly so. Economic development, population growth, food security and climate change are all likely to contribute to severe shortages and degradation of global water supplies and ecosystems over the next 30 years, particularly in the developing world. In recent years, African countries have demonstrated a renewed commitment to industrialisation as part of a broader agenda to diversify economies as a critical vehicle for growth and poverty reduction in the region. This has seen a rapid acceleration in growth on the continent, generating with it new opportunities for investment. When it comes to future global investment strategies, Africa is high on the agenda for investors and entrepreneurs. However, this also brings with it substantial challenge - particularly in the realm of water availability and security. Water is critical for many businesses, and by its nature is non-substitutable. All goods and services require water in their production, and water is used in some way in all manufacturing processes. Companies are increasingly being faced with physical water shortages or quality issues, which causes disruptions to continuity and volumes of production, reduced revenues, and poses potential regularity and reputational consequences. Business sectors such as agriculture and beverages face even more direct challenges, as sustainable sources of good quality water, particularly in regions characterised by growing water stress become harder to find. Although Africa is a continent endowed with rich natural resources, many parts of the country have limited access to 82
water due to insufficient infrastructure and poor governance. Where water is available, habitually in the more populated areas, the quality is often severely compromised due to lack of adequate sanitation or waste disposal services, mining discharges, industrial effluent and agricultural run-off. Consequently, available freshwater (both ground and surface water) becomes heavily polluted chemically and pathologically. Furthermore, water sources in Africa are predominantly trans-boundary and are exposed to significant agricultural, mineral and industrial extraction across a number of competing regions. The water sector is also strongly influenced by, and sensitive to, changes in climate and prolonged climate variability. Climate change will not have uniform impacts on water issues across the continent, but will aggravate water stress in some areas while reducing it in others. As pressure from demographic and economic growth intensifies and the competition for food, energy and water multiplies, it is going to become increasingly critical for companies to look to innovative solutions for not only identifying and assessing waterrelated risks, but for optimising available water sources to ensure operational and business longevity. Additional motivation for this is that the responsibility of urban and industrial water supplies is not typically a government priority as is the case in more developed countries. Therefore the challenge of ensuring a sustainable water source of adequate quality for use in operations is likely to remain a responsibility of companies operating in Africa. The development and application of water management practices and technologies provides alternative and reliable water sources for operation. The entire operational water cycle should be considered including sourcing adequate quality water for use in operations, in factory water management practices and wastewater treatment and discharge. Opportunities for biogas recovery
as a green energy source and water recovery for reuse become viable options, particularly in companies situated in Africa where these needs are not easily met by current infrastructure. In a region expected to experience severe water scarcity by 2025, the potential for reusing wastewater in Africa cannot be ignored. Yet despite such potential, the effectiveness and success of such initiatives relies largely on the successful partnering with a reputable water and wastewater management company. Effective partnering offers companies the best chance for a water management solution and technology selection that will suit the company, their operations and industry effectively. This enables the water management company, such as Talbot & Talbot to ensure sustainable supply of good quality water and optimal operational and maintenance costs. As treatment requires sophisticated technologies, the risk of failure is particularly high, especially given the challenges associated with construction, operation and maintenance of such facilities in Africa. Effective management from the outset is fundamental and allows for timeous delivery of critical information and feedback essential for performance optimisation, higher recovery of recycled water, benchmarking and trending of plants and forewarning to allow for mitigation of potential malfunctions or disruptions. Although initial investments in such treatment technologies may be substantial, the pay back is justified in terms of security of supply and continued operation, water loss control and use efficiency. Further benefits include improved corporate reputation as infrastructure investments service local communities and aids in protecting environmental resources. This leads to improving water management, securing water for the company’s operations, water management beyond the factory gate and ensuring client-orientated water risks are considered. Talbot & Talbot
The role of the NHBRC in the delivery chain of housing in South Africa The mandate of the National Home Builders Registration Council is to regulate the homebuilding industry, to establish and promote ethical and technical standards in the homebuilding industry and to improve the structural quality of homes in the interest of housing consumers and the home building industry. As linked to the mandate of the NHBRC the purpose of the Technical and Business Management Solutions Divison is outlined below which generally supports the mandate of the organization, that is to: promote and support the attainment of technical excellence in the home building industry, encourage innovative products and processes, facilitate the development and transfer of information, knowledge, best practice and standards relating to the industry, raise the standards in the home building industry, and ensure that same standards are applicable to all houses built in RSA, and make a difference in the lives of South Africans by enhancing service delivery through improved quality control of construction processes. The NHBRC fulfils its mandate to the public of South Africa by offering the following products and services, such as: Enrolment of homes, registration of home builders, inspections of homes, forensic engineering investigations, homebuilder training and development, dispute resolutions, litigation and legal advisory services and the geotechnical and materials engineering. The NHBRC conducts enrolment of homes in both the Subsidy and the Non-Subsidy sector. The Subsidy sector is where the government provides homes for people who earn below the R3,500. The NHBRC is expected to enrol all the homes that the government will be delivering for the 2012/2013 financial year. The delivery target of the National Department of Human Settlements for the 2012/2013 financial year is 312,511 units. These units are spread across all the nine provinces of South Africa. The NHBRC will assist all the provincial human settlements departments with geotechnical investigations where required, so that all the 312,511 units are enrolled on time. When the units are enrolled with the NHBRC they will be inspected from foundation until practical completion. An inspection is critical as it ensures that the homebuilders apply the correct building procedures as stipulated in the NHBRC Home Building Manual. It also helps to get rid of the use of substandard building materials such as bricks and cement. When these units have been inspected by the NHBRC they all qualify for a five year major structural defects warranty, which means that in the event that structural problems arises within the five year warranty period the NHBRC and/or the builder is liable to fix the house. Improving the lives of South Africa’s people through the provision of quality homes is a collective responsibility. To this end, NHBRC is continuously consulting with provincial governments to sensitise them to the risks of utilizing unregistered builders. Partnerships with the private sector also remain crucial to ensure that rules and regulations are followed, and standards in the building industry are maintained.
Toll free: 0800 200 824 Fraud hotline: 0800 203 698 For more information: www.nhbrc.org.za
ECOTOURISM Tourism is part of the eco solution Writer Charlene Heyburgh
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distribution of clothing to the poor, animal welfare education and support for home based care groups. A recycling initiative is currently being driven by Stormsriver Adventures as part of the company’s sustainable development philosophy. A committed environmental policy is rigidly applied, ensuring the protection of the surrounding sensitive environment . The company has also achieved GreenLine accreditation endorsing the company’s commitment to sustainable and responsible operation by way of total compliance to an effective environmental management plan. They also boast the accolade for “The best recognized and acclaimed proudly SA member company” which was awarded to them at the The great challenge of ecotourism Proudly South African Homegrown Awards in is to sustain economic growth 2011. This award honours while ensuring the long-term the company’s commitment protection of the environment to excellence relating to job creation, skills development and local procurement with the finalists opportunities for local communities being voted by way of a national vote. and much needed alternative revenue as Stormsriver CEO, Ashley Wentworth well as teaching our visitors as well as stated “We are particularly honoured ourselves the importance of looking after to receive this national award given our environment. Ecotourism is helping the fact that one is competing against a to conserve biodiversity and alleviate diverse range of excellent Proudly South poverty in South Africa, through African companies across all sectors the creation of local jobs. Through and committed to the principles of the ecotourism, the local people living in PSA”. We encourage all companies to poverty are able to have a say in how employ local, train local, buy local and they would like to develop. apply responsible business practices A perfect example of this is “Stormsriver which address the triple bottom line.” Adventures”, a community based eco Wentworth went on to state that in adventure company situated in the heart these tough economic conditions, he of the rural Tsitsikamma in the Eastern believes that it is essential that every Cape which was the first “Fair Trade South African should develop a mindset accredited” adventure company in change in their purchasing decisions by the world in 2003 and the company is procuring locally produced goods and managed strictly in accordance with Fair services. This is the only way we can Trade principles. The company evolved all contribute to poverty alleviation and from humble beginnings in 1998 and ensure a better life for all. has shown a strong commitment to the Stormsriver Adventures operate the company ethos statement, ensuring that internationally acclaimed “Tsitsikamma 84% of the now 80 employees come Canopy Tours” based in the rural from the surrounding communities. village of Stormsriver. This Canopy Training and development of local staff Tour concept has extended to a has been the cornerstone philosophy further five rural locations namely of the company which has largely self Karkloof , Drakensberg, Magaliesberg, funded guide training over the past few Magoebaskloof and Swaziland creating years. Equal opportunity for all has led to in excess of 200 new jobs for local the establishment of a catering company communities. where the staff holds 80% equity. The company has won no less than 20 The company’s involvement in awards for responsible tourism and is community development includes one of the most accredited SMME’s environmental education for local within the tourism industry. schools, food provision programmes in schools, development of local crafting, ourism is part of the world’s environmental solution rather than the problem because of its ability to improve understanding about environmental issues. The environment has become one of the most important criteria for today’s traveller. Whereas comfort and luxuries once played the major role in a travellers’ decision making process, things have very much evolved since then. Today’s tourists are willing to pay for the preservation of the natural and social environments they seek to explore. Luckily, tourism is still one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa and it is well documented that Ecotourism provides employment
Thirty luxury chalets are spread out in U-formation on either side of the lodge, offering excellent views of animals approaching the waterhole from the opposite bank. The lodge has a 5 star rating and chalets are equipped with both air-conditioning and ceiling fans, mini-bars ,tea and coffee facilities.
Responsible tourism atTau Game Lodge
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n the far Northern border of South Africa lies a beautiful area known as the Groot Marico and it is in this spectacular setting, in the malariafree Madikwe Game Reserve, that privately owned Tau Game Lodge is situated. Thirty luxury chalets are spread out in U-formation on either side of the lodge, offering excellent views of animals approaching the waterhole from the opposite bank. The lodge has a 5 star rating and chalets are equipped with both air-conditioning and ceiling fans, minibars ,tea and coffee facilities. Each chalet has its own wooden deck, which allows one to experience the bush in privacy and is equipped with an en-suite bathroom and open-air shower. Since its inception, the Tau Foundation, driven by Tau’s director, Clifford Green, has implemented a number of impressive projects in the local Supingstad community and we are proud of what the Tau Foundation has achieved so far. The social responsibility programme is delivering tangible results at the various local schools. This includes the fencing and safe keeping of the school properties and upgrading of the school sports fields and play grounds, as well as the renovation of school buildings and facilities, setting up of vegetable gardens, computer rooms, creating 86
a borehole and installing guttering and water tanks and toilets with running water at the high school. Guests visiting the lodge are offered the opportunity to visit the Supingstad schools, some traditional historical sites or they can contribute to the soup kitchen which Tau arranges at the schools. These tours are led by our community officer, Itumeleng Michael Senne. The Tswana traditional singer-dance group, Ditshepe tse di Tshetlhana, was formed in January 2004, in the nearby village of Supingstad, under the leadership of Sacky Suping. The group was formed to add flair to the growing tourism in the area and help existing programmes for community development. Our guests play a critical role in supporting the Tau Foundation by integrating local and international travellers and rural people to their mutual benefit. The Tau Tree Fund The Tau Tree Fund was started to allow visitors to the Tau Game Lodge the opportunity to plant protected tree species and to learn a little about the trees that they are planting, thereby playing an active role in conservation. Information supplied to the guests includes the medicinal purposes, African folklore, natural habitat, ecology, animal and plant relationships, etc. of their
chosen tree. As an alternative project to assist in sustainability of the Mmasebudule community project, the task of supplying trees to lodges in the Madikwe Reserve was initiated. This project was designed to teach the community to collect seeds and germinate indigenous trees for resale both within and outside of the game reserve. They have been supplying trees to a number of lodges in Madikwe, who in turn have either planted them, or in our case, have also sold them to guests who have then planted them, with all profits then going towards the Tau Foundation. We are working closely with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and our supplying nurseries, so that from time to time when the trees seed, they are able to collect seeds for further regeneration During Arbor week this year, Tau pledged to plant a tree each day of the first week of September and staff members of each Lodge department were involved with this on a daily basis For any additional information, please feel free to contact us on +27 11 314 4350 or taugame@mweb.co.za www.taugamelodge.co.za
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MOTORING
photo www.oto-rides.com
TOYOTA YARIS HYBRID Writer Jerome Dyson
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ollowing the introduction of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive on the Auris, the company has also launched the Yaris Hybrid with the same system – making it the smallest and most affordable hybrid in the country. The Yaris Hybrid is noticeably different from other models in the range, thanks to enhancements that include a revised front bumper and grille, specially designed door mirrors, alloy wheels and rear spoiler. The Yaris Hybrid is further defined by its model specific LED daytime driving lights lining the headlamps. There are currently two trim packages available, the XS and the XR. The only differences are on the exterior mist lamps, rear privacy glass and rear spoiler on the XR model. The implementation of Hybrid
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Synergy Drive in the Yaris sees the first time that the system has been downsized – as the Hybrid features a 1.5 litre petrol engine with VVT. The four cylinder produces 55 kW at 4800 rpm and 111 N.m of torque from 3600 rpm. With assistance from the electric motor, which is powered by a battery pack, located under the back seat, the total system output is 74 kW and has a average fuel consumption of 3.8 litres / 100 km, which to me is exactly what we need taking into account the current fuel price. Toyota has taken its HSD drivetrain and squeezed it into the Yaris, making it the smallest hybrid in the world, not forgetting that its also the most affordable in its class. With emissions of just 88g/km its S.A’s lowest carbon emitter. Inside, the Yaris Hybrid’s exclusive treatment includes a soft touch facia and
door panels, blue stitching on the seats, steering wheel and handbrake lever. Features include Toyota’s touch infotainment system (which includes a hybrid system monitor, six speakers, and audio jack/USB inputs) , duel zone climate control, multifunction steering wheel, and a height adjustable drivers seat. Over and above all this the XR model also gets a push start button, illuminated glove box with cooling, eight speaker sound system, electrically adjustable rear windows, cruise control.....and auto lights and wipers. Safety spec on the 5-star EuroNCAP- scoring Yaris Hybrid includes ABS, EBD, BAS, as well as passenger and driver side airbags. The XR model boast seven airbags over the standard four thanks to additional curtain and driver knee airbags.
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MOTORING
HYBRID’S Some frequently asked questions... answered
Writer Jerome Dyson
How do hybrids work? Instead of relying solely on a petrol engine, hybrids use both petrol and electric motors. The energy used by the electric motors are stored in batteries. The ability to use electricity as a fuel means you burn less petrol. The onboard computer system determines when which energy source should be used at different times, maximizing efficiency while providing the same level of comfort as your conventional car. Is maintenance more expensive? Maintaining a Hybrid doesn’t cost any more than a conventional car, it may even cost less due to decreased wear and tear on the engine and breaking system.
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How often do batteries need replacing? The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years depending on the carmaker and the location. Can you drive a Hybrid in extreme weather? Hybrid cars are designed to operate in temperatures as low as 5.5 to 6 degrees below zero. Also always bear in mind that consumption in cold weather increases, hybrid or not. Do Hybrids need to be plugged in? No, in conventional Hybrids, the batteries recharge by reclaiming energy when the car brakes or by converting energy from petrol via the Hybrids internal combustion engine.
Can you tow a Hybrid? Towing a Hybrid requires the front wheels to be off the ground, tow dollies are commonly used and recommended. Are Hybrids safe? The fact that Hybrids run on electricity as well as petrol has no bearing on their safety. You can always check out a cars safety rating, however these tests are based on crash tests. Many of our currently available Hybrid cars are small and quick, making them good at avoiding accidents and rank high in safety ratings for their weight class.
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Questions
Count
Mean
1848 1849 1849 1849 1850 1850
3.91 3.76 3.94 4.01 3.96 3.98
Category Percentages 0
I can explain the objectives of my team. My job provides sufficient challenge. My immediate manager trusts me. i feel accepted in my team. i feel needed in my team. i feel part of my team.
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79.2% 74.4% 19.7%
75.2% 85.1% genDer What is your race? Please select one of the following:
82.3%
African 83.8%
9.24 %
Coloured indian White no response
14.11 % 0%
71.14 %
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5.51 %
Technology REVIEWS Writer Charlene Heyburgh
NEC L51W- NEW 3D READY LED PROJECTOR The successor of the L50W LED, the L51W, is the latest offering to NEC’s Office Cool portfolio and makes a perfect upgrade for customers wishing to also present wireless from their portable devices. Designed to provide flexibility and optimum image quality, the L51W is a 3D ready projector which uses an LCD light source, ensuring a lightweight design, reliability, low power consumption and very low total cost of ownership. This makes NEC’s mobile projector ideal for carrying to presentations and meetings, whilst its stylish exterior ensures a seamless fit into any modern environment. Weighing just 1.2 kg and measuring just 226mm by 174mm and 43mm deep, the L51W projector is light and compact for mobile business scenarios. Furthermore, the L51W offers minimised power usage for energy and cost savings, drawing just 105W in normal mode and as little as 0.5W in power saving mode.
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MULTISYNC EA224WMi LED DESKTOP DISPLAY The new 21.5 inch, 16:9 format display features an extremely thin LED backlight panel with IPS technology, which results in an ultra-modern and slim design that delivers perfect picture quality from any viewing angle. Furthermore, the inclusion of 4 signal inputs-HDMI, DSIPLAY PORT,DVI-D and VGA- and integrated speakers, headphone jack and USB, combined with cable management and the ability to height adjust, swivel, tilt and pivot the display means it can be easily configured t meet the individual ergonomic needs of every user within a clean and sleek design. As well as providing a superior viewing experience for the user, the LED backlight also means that the EA224WMi has less overall power consumption, lens heat radiation and requires less packaging. Power usage is reduced even further due to a human sensor which detects user activity in front of the monitor and reduces power when the user steps away from their desk. The eco-friendly aspects are augmented by the use of recycled plastics in production and being free of hazardous materials such as mercury and arsenic. The MultiSync EA22WMi comes in black or white and will be available n September 2012.
TECHNOLOGY
Nokia Lumia 900 Writer Charlene Heyburgh
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he Nokia Lumia 900 enters the market as the latest flagship from Nokia and sports the look of the slightly super-sized Lumia 800. Nokia has definitely outdone itself with this stylish 127.8mm tall and 68.5mm wide slab and at 11.5mm thick, it is one of the best-looking smartphones on the market to date. The Lumia is smart rather than flashy with a business-like feel and offers a slick interface with impressive features which include an excellent free music service, sat-nav skills and a mobile version of MS Office. Its classy frame is made of polycarbonate which makes it tough and the chassis is available in
a range of 3 colours, black, white and a rather distinctive blue if you like to draw attention.Clearblack technology allows the 4.3 inch screen to be used outdoors. It offers a 1MP front facing camera for video chat on the front and on the back is an 8MP auto focus camera lens with Nokia’s customary Carl Zeiss optics next to an LED flash with a dedicated shutter button and a sensibly positioned lens. The downside is that it comes with a modest 16GB of storage and is definitely not a phone for APP addicts. Most impressive is that it can go for a couple of days between charges unlike most of the other offerings on the market.
FEATURES OS Windows Phone 7.5 Screen 4.3 inches , 800 x 480 Chip Single Core Qualcomm Scorpion @ 1.4 GHz Camera 8MP w/dual LED flash and 1MP VGA (FRONT) Price R7500.00 www.nokia.co.za
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Book reviewS
Writer Charlene Heyburgh
80:20 DEVELOPMENT IN AN UNEQUAL WORLD Author Ashwin Desai Publisher Unisa Press Price Unavailable Today, over 80 % of the world’s population lives in the Third World where some 48 % of people live on less than $US2 per day. 57% of the world’s people must share 1 % of the world’s wealth while the richest 1 % controls over 40 %. The rich of the world continue to consume resources (such as oil and metals) and produce wastes (such as plastics and greenhouse gases) at a rate of 32 units per capita while the poor consume at a rate of 1 unit per capita. Such inequalities did not happen by chance – they have been created and are maintained by a wholly unjust and unsustainable model of international ‘development’ (and underdevelopment) 80:20 Development in an Unequal World explores these, and many other inequalities and injustices in an accessible and understandable fashion. This development education resource offers ideas, facts and figures, graphs, images and cartoons as well as analysis of the world today. It comes with a support DVD containing over 100 activities on using the book and its contents in educational settings plus a range of additional materials including video resources. For a full list of contents and a sample chapter, go to www.8020.ie where you can also read and download free extracts and graphics.
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Sauti! Author MM Mamabolo Publisher Unisa Press Price R245 Sauti! (Swahili for “Voice�) is a new note in the call for Africa to extricate itself from its colonial past and create a unique identity in consonance with its own culture. In these pages, Matoane Mamabolo makes a cultural and spiritual journey enquiring into the future of the African continent, a journey that will resonate with scholars, politicians and thinking people, both Africans and non Africans. Well researched and written, this study is detailed, meticulous, challenging, informative and thought provoking. Its focus is on creating a framework in which Africans can grapple spiritually and intellectually with questions relating to their beliefs and hopes – and in ways that are intelligible to Africans and relevant to their socialcultural contexts.
DIARY OF EVENTS
Dale Carnegie national workshops Johannesburg 14 September 08h30 and Sandton Convention Centre
13h30:
CAPE TOWN 19 September 08h30: Dimension Data offices, Black River Park, Observatory Durban 21 September 08h30: Southern Sun North Beach Hotel With over nine million graduates globally, Dale Carnegie Training® is arguably the world’s most famous corporate training programme. The organisation provides internationally renowned and accredited training to the corporate and private sectors with the aim of equipping delegates with the skills necessary to improve their performance in the workplace. In celebration of its 100-year milestone, Dale Carnegie Training® is offering a workshop to any employee, manager or business owner - whether in a junior or senior role - who is interested in bettering their performance, improving their communication and presentation skills, and increasing their self confidence. Each 2.5 hour workshop includes the free gift of a Dale Carnegie bestselling book and will provide attendees with valuable tools and tips to take home with them. The cost is R250 and registration is essential. Email info@dalecarnegie.co.za or visit www. dalecarnegie.co.za to reserve your spot. 96 98
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERS CONFERENCE GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CAPE TOWN 23rd to the 25th of October 2012: Cape Town International Convention Centre This event has become one of the highlights on the South African property and construction industry calendar – and provides a world-class platform for knowledge sharing and peer networking centred on sustainability. “The increased availability of innovative green solutions in South Africa, is really promising and certainly contributing to the increased groundswell of interest and take-up in green building. The GBCSA is committed to showcasing quality products and sustainability solutions - available right here in South Africa. For information: www.gbcsa-convention.org.za For sponsorship, advertising and exhibition: Julia Laubscher I julialaubscher@ telkomsa.net - 082 878 4601 For booking enquiries: Charne Millet-Clay at Scatterlings – 011- 463 5085
CAPE TOWN 24 - 25 October 2012: The Fairway Hotel and Golf Resort Being compliant is a given. Adding real value to the business is the new challenge. The challenge for the CFO of today is to add real value to the business within a continuous changing world of compliance. Managing and minimising risk and also communicating with the various stakeholders place a tremendous responsibility on the CFO of today. This conference addresses these challenges and more. For more information contact Katie van der Schyff +27 11 706 6009 or Katie@knowres.co.za.
BEYOND THE BEAT Events, events and more events!
Writer Brow Beat
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he world has become a real global stage, where all nations can play, trade and interact as if it is their backyard. We have just witnessed the Olympics and the Para-Olympic games playing itself out in London. What a massive and costly event this must have been. Grand opening, as well as over the top closing ceremonies, prevailed. It seems that with every international event, the one surpasses the other in terms of grandiose and costs. This leaves the next country reeling in terms of how they can improve upon or impress the audience at the next event. Locally, we are moving closer to the bridal and festive season, where everyone will be falling over their feet trying to make their event more glamorous or expensive than the one they have been to. The décor experts and the catering companies are clamouring for the favour to be putting out their wares
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and cuisine for all to experience. Haggling over price and preference will be the order of the day! With all that said and done, let me move closer to home and let you in on some of my experiences not so long ago. I thought it would be easy to arrange a small celebratory event with +- 70 people in attendance. Lo and behold, all the advice and input that I got from various people not forgetting the comparisons drawn with other functions and what to have and what not to have! At one stage, I thought I should put the idea to bed and cancel the event as too many ideas were swivelling around in my head making me quite dizzy just thinking about this “small” event! One never realises what a schlep it is to organise an event that you really want to keep small and on the low down. Firstly, how do you endeavour to keep your cost within your budget? How do you convince the rest of the family that you cannot invite
distant relatives that you either don’t know or have not seen in many years? Finding the right venue to accommodate your needs and the décor to match is not always the easiest find. Now for the cuisine that’s suitable for the pallets of the guests, something that will be good but at the same time not break the bank. What to get? Will it be enough? Even though it felt as if I was pulling out teeth getting my event together, it was a resounding success from me and my guest’s point of view. Will I do this again soon, not so sure about that? Let me be a guest for a while. I have just realised that there is a gap in the market for an events advisor – the person that will give the correct advice, show you how to remain in budget and ensure that you have the most fabulous event with the least output. This is what I want to become, given my past experience! Some people make it seem too easy to pull off massive events that obviously takes much time, effort, flair and perseverance. My event pales in comparison to what I have seen and experienced on a larger scale. These international events makes one dream of pulling off something extravagant that will be spoken of for many years to come. I will let you know once I have established myself as an events adviser, giving you mind-blowing ideas that you can pull off on a shoestring budget. To event or not to event, that’s the question! Till Later!
Customised IT Solutions • Consulting • Software • Hardware
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU? • Deliver information technology solutions that are future-proof, robust and intergrated into your business environment; • Promote high availability of systems and solutions in your information technology environment; • Encourage optimization and continuous improvement in your systems, process and solutions; and • Enhance your business operation in a meaningful and measurable way. SISONKE is closely affiliated with businesses in the implementation space and can leverage these relationships to deliver on the implementation: • Customer Relationship Management systems and processes • Data backup and recovery systems and services • Recruitment systems.
How do we do it? Sisonke is a customer-centric organization that understands your business environment and delivers to your requirements. The key is delivery that exceeds your expectation and is sustained in a trusted after-sales partnership.
Why use us?
EASTERN CAPE
Sisonke has a positive track record of delivering hardware solutions to the public sector on a large-scale basis. Sisonke is an accredited supplier of the Acer, DELL, HP, Mecer, Brother and Lexmark product suites. Sisonke has offices in Pretoria, Gauteng and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.
113 Willet Street, Newton Park, Port Elizabeth Telephone: (041) 365 0222, Fax: (041) 365 0888 E-mail: supportpe@sisonke.net
GAUTENG
Nedbank Building, Office Suite 418, 200 Pretorius Street, Pretoria Telephone: (012) 321 5705, Fax: 086 682 4937 E-mail: support@sisonke.net
www.sisonke.net Sisonke is a fully black economically empowered organization that is committed to a work environment free from racial, gender and disability discrimination.
SIYENZA HOLDINGS COMPANY INTEGRATED SECURITY SOLUTIONS AND NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDER
The company, being a holdings group, has a number of small to medium enterprises in its stable that are used and called upon, as their various skills and areas of expertise are required for a particular project. Siyenza Holdings has done large projects that include installations of 180 plus cameras. One such installation was done at one of the National Key Points, (SANDF). The cameras are linked to the control room using a variety of communications media, such as microwave radio links, fiber optic networks and structured cabling infrastructures. The company has completed several other projects and each of these has presented the organization with unique challenges. Projects successfully completed by Siyenza Holdings, ranges from R500 000.00 to multi-million rands. The company has completed major projects and amongst our clientele we boast the South African Air Force, Army Head Office, Department of Tourism Head Office, Department of Energy Head Office, Waterberg District Municipality, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality, Tshwane Municipality and The Office of the Premier Limpopo. The network infrastructure created for certain projects involved the use of the following media types: Microwave radio links where it was not possible to trench due to terrain and buildings. Fiber Optics is our main
communications media for long distance communications. The local area networks that we design and utilize, for our IP cameras and data points, all comply with the structured cabling design as required by ANSI and BICSI standards. Siyenza Holdings is capable of building complete data networks for IP cameras and data, which may stretch for many kilometers from the central (control room) site, to the remote sites. We have our own electrical division for all our electrical work. We have done large installation along fence lines where we installed cameras to guard the perimeter fence. The planning and installation of projects of this size and magnitude is done in house and then allocated to a project manager to manage and complete the project. Siyenza Holdings have to date always delivered projects within time and financial parameters The integrated security solution that we offer is one instance where all the different security, access and egress control disciplines were used. The planning and installation of projects are done in-house and the allocated to a project manager to manage until completion. Siyenza Holdings have to date always delivered project within time and financial parameters. Social and corporate investment and responsibility is key to our success and we further invest heavily on our technicians.
In this industry you are as good as your technicians, hence training is critical for success. We offer complete integrated security solution as well as ICT structured networks installations. For more information visit our website at www.siyenzaholdings.co.za or call our office at +27 861 001 095.
Mr Lucky Mahlangu, co-owner and CEO of Siyenza Holdings(Pty)Ltd who believes that ‘the formula for success is working hard and smart’
SUCCESS in our sights S
iyeza Surveys is a cutting-edge construction, engineering, topographical and G.P.S. Surveys company that focuses on maintaining the quality and standards of surveying in order to satisfy the needs of clients. The company began operating in September 2006, fully equipped with the latest surveying technology. Siyeza Surveys is a wholly black owned enterprise, fully BEE compliant. It has shown growth in a short space of time; and is continuously growing, providing employment for more and more surveyors and survey assistants VISION The company’s vision is to make a contribution to the industry in South Africa by providing comprehensive and accurate survey data.
MISSION We combine our human expertise with state-of-the- art equipment in order to identify the individual needs of our clients.. Above all, we value our employees highly because they are our assets. We consistently train and grow them to acquire more skills in the surveying field. This way we make sure that we fully understand the needs of our clients; as well as complying with the work specifications supplied by them. We consult with experts and apply suitable approaches, and would apply a suitable approaches to ensure your project will be managed well throughout all stages. VALUES Credibility, Professionalism, Quality, Respect
ADVERTORIAL
Siyeza Surveys has a staff complement of 18 employees. From time to time Siyeza Surveys employs student surveyors so that they can be exposed to construction sites where they would acquire meaningful working experience. SURVEY PROJECTS COMPLETED Our managing director has vast experience in the field of construction. (He was involved in P68, P100, P732, P728 and developing areas in Chesterville and many Topographical Surveys). The company has engaged in sub-contracting work from other surveyors, like Konke Civil and Surveys. Mr Wiseman Sikhakhane is the contact person (083 986 3919). Mr Clive Kunene the managing director worked on P399 road construction as a consultant surveyor. He consulted for Stewart Scotts International for their client, the
SERVICE PROVIDED Engineering Surveys: Setting out road profiles and pipe profiles; levelling, earthworks and layer works. Calculations of quantities and volumes for payments certificates, for consultants, contractors and municipalities. Topographical: Detail/ feature survey to assist in engineering and architectural designs. Road, canal, sewer line, power line, and telephone line strip surveys for construction up-grades, maintenance and designs. G.P.S. Surveys: Large scale thatchey surveys, survey control and staking out of power line/ telephone lines, water reticulation and storm water. Eskom Line Design: Designing Low and Medium Voltage (LV and MV, respectively). Electrification of big projects and System Strengthening of MV lines.
Department of Transport. This was one of the biggest ARRUP Projects (African Renaissance Road Upgrading Program) to date.. Siyeza Surveys sub-contracted Phase II (of P399) from Ikwezi Surveys. Siyeza Surveys was awarded a new Phase III as a consulting surveyor on the P399 project, in November 2006. Other projects that Siyeza Surveys has acquired P36/2 by Mzala Consulting ( now called IBhongo Consulting Engineers). We were also involved in the construction of the King Shaka Airport. Siyeza Surveys has been awarded a contract to implement Power Line Designs for Eskom. We have designed many Low Voltage and Medium Voltage lines at Mkhondeni and Mpangeni Area offices in KZN Region. We worked on INFILLS and assisted on a few Electrifications. The company is registered on different data bases, such as the Umsunduzi Municipal, KZN Provincial Treasury.
Suite 105, Pin Oak Avenue, 6 Quarry Road, Hilton, Pietermaritzburg, 3245 I Postal address: P.O. Box 392, Plesisslaer. Pietermaritzburg, 3216 Telephone: 033 343 4267 I Fax to email: 086 617 9141 Cell: 082 553 0788 I E-mail: siyezasurvey@telkomsa.net or secretary@siyezasurvey.co.za Website: www.siyezasurvey.co.za
Mosa Group is a wholly South African owned and managed company based in Midrand with operations globally. The company was established in 2008 focusing on engineering consulting services and experienced phenomenal growth in its business portfolio and geographical areas of operations.
Mosa means grace, the companies’ value system embarrasses the principle of integrity and professionalism to the tee. We uphold the concept of using available technologies to change the lives of the poor. Our company logo speaks volumes of what we stand for, the resemblance of caring hands, receiving whilst caring. It is the same philosophy that led the company to the establishment of Mosa Healthcare, a business division of MOSA Group. Established on the premises of using available technology to enhance and better the quality of life to the needy. Our focus is in bettering the quality of life for those living beyond normal acceptable lines of poverty. This division has a mandate to research and source globally the technology and services that can best be deployed in the rural of rural areas to assist in meeting the needs of the poorest communities. That drive led us to the United States of America where we partnered with the Hospitals of Hope NGO, that has the IP for the most brilliant concept ever of mobile medical services and care to the needy. Hospitals of Hopes own Clinic in A Can which we have partnered with. We are providing medical facilities in retro fitted 6m and 12 m steel containers. The combination of these containers can produce a fully functional clinic with state of the art medical equipment capable of handling any medical procedure. Standard container configurations include: Dental Rooms, a Medical laboratory, Normal Exam room, Mini Surgery Room, Full Surgery Room, Emergency support room with life support equipments and Disaster Response Units. We have indeed mobilized medical services with CIC. This mobile clinic can be relocated from one site to another with ease as the clinic structure is a full steel cargo container. The units come complete and ready for deployment with an air conditioning system, water tanks and a power generator system where electricity is not available. On request, we also supply them with solar suppliers. This is how the Engineering team of Mosa Group is leading the race in deploying our technical skills in improving the quality of life for the poorest of the poor. We believe that by bringing in a simplified manner onto our shores, the solutions for Africa’s healthcare challenges, we would be able to partner with local government and contribute positively in the eradication of the medical hardships for the poor. The group global representation covers Uganda, Ghana and the United Kingdom. We would like to lead in east and west Africa on health care services in outlying areas. Good health care service is a human entitlement. Healthcare & education should be made accessible to all.
Clinic in a can-mobilised healthcare in a retrofitted steel container cargo converted to a fully flashed medical facility with clinics and surgical units for mobile use in urban and rural outlined areas.
Division of Mosa Group Telephone 011 312 7423 info@mosagroup.co.za
We are WSP. We provide design, engineering and management consulting in the built and natural environment. We specialise in projects for the property, transport and infrastructure, management and industrial, environment and energy sectors. www.wspgroup.co.za
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