Issue 17

Beyond

4TH QUARTER 2012 ISSUE 17 R29.95

sustainability quarterly

current affairs finance & business development & education travel & TOURISM TRADE & INVESTMENT

GLOBAL CORRUPTION IS THERE ANY CURE?

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CONTENTS 10

16

26

38

08

Editors note Charlene Heyburgh

10

BY THE NUMBERS

12

WORLD NEWS

14

SOUTH AFRICA NEWS

16

Global Corruption Is there any cure?

18

Preparing to bite harder on the economic bullet

20

Credit Amnesty in South Africa Will it work?

22

A critique of sustainability conferences

24

The green fund An overview

26

Bio-Refining What is it & how can it help us

28

DEBT REVIEW Talk is cheap

30

Taking full ownership to secure your financial future

32

SecuritIsation A conspiracy of silence

34

FINANCE 10 Questions to ask your bank

36

The revised BEE codes

38

What’s grounding the air industry?

40

ATNS hosts inaugural AVI Afrique Aviation Innovation Summit

42

Where are the stories in sustainability?

46

BREAKING THE RULES A restructuring of law and governance

48

SUSTAINABILITY Illegal mining hurts everybody

50

SUSTAINABILITY Avoiding mine closures!

52

HEALTH How to reduce, prevent and cope with stress

54

Collaborative consumption

56

ECO Anthill tigers and the ‘big cats’ of conservation

58

New kids on the block!

60

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CONTENTS 56

68

116

118

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62

SUSTAINABILITY Avoiding expensive rebuilds

66

ECO Roads without rage

68

SUSTAINABILITY Are we fishing sustainably?

74

SUSTAINABILITY Bottleworx recycling

76

Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Project

78

Language strategy

82

SKILLS & TRAINING Changing the way the corporate world approaches retrenchment

84

EDUCATION The Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management

86

Inspiration from African entrepreneurs

88

Business sustainability through collaboration

92

Business development vital to South Africa’s economic growth

94

ECO Collect-a-Can facilitates job creation

96

ECO The art of environmental responsibility

98

Education Saving our dysfunctional schools

100

EDUCATION point joins mad in making a difference

102

Talbot & Talbot hosts successful water industry event

104

Responsible Tourism Tau Game Lodge

106

Africa’s greenest hotel from the ground up

110

SWA Safaris

112

Putting sport in perspective

114

TECHNOLOGY Technologies relying on past wisdom for future sustainability

116

CAR REVIEW Toyota GT 86

118

Technology REVIEWS Choosing a tablet

122

BOOK REVIEWS

124

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EDITORS NOTE CREDITS

B

idding farewell to 2012, I am sure that many of you will agree with me when I say that this was definitely a year like no other. Judging from the news that made headlines from the gaping hole that was revealed in our education system with the textbook saga to the most recent news of our governments’ wasteful expenditure of R248 million, it certainly has been a year to remember. By next year, headlines like those may be a thing of the past if the controversial Protection of Information Bill gets the final stamp of approval before being signed into law by our President. It will be the final nail in the coffin to keep the public in the dark and will ultimately leave us powerless and without a voice.

At a recent conference on the role of media, it was reported that journalists and editors in South Africa covered mostly bad news.

We live in a country where corruption goes unremarked and those at the top echelons of government do not regard accountability as important. As taxpayers, we have a right to know what our money is being spent on and it is unfortunate that there is no transparency which leaves us with very little ‘good news’ to share with the public. To those in power I say, give us good news to report on and make 2013 a better year for all but do not go so far as to silence us with your laws.

The highlights in this edition of Beyond include a brief history on ‘Securitisation’ a new banking buzzword that has been doing the rounds and we show you why up to 1 trillion rand could be refunded to South African customers by the banks in ‘10 Questions to ask your bank’. We also showcase Africa’s greenest hotel, Hotel Verde in Cape Town which will open to the public in May 2013.

Lastly, I would like to thank our readers for their continued support and wish you a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous new year.

Managing Director TB Mabecha Editor Charlene Heyburgh PROJECT MANAGER Jerome Dyson Sales ExecutiveS Jerome Dyson 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

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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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Struggling Kodak Co. will get loans worth $830 million in a new financing package

THE first phase of the R23.4bn New Multi Product Pipeline (NMPP) between Durban and Gauteng will be completed within budget by December next year This month it emerged that Craig is the highest-earning James Bond in history, having signed a contract that will earn him a massive £31 million for the next two 007 movies.

It was a proud moment at the official inauguration of Table Mountain as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature

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Dr. Dre named Forbes’ highestpaid musician, at $100 million

A maverick mayor hoping to upset Japan’s political scene has vowed to continue using Twitter throughout a general election, despite a strict ban on all forms of Internet campaigning.

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The UK has suspended aid to Rwanda amid concerns about its role in the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo

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WORLD NEWS

Pakistani girl shot over activism OBAMA VICTORIOUS! President Barack Obama rolled to reelection easily, vanquishing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney despite a weak economy that plagued his first term and put a crimp in the middle class dreams of millions. In victory, he confidently promised better days ahead.

Obama spoke to thousands of cheering supporters in his hometown of Chicago, praising Romney and declaring his optimism for the next four years. “While our road has been hard, though our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come,” he said. Obama was elected the first black president in 2008, and four years later, Romney became the first Mormon to appear on a general election ballot. Yet one man’s race and the other’s religion were never major factors in this year’s campaign for the White House, a race dominated from the outset by the economy. More than 30 million voters cast early ballots in nearly three dozen states, a reflection of the growing appeal of getting a jump on the traditional Election Day.

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A 14-year old Pakistani activist who championed education for girls was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman.

The attack on Malala Yousafzai, who became famous for highlighting Taliban atrocities, happened as she sat in a bus preparing to leave the school grounds in Mingora, the main city in the Swat valley which was the scene of intense fighting between the army and the Taliban in 2009. Doctors said the gunshot wounds to her head and neck were serious and that she might have to be moved to a larger hospital in Islamabad or Peshawar.

Malala won fame in 2009 during the Pakistani army operations to crush a Taliban insurgency that had taken hold in the Swat valley, an area popular among Pakistani tourists three hours drive from Islamabad. As part of her campaign for girls’ education she wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC about the chaos at the time, including the burning of girls’ schools. Her efforts were recognised by Pakistan’s prime minister who awarded her the country’s first National Peace award and a reward of around £3,300 after she missed out on winning the International Children’s Peace Prize for which she was nominated in 2011. She had also spoken of her desire to set up her own political party and a vocational institute for marginalised girls in her area. But all the publicity displeased the Pakistani Taliban, which had put her and her family on its “hit list” for backing “the imposition of secular” government.

MURSI POWER GRAB Thousands gathered in central Cairo to protest at Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi’s decision to grab sweeping new powers and demanded that Mursi should quit and accused him of launching a “coup”. Mursi issued a decree that puts his decisions beyond any legal challenge until a new parliament is elected.

Opponents immediately accused him of turning into a new Mubarak and hijacking the Egyptian revolution. “This is the point of no return for Mursi. He has dug himself deeper in a hole and won’t know how to get out of it,” said Ahmed Saleh, an activist. Mursi’s rivals condemned him as an autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt.

The president’s aides said the decree was intended to speed up a protracted transition to democracy that has been hindered by legal obstacles. “I am for all Egyptians,” Mursi said on a stage outside the presidential palace, adding that he was working for social and economic stability and remained committed to the revolution.

For sustainable energy.

SOUTH AFRICA NEWS South Africans to have 14 years of school

RHINO KILLINGS RISING RAPIDLY The insatiable demand for horns has sparked the worst recorded year of rhino poaching in South Africa in decades, with at least 588 rhinos killed so far, their carcasses rotting in private farms and national parks. Without drastic change, experts warn that soon the number of rhinos killed will outpace the number of the calves born - putting the entire population at risk in a nation that is the last bastion for the prehistoriclooking animals. The country had lost 140 more rhino than the 448 that were poached in 2011, while 224 poachers were arrested last year and 165 the year before. According to the latest figures, 39 rhino had been killed since the middle of November. The Kruger National Park had been the hardest hit with 362 rhino lost to poaching. The North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces collectively lost 186 rhino.

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No-Confidence vote DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said she would move ‘at the earliest opportunity’ that the House resolve ‘that it has no confidence in President Jacob G Zuma’. She said the grounds were ‘that under his leadership the justice system has been politicised and weakened; corruption has spiralled out of control; unemployment continues to increase; the economy is weakening; and the right of access to quality education has been violated’.” Nine of the 11 opposition parties represented in Parliament have united behind MP Mazibuko’s move: “Section 102 (2) of the constitution provides for a president’s removal by a motion of no confidence supported by a simple majority of MPs (50 percent plus one). If such a motion were to succeed, Zuma, his entire cabinet and deputy ministers would have to resign. The chief justice would have to call a special sitting of the National Assembly and preside over the election of a new president, as happened in 2008 when Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe took over after then-president Thabo Mbeki was recalled by the ANC.”

The National Development Plan (NDP), the final version which was handed to the president, calls for significant changes to the basic education system – on top of similar changes in policing, the civil service, and economic adjustments. But perhaps none of the other recommendations would be as far-reaching as a seemingly innocuous proposal on pre-schools. “Make two years of quality preschool enrolment for all five-year-olds compulsory before Grade One,” the NDP recommendation reads. Although a previous draft of the plan had suggested that two extra years of school would be beneficial, making pre-school compulsory, and a linked recommendation that the state funds pre-schools to provide universal access, were not included. Such compulsory preschools would have to house around two million children, with an implied need of around 100 000 pre-school teachers.

And the extra capacity needed will have to be required at a time when the NDP also calls for urgent action in eradicating infrastructure backlogs at schools, and ensuring that minimum standards are met by 2016 – while Education Minister Angie Motshekga refuses to publish such minimum standards. The NDP also calls for the implementation of an incentive scheme for schools – with the intentional exclusion of wellperforming schools – which replaces an initial proposal to measure teacher performance individually.

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SUSTAINABILITY

18

Global Corruption IS THERE ANY CURE?

C

ORRUPTION! A word too often heard these days. But, like anything that is over exposed, the word has lost impact and meaning.

So, just to remind you, here is an international interpretation of the word to help us see just how all pervasive and infectious corruption is.

Political corruption is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under colour of law or involves trading in influence.

Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. Corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, though is not restricted to these activities.

The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, some political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or illdefined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions.

Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.

A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning “rule by thieves”.

Some forms of corruption—-now called “institutional corruption”—-are distinguished from bribery and other kinds of obvious personal gain. Campaign contributions are the prime example. Even when they are legal, and do not constitute a quid pro quo, they have a tendency to bias the process in favour of special interests, and

Writer Kendal Brown

undermine public confidence in the political institution. They corrupt the institution without individual members being corrupt themselves. A similar problem of corruption arises in any institution that depends on financial support from people who have interests that may conflict with the primary purpose of the institution.

The plague, and it’s a pandemic plague, continues earth wide to this day. Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index shows some governments failing to protect citizens from corruption, be it abuse of public resources, bribery or secretive decision-making. The growing number of protests around the world, often fuelled by corruption and economic instability, clearly indicate that citizens (rich or poor) feel their leaders and public institutions are neither transparent nor accountable enough.

Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International added,“This year we have seen corruption on protestors’ banners be they rich or poor. Whether in Europe hit by debt crisis or an Arab world starting a new political era, leaders must heed the demands for better government,” Corruption perceptions index 2011 Based on perceived levels of public sector corruption, the index scored 183 countries and territories from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean) The data of 17 surveys that look at factors such as enforcement of anticorruption laws, access to information and conflicts of interest were used to ascertain the scores. Sixty-six percent of ranked countries scored under 5!

New Zealand ranked first, followed by Finland and Denmark. Somalia and North Korea, who have been included in the index for the first time, ranked last.

“2011 saw the movement for greater transparency take on irresistible momentum, as citizens around the world demand accountability from their governments. Highscoring countries show that over time, efforts to improve transparency can, if sustained, be successful and benefit their people,”

according to Transparency International Managing Director, Cobus de Swardt.

A Transparency International report on the region warned that nepotism, bribery and patronage were so deeply engrained in the majority of Arab Spring countries that even existing anti-corruption laws had little impact. Eurozone countries are suffering from the debt crises in part because of public authorities’ failure to address the bribery and tax evasion that are largely responsible for the debt crisis, are among the lowest-scoring EU countries.

Can anything be done?

“Mobilising People: Connecting Agents of Change” will be the 15th edition of the biennial International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) and will be held in Brasília, Brazil from 7 - 10 November 2012.

For some 29 years, this conference series has been the leading independent global platform for people who want to limit the damaging impact of corruption on governance, the economy, the environment and most importantly on people’s everyday lives, especially the most vulnerable.

Over 1,500 participants from more than 135 countries are expected, representing the public and private sectors, the judiciary and law enforcement; activists, academia, media, and civil society.

The question has to be asked: Is it serving any real purpose? After nearly three decades have we seen a lessening or an increase in corruption? The answer is obvious. The wise King Solomon once said that, “Man has dominated man to his injury!” That injurious course of action seems set to continue despite the sincere efforts of conscientious people. And it will continue as long as selfish people exist who think only of themselves and their selfish ambition. As long as those in high positions fail to take a long hard look at themselves and change from within, all the conferences in the world are not going to make an iota’s difference. It’s going to take something cataclysmic to change the status quo. May it happen quickly!

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SUSTAINABILITY

20

Preparing to bite harder on the economic bullet Writer Kendal Brown

A

Americans, no doubt. Japan is also facing boosted exports” was not likely to alleviate ccording to the IMF’s chief a difficult fiscal adjustment respecting its the situation as rising cost structures could economist, Olivier Blanchard, the debt problems which could take decades to rapidly diminish any benefit so there will world economic crisis could take solve. China however, seems to be sitting probably be no long term benefits. Many also all of ten years to run its course. reasonably pretty even though its growth is recognise that recent events and concerns He said,”It’s not yet a lost decade predicted to slow down somewhat for the regarding stability in the political and but it will surely take at least a time being. By the end of the third quarter, economic arenas as well as policy stability decade from the beginning of the the International Monetary Fund had cut its have seriously affected hopes of major direct crisis for the world economy to get back to 2012 forecast for Africa reducing its 2012 foreign investment for some time to come. decent shape.” For that read 2018 maybe. In projections for Africa to 5% from 5.4% but It certainly seems that government needs mid October a local economist prophesied revising its 2013 outlook from 5.3%FTP to focus seriously on its economic policies that South Africas’ economic prospects have to 5.7%. South Africa, of all become dimmer and could worsen due to widespread labour unrest. When a country is doing poorly, others have the African countries has been to be willing to help in various ways, not hardest hit by the spillover from According to Rian le Roux, Old Mutual Investment Group SA only out of solidarity, but because trouble in the Eurozone countries as it has financial and trading ties economist, disruptions that have one country may well spill over to theirs. close with Europe. This is seen in that taken place in the market recently the IMF cut its 2013 forecast to 3% for given the recent downturn. The labour and the continuing weakening of the rand, South African growth from its 3.3% July unrest, the fact that rating agencies have could lead to a lower gross domestic growth, projection. Largely because of the impact downgraded South Africas’ status and the resultant higher inflation and consequent of the continuing eurozone debt crisis. The falling rand are all a wakeup call to do current account deficits the country will IMF says,”If the euro area crisis escalates something positive and quickly, very quickly, likely face as a result. Investors would see further and global growth slows further, if they are to improve the economic outlook rising macro- economic risks in the country Sub-Saharan Africa’s prospects will be less for the country. as a result of this wider deficit. He added, favourable. South Africa, strongly linked to Up north in Europe the outlook is equally “Foreign investors have good reason to be Europe, would be particularly affected, with bleak. Greater solidarity is being urged concerned about the macro-economic risks possible repercussions for some economies between member countries of the eurozone - of 16 emerging markets... South Africa in Southern Africa. Softer commodity prices and more integration in fiscal and economic measures dead last in terms of its combined would adversely affect the region’s natural policy so that Europe can “go forward” with current account and budget deficits.” resource exporters.” integration to make the common currency Labour unrest had only served to magnify If one adds to this the fact that Chinas’ zone a success. Olivier Blanchard had this South Africa’s lack of competitiveness growth is expected to be its lowest for the advice to offer,”When a country is doing to the world. “While our overall ranking last ten years that could also impact severely poorly, the others have to be willing to help in the World Economic Forum at 52 out on African countries seeing as it has become in various ways, not only out of solidarity, of 144 countries in its 2012/2013 Global a major role player in the region. but because trouble in one country may well Competitiveness Index is not too bad, So, in an economic outlook nutshell, it spill over to theirs. This is why the fiscal we rank awfully low in some key areas,” doesn’t look all that bright in most places union and the banking union proposals being he said. These key areas unfortunately around the world. If you think you might worked on as we speak are so important.” So include the quality of primary and higher want to emigrate to a more likely country even in mighty Europe the outlook is bleak. education, wage setting flexibility, the your choices are China, India or Brazil, who Blanchard also claims that the United practices involved in hiring and firing and look to be the best set to ride the downturn.

States has a fiscal problem which it hasn’t remuneration and productivity. He tellingly For the rest of us, prepare to bite down harder dealt with yet. “Most analysts are confident remarked,”South Africa was ranked absolute on the bullet. that when it needs to be done it will be last for labour-employer co-operation.” done. I hope they are right.” And so do all The immediate rallying cry of “weaker rand, 21

SUSTAINABILITY

CREDIT AMNESTY IN SOUTH AFRICA Writer Reagan C Adams

22

WILL IT WORK?

I

consumers as a statistical sample on the 2006 amnesty. These statistics shows that 64% of the consumers who benefited from the amnesty indulged in further credits. Of that percentage, 74% had bad accounts (accounts three or more months in arrears) while 44% had judgments and unfavourable records, with 19% having judgments in the last five years. The default figure for the credit that these consumers entered into amounted to R33 billion, and R14 billion of judgments was entered. Information that the bureaus received from a bank showed that, after that amnesty, consumers were more likely to end up with a bad credit profile than before the amnesty.

Now the rationale for the proposed 2012 credit amnesty is mainly to remedy the defects of the first credit amnesty. The first amnesty, according to Credit amnesty was granted to qualifying consumers and although Experian Credit Bureau, only had the potential to increase the scope was wide, it did not deliver credit application acceptances at the results the Department of Trade an average of 3.2%. The credit bureaus, having looked at the and Industry was hoping for. scope of the first credit amnesty, believed that its impact would be minimal. with the aim of assessing the progress made The purpose of the proposed credit amnesty since the promulgation of the Act, which is to increase access to credit and to help obligated credit bureaus to grant amnesty consumers pay less for the credit that they to all qualifying blacklisted consumers. get. However, as I mentioned there needs Presentations to the Select Committee to be a balance, as credit information assists were made by the Department of Trade and credit providers price their credit, so to Industry (dti), National Credit Regulator establish the lending risk. Right now it is (NCR), National Credit Tribunal (NCT), also expensive for defaulting consumers to Credit Bureau Association (CBA) and Credit resolve their bad credit records, as not only Providers Association (CPA). did they have to pay off the debt, but also Representative of the CBA, Mr Frank Lenisa, get the judgment revoked, by applying to stated that the majority of consumers, after the court - an expensive process. The aim the 2006 amnesty, handled their credits of the proposed credit amnesty should also badly. He is of the opinion, and I agree, that be to encourage consumers to make ongoing consumer default is habitual, and education improvements to their credit health and not is vital to change consumer behaviour so to just to help consumers clear their records on achieve the desired results. He furthermore a once-off basis. cautions that if unfavourable credit In one very important way this amnesty information were to simply be removed from will assist individuals with bad debt is with credit records, it would affect the lender’s landing a job. Many employers do credit ability to evaluate the lending risk. checks on potential employees, although it The bureaus identified about 600 000 t is said that the past is a good predictor of the future. If this is true, the proposed credit amnesty will probably not have the desired impact, as with the first credit amnesty in 2006. Credit amnesty was granted to qualifying consumers and although the scope was wide, it did not deliver the results the Department of Trade and Industry was hoping for. This time around however, decision makers are better informed with the retrospect of 2006. In this article I will highlight some important findings which resulted from the 2006 credit amnesty and also how this knowledge empowers decisions now.

On 14 August 2012 the Select Committee on Trade and International Relations held public hearings on the National Credit Act NCA,

is not common practise, unless the position requires trust or financial responsibility.

This may result in possible rejection.

The NCR’s initial reaction to the proposed strategic information amnesty was that of caution but had agreed, after debate, to reconsider the matter. The NCR further proposed that judgments granted between 2006 and 2011, equal to or below R10 000, should be removed from the credit record, regardless of whether it has been paid or not.

This did not mean that the judgment would be written off, but that it would no longer reflect on the credit record. NCR also proposed that judgments above R10 000 granted between 2006 and 2011 should be removed from all credit records, once evidence that it has been settled is provided.

Mr Stephen Logan, Consumer advocate and Consultant to NCR, said: “The need for the proposed credit amnesty is quite clear, and emphasises again that 46% of active consumers are credit impaired”. He referred to the failure of both consumers and lenders, and that the period between 2006 and 2011 proved that the correct affordability testing was not carried out.

Together with consumer education, there is a need for the Affordability Guidelines and when properly used, the DTIi and NCR believe that the proposed amnesty can be beneficial to South Africans. However, he emphasised the need to temper the proposed amnesty with other safeguards to ensure that reckless spending was not bolstered in South Africa.

Whether or not the proposed information amnesty will work, remains to be seen. It is however clear that the amnesty has to follow with definite action. The final document on this matter will be presented to the Select Committee by the end of February 2013.

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SUSTAINABILITY

A critique of sustainability conferences Writer Cris Robertson 22 24

hen was the last time something was actually achieved at a sustainability conference? Or at any conference for that matter?

It’s time to stand back and really question the effectiveness of these get-togethers. We need to question why we have them at all! It’s true, continuous and in-depth communication is key to getting the message of sustainability across, but the conventional set-up of these things – elites in exclusivity that would rather argue over rank than resolutions – is clearly not producing anything that is changing the world.

The whole concept of a sustainability conference is actually not that bad; influential individuals gathered together for the common good. Right? But, as in many things in the sustainability discourse, there’s a gap between theory and practice. In reality, we have representatives that don’t really represent the interests of their countries’ electorates. They represent a distinct class that is isolated from the majority. And they sit at the same table with honorary guests that also happen to be major human rights violators. We have business opportunities to network like mad and to make deals. The opportunities to find long-lasting solutions to some of our issues take second place. Think about all those thousands of kilometres travelled, in fossil-fuelled transport, for a sustainability conference – it’s a little contradictory. And for what? For people with power to shift blame and perfectly place their full-stops. Surely, with today’s technology, there is no need to pollute our way to a silly chit-chat. Yet, the elites have a certain luxurious standard of travel that must be upheld. Even the ‘youth’ conferences are comprised of selected individuals – the cream of this season’s crop. We need to seriously discuss the problems that threaten sustainable futures. However, this top-down routine is taking us nowhere fast – nowhere we want to be and too fast to control.

With all due respect, the UN is a great example. The multinational organisation has brought a lot of issues to a global attention, but that’s about it. There have been over 500 UN conferences on the environment, but there has been little, if anything at all, to boast about. Even if there have been any unanimous agreements on some decisions, successful implementation has been missing.

We all know we must fight poverty and save endangered species ... now what? It’s like the delegates enter a dream world, where idealism is all that is needed. These conferences are a few days long, a week at most. Can we really

expect local solutions for global problems to materialise in that short time? News agencies should stop covering these types of events, like COP-17. We know what will come from it – nothing. As long as we continue to have this unimaginative genetic make-up of sustainability conferences we won’t get anywhere, unfortunately. We’ll be wasting our time, no matter what the next one tells you.

In October, there was some hope and promise of a new kind of conference that would invigorate a new discourse and a new perspective to tackle this dream of sustainability. The organisation Sustain Our Africa (SOA) hosted the first fullcircle sustainability conference in Africa, for Africa and by Africans. However, the conference was an expected failure in terms of finding solutions – a false hope and a broken promise. Between the speeches from men in suits, who were requested to show face and represent their brand, notebooks were filled with networking details and the typical buzzwords felt at home in every conversation. On paper, as it always is, it seemed different – an opportunity to sufficiently integrate the movement of sustainability in all spheres. And so, the disappointment hurt even more, like a knife in the backbone of building blocks. Where were the recycling bins? Where was the youth? Where were the people who really needed a voice? Ironically, one of SOA’s sponsors, Daily Maverick, published a story on the contradictions and the ultimate letdown of the conference right in the beginning of Day 2. Also, I overheard guests like Gunter Pauli and Nirmala Nair huddled together in protest, asking why Coca-Cola was even invited. And here I am, a longtime contributor to SOA, bad-mouthing their efforts, but because I feel cheated. Oh, and apparently it is not supposed to be called a conference, but a summit. Whatever!

The whole conceptualisation of a sustainability ‘summit’ should be restructured. This was the conclusion from Jon Hanks, managing director of Incite Sustainability in Cape Town. Another ironic and critical comment from the inside of the conference (because no matter what you call it, it is the result that people will remember, not the name). Unfortunately, I cannot provide any examples of conferences that have successfully shed new light on how we talk about the future of the planet and our own survival. But, I suggest a Skype call for starters.

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The green fund An overview Writer Reagan C Adams

I

n previous features I wrote about how South Africa has taken leaps in moving towards green living and a low carbon society. Much of these developments are initiated and driven by the private sector, while the public sector supports their efforts through passing laws and funding opportunities. To support green initiatives, and in response to weaknesses in the market that are hampering our country’s transition to a green economy, the Government of SA has recently established a national fund, known as The Green Fund. This unique Fund seeks to; promote innovative and high impact green programmes and projects, reinforce 26 24

climate policy objectives through green interventions, build an evidence base for the expansion of the green economy, and attract additional resources to support SA’s green economy development. In addition, the Fund, through these funding opportunities will support poverty reduction and job creation.

In collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), government has set aside R800 million, as an initial resource, to establish the Green Fund.

Appointed by the DEA, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has been appointed as implementing agent of the

Green Fund.

The Green Fund provides support through three funding Windows and applications for funding have to be in line with these focus areas. A Green Fund Management Committee, combining representatives of the DEA, the DBSA and the National Treasury provide the direction and make final decisions on applications made to the Green Fund.

The Green Fund has identified three thematic funding windows which will contribute to the transition to a green economy.

Green Cities and Towns (GCT): The vision of the GCT window strives for well run, compact and efficient cities and towns which will deliver essential services to their residents, using its natural resources to their availability, in an efficient and sustainable way. In one of my previous articles I wrote about a town, home to thousands of previously disadvantaged groups, which now has SA’s first eco-friendly and energy efficient low-income housing development.

This is a perfect example of how local government can play a significant role in generating the demand for green products and services, through aligning with public sector procurement, spending on infrastructure and services, in relation to environment performance indicators. This in turn can create greater localisation of green technologies. The Green Fund can play a role in catalysing significant levels of both public and private sector investment in the green economy, by assisting in implementation of green initiatives at local government.

Some of the focus areas are; sustainable transport, sustainable waste management and recycling, renewable energy, including off grid and mini grid and sustainable water management.

Low Carbon Economy (LCE): The vision of the LCE window strives towards a low carbon growth trajectory, which is in line with national climate change policy principles. Separating economic growth from its impact on natural resources will be driven by private sector efforts to lower environmental impact and resource consumption. Being the most industrialised country in Africa, SA’s economy is highly dependent on energy production and use, and is therefore one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. We have however taken major steps to formulate and implement measures to adapt to cleaner production methods and other climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

These measures include interventions that target industrial efficiency and the carbon intensity of the economy including energy

In collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs, government has set aside R800 million, as an initial resource, to establish the Green Fund.

Green II Why corporate leaders need to embrace sustainability to ensure future profitability

In Green II SAICA has brought together contributors and experts from various fields and backgrounds who have all joined in on the call to corporate leaders to embrace sustainability. Since so much has changed since the first edition - new and emerging technologies, trends and developments - it was imperative to relook at the challenges facing businesses today, and to take stock of what has indeed been addressed, and what still needs to be tackled in the future.

SAICA is positive that Green II will be an invaluable resource to the wider business community, across all sectors, including directors, managers, compliance officers, company secretaries and especially accountants, and to all who accept the call to action as stakeholders in the ever-changing and demanding world of business.

For all the above reasons, 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.

Green II Why corporate leaders need to embrace sustainability to ensure future profitability

Why corporate leaders need to embrace sustainability to ensure future profitability

Sustainability as a business imperative is the focus of this edition, with the inter-related issues of business performance and financial and integrated reporting being discussed against the backdrop of King III. The book takes a hard look at what companies are doing, how to embed sound sustainability practices into organisations, and how to develop responsible leaders who can take this imperative into the future.

Green II

efficiency, reducing pollution from industrial processes, waste management and reuse of by-products. Some of the focus areas are; energy efficiency, renewable energy, biogas and biofuels, sustainable transport and industrial cleaner production and consumption projects.

Environmental and Natural Resource Management (NRM): The vision of the NRM window strives for the protection and conservation of resources for sustained ecosystem services and so supporting SA’s development path. The protection of biodiversity and securing the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services is the primary focus of this Window. Fittingly our oceans, one of the most important ecosystems, are undergoing dramatic ecological changes primarily due to human actions. Damage to ecosystems are irreversible but fortunately, efforts are underway which will expand the area under protection in order to allow recovery. Other interventions include targeting ecosystem based adaptation to climate change that could drive rural development models. Managing and reducing the impact of agriculture and land use changes through demand management and resource conservation will be supported.

Some of the focus areas are; payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) projects, biodiversity benefiting businesses, including sustainable farming, land use management and models, rural adaptation projects and plans.

For more information and interesting updates on green developments in SA, visit the SA Green Fund website. Organisations that are innovative in driving green projects can apply for financial assistance from the Green Fund, also by accessing the website and submitting their funding proposals.

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BioRefining What is it & how can it help us Writer Natasha Braaf

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ikipedia defines a biorefinery as a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, heat, and valueadded chemicals from biomass or rather biological material from living, or recently living organisms. A Biorefinery uses biomass or plant-based raw materials – such as plants, plant oils, seeds and grains – and refines it to produce a variety of fuels, chemicals and raw materials for manufacturing. In mankind’s quest of greener alternatives, Bio-refineries were identified as the foundation of a new, biobased global industrial platform that can help lower emissions while meeting the world’s demands for fuel, energy and chemicals.

Industry watchers say the world is on the verge of seeing next generation bio-refinery plants and technologies and while the nextgeneration bio-refinery landscape is still scattered and several years away from largescale commercial production, interest in the next generation of bio-refining is reportedly on the increase.

While crude oil resources are getting scarcer and more expensive to extract, and the supply of fossil fuels are getting more dangerous and complicated, bio-refining is seen as a way of building national energy security while satisfying environmental sustainability goals.

In mankind’s quest for effective sources of 28

renewable energy, the reality is that biorefineries are the future. South Africa’s several established industries could promote [the possibility of] the conversion from the use of coal to the use of biomass (wood chips or bio-oil from pyrolysis units) to produce syngas, biofuels and electricity, says University of Stellenbosch professor Emile van Zyl. South Africa has the potential to convert its carbon-based existing industrial refineries into bio-refineries, which will benefit the country socially, economically and environmentally.

Prof. Van Zyl, who was awarded the senior chair of energy research in biofuels by the South African National Energy Research Institute, says that, if the sugar industry converts to a bio-refinery, this will enable sugar mills not only to do the first-round crystallisation for the sugar industry, but also to use the remaining sugars for ethanol production and the hydrolysis of sugars in bagasse for ethanol production. The remaining lignin can be burned for energy generation to run the mill and unused biological materials and runoff water can be used for biogas.

The professor believes that going the biorefinery route has three main environmental benefits: A renewable source of feedstock, since the refinery will rely on the growth of new crops and trees; Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the conversion of plant material into different products will be recaptured in new plant material, limiting

CO2 emissions and mitigating climate change; Bio-refineries will be an alternative source for producing fine chemicals, fuels and heat in the event of fossil fuels running out. In his opinion, Bio-refineries can bring economic benefits in the form of an improved balance of trade and energy independence, better control of product properties and new product and market opportunities. Social benefits will include rural economic diversification and growth, as well as improvements in health and the quality of life for communities. “Although South Africa will see the benefits, it is more a matter of how the country manages and overcomes the challenges to a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future,” he says.

While there are plenty of challenges in the conversion to Bio-refineries, it is true that these very challenges can stimulate new industrial growth. Dr Van Zyl says: “If the South African government approaches this concept with the same commitment as Sweden, we will be able to showcase Africa’s potential. Government should show transparent commitment, offering incentives to level the playing field for biobased industries to enter the mainstream, and introduce framework and policies within which all of this can happen,” he adds.

We most certainly are taking note, let’s hope the powers are too.

29

Recent statistics show that on average not only are South Africans not saving at all, but out of the money they have left at the end of the month (after paying for food, shelter and transport) they are using around 75% of their money to pay off their existing debt.

FINANCE

Debt Review Talk is cheap Writer Zak King

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n a recent statement, the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) made several comments which seem, on the surface, to offer great relief to consumers. A promise to not make use of garnishee orders unnecessarily and to look for ways to reduce costs to consumers by voluntarily rearranging debt etc. It all sounds so good, but is it just a marketing ploy?

BASA were almost immediately called out

by Debt Counsellors (DCs) who decried their cunning word play. A Garnishee Order is not the same thing as an Emolument Attachment Order and EAO’s are what BASA members normally use to ensure they grab consumer’s money from their salaries.

Mention of possible “voluntary” debt relief measures where also called into question.

Such programs recently proposed by BASA and the NDMA have just been just shot down in flames by the National Credit Regulator (NCR) for being illegal in terms of the National Credit Act (NCA).

Maybe BASA management were ignorant of 30

the fact (doubtful) but it seems that the recent promise to behave and make life easier for consumers is just another example of good marketing.

BASA face a real challenge at present; half of the credit active consumers in SA cannot be granted new credit due to problems they are having paying their current credit facilities. Many of these consumers are up to three months behind on their payments. This means that granting them more, would be considered “reckless credit”. Reckless credit is a NCA no-no, and could see the credit granted, written off.

So where to find new clients? With school graduates employment figures at less than 50%, these youths are not able to access new credit since they do not qualify for it.

What about the rest of the country? Recent statistics show that on average not only are South Africans not saving at all, but out of the money they have left at the end of the month (after paying for food, shelter and transport) they are using around 75% of their money to pay off their existing debt.

What does all of this mean? It means that the banks and other creditors are running out of new clients. Half are already paying poorly and the other half can only get a tiny bit more credit before they can no longer be legally given any credit at all. So what to do? Well, the banks are continuing to engage in the process of securitisation where they sell off the credit agreements they have and future revenue to outside bodies. This is generating fast cash for them. The banks also continue to try to repossess consumers goods when they default, which is a short term solution. Efforts are even being made to push consumers out of debt review so as to get at their assets. At the same time banks are marketing harder than ever before to capture one or two consumers who still qualify for credit. You will see many an advert for “consolidation loans”. This is where one bank tries to get a consumer to shift all his payments for all his debts into one big loan which they supply.

Technically speaking these are not really consolidation loans as defined by the NCA, as they would have to be registered as such with the NCR, and none are. They are really just big loans which consumers can use to pay off their other loans.

It seems that double talk and semantics continue to be the order of the day as the banks scramble to squeeze the last drop out of an almost dry stone. Consumers will soon need to change their borrowing habits, since they can’t afford any more credit and banks will have to shift their focus to recovering the credit they have already granted. Debt review will soon become their new best friend in this regard. A change is coming. It will be interesting to see if South Africa’s banks can adapt soon enough.

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

FINANCE

A secure pension and the health benefits that come as part of the reward for being a “loyal employee” will not be sufficient to provide for a stable future in the long run, especially if that job came under threat.

Taking full ownership to secure your financial future

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ith the difficult financial climate posing a risk to job security, job creation and income protection, South Africans need to take ownership of their economic position and develop their financial skills to secure their future. This is according to Iain Giffen, a consultant at Knowledge to Action, who says that employees and small business owners are highly exposed to the difficult financial climate and should not rely on employers and government to look after their interests alone. He says that each individual must take full ownership for their financial future or accept the inevitable consequences. “It is critical that each of us empowers ourselves to be able to chart our way through these turbulent times. A secure pension and the health benefits that come as part of the reward for being a “loyal employee” will not be sufficient to provide for a stable future in the long run, especially if that job came under threat.”

Giffen explains that financial security has two important aspects, namely capital and income protection. “As most people spend what they earn, the increasing cost of living 32

means that their net worth is much lower than what it could have been. For those who have equity in property, savings, pension funds and other investments, the ability to protect and grow your capital is critical.”

“However, protecting and developing your capacity to earn when “bad things happen” is the most important aspect of financial security.” He adds that the ability to generate an income that isn’t dependant on someone else and doesn’t require ‘dipping’ into those capital resources is vital to financial security.

“This is a skill that most people do not have: whether they own a business or are employed they are reliant on clients, employers or someone else to provide them with work.”

Giffen says that if an individual wants to take control of their financial position, they need to consider what they are good at and where they may be exposed.

“People often discover, when they really look, that they have more leverage in their life than they realised, and might be able to start making use of it.” He suggests that by educating oneself on what is happening in the world today, people realise that there are a number of resources and programmes available that could assist them in taking full control of their financial security.

He says that financial skills development programmes are all about personal empowerment as they help people understand their environment better, and equip them with skills to be able to deal with that environment effectively.

“Being a forex trader, for example, is not about being a financial wizard. Trading only requires an average intelligence. Like anything, if one has a real desire to succeed, a clear intent with a goal in mind, and the willingness to make personal changes, anyone who is committed to empowering themselves will be able to do so.

“There are a huge number of financial training courses available. Knowledge to Action is one such organisation that equips consumers with the required skills to potentially earn an additional income. The courses are geared towards educating individuals on how the Foreign exchange markets works and with proven trading strategies so they have the possibility of succeeding on their own.

“Making the effort to research what is available will pay dividends. It is the first step in taking control of your financial future,” he concludes.

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 33

SecuritIsation A conspiracy of silence Special thanks to NewERA, www.newera.org.za

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one are the days when you could have a quiet chat with your bank manager to restructure your loan repayments. Instead, banks treat the customer with disdain, making no mention whatsoever of the fact that the customer’s loan may well have been securitised. Today, banks enjoy the benefits of misleading the public who honestly believe that they are being loaned money in the ordinary sense of the word. The customer simply has no idea that he/she is actively participating in a form of financial cannibalism: her own pension fund, or insurance policy, or even funds from her local municipality are being secretly re-invested back into her own debt. While the customer makes huge behind-the-scenes profits for banks and secret third parties, heaven forbid she should fall behind on a payment. It is a conspiracy of silence and perhaps the New Economic Rights Alliance, a 140,000 strong non-profit organisation set up specifically to bring transparency to banking, can bring about change.

Since the 2008 credit crisis, the usually stalwart banking system has come under close scrutiny. LIBOR has claimed the scalps of the most senior banking executives and there have been recent bank related insurance scandals across the board. And now, hot off the press, this alarming question is being raised across the globe: “where is our gold?”

A good place to start your investigation into the murky secrets of money and banking is with your own credit agreements. Strange as this may sound, it is very likely that your bank does not own or control these agreements and has, in fact, already been paid out and profited from them. A complicated derivative structure has been set up called securitisation where bundles of loans are sold off to multiple third parties. Contrary to what the banks would have you believe, the securitisation market in South Africa is rampant, with all major banks sharing an industry worth R30 billion per month.

34

What do the banks have to say about all this behind-the-scenes profiteering on their customer’s loan agreements without any disclosure whatsoever? If you are lucky enough to get a response, it would be along the lines of: “it’s none of your business.”

Why are banks so shady about this issue?

Well, if your loan has been securitised, and you catch wind of it, the bank cannot claim the repayments from you.

A Brief History of Securitisation The idea began in the 1980’s when David Bowie pre-sold the rights to the future sales of his albums. These rights were then securitised (converted into a security) so they could be traded on the Stock Exchange.

Bowie received a fixed amount up front, and the public was invited to invest in the rock star. Despite taking the full risk that Bowie’s albums might fail, the share issue was a huge success. Today, securitisation can involve almost any business enterprise that provides a regular, future stream of income. Here in South Africa securitisation (the pre-selling of a future stream of regular payments) includes home loans, vehicles, credit cards, overdrafts and shop cards. Even the future revenue from traffic fines and toll roads can be securitised. Most experts agree that reckless securitisation sell-offs caused the subprime mortgage fiasco in the US which in turn led to the 2008 financial crisis. What is subprime, you may ask? Well, it works like this: 1. Freddie is a McDonald’s employee, earning $1000 per month; 2. One day Freddie gets a phone call from a telesales agent: “You can buy a home with no down payment, no deposit... and we won’t even ask about your credit rating!” [Sound familiar? Personal loans are said to be South Africa’s subprime waiting to happen] 3. The bank takes Freddie’s loan and bundles it with others from McDonalds, Starbucks and Taco Bell employees in a process called securitisation.

4. This bundle of dubious loans is given an overly flattering credit rating and the whole kit and caboodle is sold to third party investors, via the stock and bond markets, using a legal entity called a special purpose vehicle (SPV). These investors include pension funds and municipalities who, in many cases, are now horribly bankrupt.

5. Of course Freddie defaults, and so does his friend Fannie. Their houses are sold at a fraction of the purchase price because the banks urgently need to recoup funds to keep the scheme going. The ripple effect in the housing market causes prices to drop, in instances to 40% of the original value.

6. These “toxic assets” are offloaded by the banks quickly and quietly to any poor sucker who will agree to buy them... enter Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, etc. Iceland is one country that refused to take responsibility for the actions of the private “banksters” who ruined them, so they ousted their government and re-structured their central bank. In Australia, several municipalities successfully sued Lehman Brothers for selling them similar “dud” loans.

7. Today, US$40billion per month is being printed “out of thin air” by the US Central Bank to buy back trillions of failed mortgage backed securities. This is a result of co-called “quantitative easing” and clearly shows how far the banks will go to stop their pyramid from crashing.

In South Africa, securitisation has been prominent for almost two decades.

According to the BASA website, banks are securitising approximately R30billion per month. Since then tens, possibly even hundreds of thousands of foreclosures and judgments have been handed down in favour of the banks. Many of these repossessions and judgements took place unlawfully, which means the banks have handed us a massive opportunity to usher in a golden age of prosperity.

FINANCE

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37

ECO

The revised BEE codes Writer Rishqah Roberts

A

s I write this article, the Department of Trade and Industry has already officially gazetted the Revised Broad-Based Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) codes.

Our Cabinet has noted these codes of good practice and recently approved them for a 60 day public commentary process period.

The new revised codes are aimed at enhancing the implementation of the BEE Codes of Good Practice in a meaningful and substantive manner; in an effort to achieve this, principles and guidelines have been put in place by the Department of Trade and Industry to facilitate and accelerate their implementation.

The codes have been drafted in a specific manner to assist and advise sectors, both public and private, as to their implementation.

So by now we must all be wondering; what exactly these revised codes are that are meant to achieve these goals. Well there are 10 key areas of refinement. Firstly, the generic scorecards are to be reduced

38

from seven to five elements and there is a total of 105 points assigned to these five elements, of which employment equity and management control will be consolidated; and preferential procurement and enterprise development are to be merged into a supplier development element. Secondly, ownership is now to include designated groups in the main points. Thirdly, the thresholds for Exempted Micro Enterprises (EMEs) and Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSEs) are to be adjusted. Further, all companies, although excluding EMEs, will be required to comply with the five elements of the scorecard.

There will be an introduction of minimum requirements of priority elements, which are to include ownership, skills development and supplier development, with which all large companies will have to comply, as the priority scores of entities not complying with the sub-minimum requirements of each scorecard will be discounted in B-BBEE levels. Entities which are 100% black-owned shall qualify as level 1; while entities which are 50% black-owned will qualify as level 2.

An updated framework for the accreditation of B-BBEE verification agencies is to include an independent regulatory body of auditors. Skills development elements have been aligned to the new skills development strategy and are now outward focused.

Lastly, QSEs are to comply with all five elements of the scorecard.

At the launch of the revised codes Minister, Rob Davies, stated that BEE still finds itself amongst South Africa’s most crucial elements, not only in our social and political spheres, but in our economic spheres as well.

This lead to further statement by Davies, and rightly so, that control of companies within South Africa should as accurately as possible reflect upon our demographic and that we, as a nation, cannot expect our economy to grow if our business leadership remains in the hands of a small minority.

The revised codes have adjusted the points allocated as well as the qualification criteria which allows for an enhanced recognition of the status of black-owned micro enterprises.

What’s grounding the

air industry?

Writer Kendal Brown

40

N

ine hundred jobs to be terminated.

AMR traffic falls 2.8%. Airlines merge in bid to save costs. Airlines around the world are struggling to survive. Once proud national carriers are subjected to all sorts of scrutiny and indignity.

American Airlines’ reputation for instance has taken a huge knock. Bankruptcy and run ins with its pilots union about contracts blot its copy book and international flights from hell draw sarcastic comments from

struggling. Coupled with the tragic natural disaster in Japan, political instability in the Middle East and North Africa, low aircraft utilisation in Europe and USA, one finds the recipe for an approximate decline of 78% during 2011 and consequently 2012 has been a year of few highlights.

Given that scenario, Asia Pacific carriers are proving to be the most profitable airlines even though profits are not what they were a year ago. China and India’s economic expansion helps support their continued success and it’s

Dubai plans to have the largest airport in the world and UAE Airlines in the United Arab Emirates plan to expand their fleet with an $18 billion order for aircraft. So it isn’t all doom and gloom (for some)! celebrity passengers. Not good when only last November they started bankruptcy restructuring. Management has been on the receiving end of much criticism but pilot staff have not been making things any easier by deliberately delaying take offs. Why? Your guess is as good as mine but it’s certainly not helping the airlines’ cause. It may be the union’s way of forcing a desired merger with US Airways.

Mergers seem to be a bit of a trend in saving airlines at present. BA and Iberia for instance. Back in 2010, United Airlines and Continental Airlines merged to form a new company thereby creating the world’s largest airline. Another merger in 2011 saw Southwest Airlines and fellow discounter AirTran Holdings join hands. The reason?

Cut costs, offer a broader spectrum of services and consolidate to face other big service providers. A sort of levelling of the playing field (or is that air field) so to speak.

That levelling began in a sense back in the 70’s when air traffic deregulation in the US led to increased competition with the emergence of low cost airlines. The common market effected deregulation in Europe by the end of the 90s. Add to this the impact of the internet in the last two decades which has completely changed interaction between the airline and the customer and you have a playing field full of intense players.

Fuel prices have not really helped either having increased by 50% since February 2010. Given that fuel accounts for 30% of airline running costs and that passing on these costs is not a viable option when it comes to attracting clientele, airlines are

expected that 33% of all air traffic will be from Asia Pacific in the next two decades!

Dubai plans to have the largest airport in the world and UAE Airlines in the United Arab Emirates plan to expand their fleet with an $18 billion order for aircraft. So it isn’t all doom and gloom (for some)!

Surprisingly, and for the third consecutive year, Latin America has generated a profit.

Northerly neighbours the United States, find their industry down by 41%, largely due to a slowing economy, inflated fuel costs and tickets and low demand for travel.

While 2010 produced an industry profit of $15.9 billion it boils down to only a 3% margin!

Closer to home, African air carriers face weaker yields and a $1,000,000 loss as a result. Still, it appears SAA is in turmoil (dare we say again), looking for a six billion rand bail out from government. Government is willing to do five billion over a two year period, in the form of loan guarantees so as to provide investors with some security for any loans made. Naturally, there is the usual talk of government working with SAA’s management and board to turn the airline into a viable organisation once again. Problem is management and board have been resigning in droves.

The call is now for a turnaround strategy that will convince all that it has potential to be viable once more. 2010 boasted a profit of R782,000, thanks largely to the Soccer World Cup. But mostly SAA has struggled for some time to be profitable with previous restructuring efforts proving less than successful.

With the chairman’s resignation, coupled with a comment that the airlines’ position with the sole shareholder (the government), had become untenable, things do not look positive for the foreseeable future and a substantial loss is to be expected this year.

Local competitor Comair says the government bailout contravenes its own aviation transport policy particularly with regards to the domestic environment. CEO Erik Venter said that if South African Airways (SAA) is allowed to use money provided for from a new government guarantee to fund its domestic operations, it will contravene the government’s aviation transport policy.

It’s been claimed that government support was at least responsible in part for what happened to 1 Time, the now defunct local budget airline. Before it’s demise, they had suggested the following to alleviate the financial pressures other airlines face in South Africa: “A reduction in the fuel levy and taxes to the Aviation industry to reduce the significant cost of fuel.”

“A reduction in statutory levies and taxes the likes of charges by Airports Company of South Africa, Air Traffic Navigation Services, South African Civil Aviation Authority, South African Weather Services and the likes.”

“These reductions in turn flow into the industry as a subsidy and benefit all and achieve the job retentions whilst supporting the consumer needs for travel and tourism.”

The airline industry worldwide faces many challenges but it certainly seems that South African carriers face some rather unique ones and that a real gunfight is about to begin. The first casualty has already fallen!

41

ATNS hosts inaugural AVI Afrique Aviation Innovation Summit

A

ir Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) Company of South Africa, hosted the inaugural AVI Afrique Africa Aviation Innovation Summit at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria on November 7, 2012.

The summit is a platform to share information between industry, government and non-governmental organisations active in the aerospace industry and to foster innovation for all role players and beneficiaries of air navigation services.

“The number of people attending today indicates the need for this summit,” says acting ATNS CEO, Thabani Mthiyane.

“They are the champions of our industry and we hope that, together, with them, we can create a platform for an integrated approach to innovation and R&D targeted at the aviation sector. We also intend for this forum to cut across the borders of South Africa and the different spheres of the African continent. With our influence extending across 10% of the world’s airspace we have come to appreciate a collaborative approach in establishing solutions for the industry.”

Many organisations were represented at the summit and guest speakers included Dr Sandile Malinga, CEO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Beeuwen Gerryts, chief director of the Department of Science and Technology, Professor Sunil Maharaj from the University of Pretoria (UP), Leago Takalani, acting executive of Engineering and Technical Services at ATNS, and Kenneth Miya, winner of the 2011 Emerging Genius Popular Mechanics Inventor of the year award.

Kenneth Miya, of Mpumalanga, was representative of the type of home-grown, African innovation that ATNS seeks to foster through the summit. He invented a cellphone-

42

based security system for domestic and other mobile security applications that is in the final pre-manufacture stages of development.

While Professor Sunil Maharaj of UP accepted that innovation stems from many quarters he acknowledged that the majority of feasible new concepts emerge from academia and, in the aerospace industry in particular, from those completing or who have completed their PhD theses. One of the challenges, he says, is meeting the required growth in the number of graduating PhDs. South Africa is at present maintaining a consistent supply of graduates but has yet to meet the growth demands, particularly those set forth by the national planning commission which seeks 5 000 doctoral degrees per year by 2030.

Even then we would attain only 100 people with doctoral degrees per million population.

That is low by international standards with the UK leading the pack at 288 doctoral qualifications per million population.

However, South Africa and other African states already host a high calibre of capability in the aerospace and aviation industries. Dr Sandile Malinga of SANSA demonstrated South Africa’s space programme with a focus on its navigation services to air traffic. It is the common misconception that navigation is handled by Global Positioning System (GPS) alone yet there remains a strong reliance on magnetic and other navigation instruments, particularly as backup systems.

Beeuwen Gerryts discussed the innovation challenges, characteristics and innovation gaps in aviation and the aerospace domain.

South African organisations are well integrated into the European R&D tracks, he says, and predominantly develop technologies. South African organisations also act as sub-contractors to large aviation original equipment manufacturer

(OEM) businesses in Europe and North America while being OEMs themselves to developing nations. Established markets abroad, however, are difficult areas for local businesses to innovate as sub-contractors and they do so largely around their specific sub-assemblies, he says. In addition, the enormous expense of development and manufacturing, coupled with the cascading effects of global manufacture, have given rise to globalised risk sharing. Each subcontractor is increasingly responsible for R&D in their specific niche and consequently shares in the profits but that model requires large investment to maintain pace with the R&D track. In the long-haul market the adoption cycle of new technologies can range anywhere from 10 to 15 years which further increases the risk for innovators. Far greater opportunity for innovation in the aerospace industry in Africa lies in other technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), general aircraft, helicopters, guided weapons, security and aviation-related services.

Leago Takalani says that the industry must hone in on the needs of customers and stakeholders and foster a readiness to deal with disruptive market forces from abroad.

There are many enablers for innovation in the African aviation industry, she says, yet there is no current collaboration or integration of effort. “We cannot be everywhere and do everything so we must play a part and find our niche of excellence, capitalise on that, and this forum is to invite all industry players to a multilateral, integrated approach to innovation for the industry, that can contribute to the competitiveness, the bottom line, and value-add to the industry.

Integration is fundamental to that.”

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SUSTAINABILITY

Where are the stories in sustainability?

Writer Cris Robertson

I

n Just Transitions, an account of the current issues standing in the way of the sustainability movement, the theory and facts are weaved with a personal journey to provide an easy-reading and comprehensible story. This is how the ‘experts’, like authors Mark Swilling and Even Annecke, should convey the message to the masses, the necessarily soon-to-be ‘practitioners’. What you read on sustainability should read like a novel, otherwise our nine-to-five world will not listen. Reports and essays these days do not make for pleasant reading. They’re filled to the brim with sustainability indicators and no storyline. And an indication is just an indication. The inclusion of facts and figures and numbers and rankings are appropriate, in moderation and in the right part of an argument, but these things should not lead the points being made. On the contrary, these things should only compliment these points.

Sustainability indicators aim to simplify complex contexts – they try to make certain situations and equations more understandable.

Ideally, sustainability indicators would provide the icing on the cake in addressing issues of sustainability, however the complexity is sometimes made more complicated and the context is left out.

Context is everything! Of course, integrating the value of contexts is extremely difficult, but this is a necessary point of criticism – there is no one-size-fits-all solution for a sustainable future and one must always respect the context. Localised solutions for global problems.

All scientific and organisational reports and essays are funded by entities with interjected interests – this is not news – and they follow similar, linear and honestly boring styles.

Thus, we struggle to read them from start 44

to finish and are tempted to just pick out the usage of a sustainability indicator to echo our own arguments. This is no good and will not push us into the uncomfortable areas we need to be in when we envision a sustainable future. Compare the buzz you feel after reading a novel to the exhaustion you feel after being drowned by indications.

A simple story is sometimes more informative and stimulating than a number equated to

Reports and essays these days do not make for pleasant reading. They’re filled to the brim with sustainability indicators and no storyline a ratio of a time period, or a percentage of output change, for example. In a story, the scene is set and the context is clear, and from that point our interpretations can roam more freely. What I’m saying is not that we need to write best-sellers with dragons and princesses, but what we write needs to be relatable to our lives, not detached. We need a beginning, a middle and an open ending.

Sustainability indications without a context are dangerous. Respect the context!

Sustainability indicators have not let us down, so to speak, but we just need to expand on these stories. Most indications of sustainability are indications in the economic field and under the lens of ‘growth is progress’. University degrees per faculty, monthly income per demographic, inflation ... the list goes annoyingly on and on and in one direction. Additionally, there are too many indicators. Without a context – a storyline – they can be contradictory, confusing and even appear to be correlating

when they are not connected.

A common talking point in the discourse of sustainability is the idea that the ‘system’ needs to change or be restructured. This must also be adapted to sustainability indicators.

A great case in point of developments in these indications is the ‘data poetry indicators’ that, in some instances, look for different features that help residents to get better acquainted with each other in a neighbourhood. Also, the integration of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities approach to development indications is admirable in its shifting focus. This is great in that the humanity of development is centralised, not the growth of the country’s GDP, for example. And how will we measure the more abstract things that are becoming more obviously prevalent to sustainability discourse? What measurement of ethics can be used as an indicator – how do we quantitatively talk about commitments to act on informed empathy? Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index deserves mention in this regard. The emphasis on quantitative measures is too glorified.

We have to question everything in this transition. As contradictory as it sounds, we do not have time to accept the meaning of a certain sustainability indicator. These indications are the quotes from the movies that everyone remembers – a fine talking point to begin a discussion with. However, without a context, the punchline may be misunderstood if understood at all. The actors are unknown and the plot is dismissed – the storyline is missing. When we question these ‘guiding indexes’, we are not trying to discount them, but to open them up and interrogate the full story, so as to complete it, hopefully with a happy ending.

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46

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SUSTAINABILITY

BREAKING THE

RULES Writer Cris Robertson

48

A restructuring of law and governance

I

difference in the current and future models of the legalisation of marijuana is a wholly t sometimes feels that all of our efforts of law. In the same way that morals and different and controversial argument. Hemp, to stop the destruction of the Amazonian ethics are differentiated from each other, on the other hand, is made illegal based on its rainforests, the construction of new in my opinion, the theme of ‘rights versus look – it is a sort of bio-racism. Even Henry landfill sites, and the trade of rhino horns principles’ is quite evident. There are Ford wanted his model-T car to run on hemp amount to nothing – stopped by some probably only a few common rules that exist seed oil, yet it’s illegal. Tony Budden, the secret force of unsustainability. Well, globally, and thus void of context. Even director of Hemporium South Africa, has that secret force might be called the legal these I won’t dare to address here, given my struggled against this ridiculous ‘rule of law’ system. Our out-of-date and disconnected sensitivity to context. So, the encouragement in his long career to get hemp cultivated as rules on society have always produced of institutionalised principles might be more an industrial and sustainable crop. Budden winners and losers, sometimes unfairly and appropriate in varying contexts, and more calls this craziness, ‘cannaphobia’. South mostly out of context. When we talk about appropriately decentralised. The theme of Africa was, in fact, one of the first economies a new system and a new structure to carry ‘rights versus principles’ is an unexplored to ban hemp, in an effort to prevent workers us through this transition to sustainability, area, and the polarity between it cannot be stressed enough that We have looked to the rule of law, as if the two are more than likely quite our legal system must be included flexible, but it should be clear in this radical reshuffling. instructed by the gods, to curb certain We have looked to the rule of law, behaviours that negatively impact societies. that our legal systems need to be academically and inclusively as if instructed by the gods, to curb certain behaviours that negatively This is evident in the overwhelming number addressed, in whatever way that of laws that are continuously introduced might be possible. impact societies. This is evident The more we understand how in the overwhelming number throughout the world. our legal system has failed us, of laws that are continuously the more we will (hopefully) encourage from smoking whilst working on the farms. introduced throughout the world. But reform. However, we should not rely on the This just goes to show how our laws are have these laws really curbed these blame game. Sure, the system is at fault, based on socio-economic contexts that don’t behaviours? Have they produced a society but we, as individuals, must initiate these apply anymore. Budden says that “we need that is ethically-responsible, respectful and changes within ourselves first. LeadSA’s to relook at what we’ve got and usher in our rational? Far from it, I would say. These laws Bill of Responsibilities – as opposed to scientific knowledge and standards, making are on based on discredited science from our Bill of Rights – is a perfect case in sure that the current laws are based on hundreds of years ago, under the assumption point. Individual responsibility that leads to current knowledge and science, not ghosts of that rationalism really exists in reality – as if collective action is central to the movement the past.” Somehow, the legal system needs instructed by our morals. What morals? The of sustainability. And that collective action some revision.

American environmentalist and academic needs to be encouraged and supported by a How will this new system of law look Thomas Berry was quoted as saying that “the fair system of law, or perhaps even a system like? Cormac Cullinan’s Wild Law has law legitimises and facilitates the destruction of institutionalised principles. some ground-breaking ideas for how it will of Earth”. It’s actually legal to destruct the change. He is has lead the voice to change environment. The legal system supports the the structures of governance and law to embarrassing belief in human dominance regulate humans so that they contribute over the natural world, perceiving nature to, rather than undermine, the health and as simple objects and thus without rights. flourishing of the Earth systems. This is what However, Thomas Berry would correct this he envisions as a new ‘Earth jurisprudence’, in saying that “the universe is a communion where “individual and collective human of subjects, not a collection of objects”. rights must be contextualised within, and An example of how the system of law has balanced against, the rights of the other failed us in this regard is the legal attack on members and communities that comprise the hemp. Hemp is one of the most beneficial Earth community.” From this perspective, crops in all respects, but illegal because of we discover a possibly fundamental its relations to the marijuana plant. The issue 49

SUSTAINABILITY

Illegal mining hurts everybody

S

elling sand and aggregates from illegal mining operations is a criminal offence that deserves to be punished just like any other serious economic crime. So says Nico Pienaar of the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa), who is urging authorities to prosecute owners and operators of illegal mines and quarries to the full extent of the law. Despite clearly defined laws, acts and regulations that govern the industry, illegal mining is still commonplace and the will to prosecute transgressors has been nonexistent.

“Illegal mining and quarrying operations have a massively unfair advantage over legal operators in the industry. They don’t pay royalties, tax or make any other statutory contributions to government or towards the sustainability of the industry. Nor do they need to observe safety, health, environment and quality legislation which means they can expose their employees to inhumane working conditions, as well as cause untold damage to the environment without fear of retribution,” Nico adds.

Amazingly, Nico says, the practice of illegal mining is not only confined to dubious cloak and dagger syndicates, but is also being practiced by certain municipalities and even some large scale construction companies.

“Whether these operators feel that they are above the law, or simply claiming to be

50

ignorant, remains to be seen. Either way they are committing a serious crime that can no longer be ignored,” he says.

Change is coming But, Nico expects that this is about to change following two constitutional court rulings recently that finally clarifies the basic requirements to operate a mine or quarry in South Africa. In both cases against Swartland Municipality and the other against Maccsand, mining rights were granted prior to all zoning or environmental requirements being satisfied. As a result protracted legal battles ensued which tested the roles of local, regional and national government departments in allowing mining operations to go ahead.

In both cases the court ruled that mining operations may only go ahead with necessary permission from local government departments regarding land use and the correct zoning of land according to requirements. In addition regional and national environmental legislation needs to be obtained and observed for the duration of the lifespan of the mine.

“In summary it means that all legal requirements need to be met on a local, regional and national level and that the granting of a mineral rights permit does not mean that all other legal requirements are superseded. As an association we

are heartened by the verdicts and call on all illegal operators to comply with the laws of the land or face possible criminal prosecution.

Blowing the whistle “Aspasa has called on its members to blow the whistle on illegal mines and quarries regardless of the size or who owns the operation. With the direct involvement of the Department of Mineral Resources, as well as relevant law enforcement agencies we hope to formalise the industry and eradicate illegal mines.

“For the sake of law enforcers and mine operators alike we have even compiled an easy-to-read, comprehensive document that outlines legal requirements for operating a mine. In this way anyone can determine if an operation is legal or not.

“If we are able to stop illegal operations we will be in a better position to ensure sustainable practices are upheld, both in terms of the economic development of the industry, as well as ensuring the environment is protected,” concludes Nico To report illegal sand and aggregate mining operations contact Aspasa on Tel: (011) 791 3327, Fax: 086 647 8034, Email: nico@ aspasa.co.za, Web: www.aspasa.co.za

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Sand and aggregate quarries have been closed in the past, some due to bad practices and others as a result of officials’ poor interpretation of the act and guidelines.

Avoiding mine closures!

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Moves are afoot to manage the execution of controversial Section 54 of the health and safety act which some quarries allege is misused on occasion by authorities to shut down mining operations for reason other than the legislation intended.

Promulgated in 1996 the act was designed to give the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) inspectorate the instruments required to enforce health and safety legislation and to shut down operations if deemed necessary.

In a number of instances, however, quarries contend that the legislation was unfairly invoked for reasons unrelated to health and safety and was even used as a bullying tactic by some unscrupulous officials.

Following some disagreement, the Mine Inspectorate decided to establish a committee to investigate the matter and to ensure future execution of Section 54 is done in accordance with the act and guidelines

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Moving the bar The Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa), which sits on the newly established committee, has also taken additional progressive steps towards ensuring that its member do not fall foul of the legislation. In future all Aspasa member companies will be made fully aware of all legislation relevant to the act and its annual Implementing Safety Health Education (ISHE) audits will be intrinsically linked to the guidelines “Sand and aggregate quarries have been closed in the past, some due to bad practices and others as a result of officials’ poor interpretation of the act and guidelines. The establishment of the committee is a move in the right direction and we feel that our moves to link our ISHE audits with Section 54 legislation is yet another step towards a safer industry.

“Aspasa is in total support of addressing

unsafe practices on mines and we have been undertaking ISHE audits of member quarries for the past 15 years. We fully support the DMR’s attempts to enforce health and safety, but do not support any kind of bullying tactics used by officials,” says Aspasa director, Nico Pienaar.

Early warning He adds that by further linking ISHE audits to Section 54 requirements members will have forewarning of any transgressions and audit findings will be made available to quarry management, as well as owners immediately to give them an opportunity to take corrective measures and get their houses in order. Millions of Rands are lost due to unnecessary mine closures. In the sand and aggregate industries these can have devastating knock on effects for critical infrastructure development, as well as the building industry, which relies heavily on the localised supply of sand and aggregate.

“By taking every step possible to ensure our quarries remain open and operational at all times we feel we are not only ensuring the future sustainability of our industry, but also ensuring critical construction projects remain on schedule.” Pienaar also stresses that H & S is a critical focus in the lives of quarry owners and role-players.

Non-members involved in the mining of sand and aggregates should contact Aspasa for more information about joining the association. www.aspasa.co.za

Providing reliable, prompt services

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Managing Director and Founder, Thobekile Mtshali, recognised a gap in the market and established Thobethulani Trading, a multi-discipline trading company which provides services in construction (both GB and CE work), mining, supplying of building materials, tipper truck services and security services. Thobethulani Trading is committed to the development of trained, appropriately licensed staff. Community development is close to Mtshali’s heart and that is why Thobethulani Trading trains their staff and makes sure that 90% of their workers are from the surrounding communities.

Thobethulani Trading offers a service that caters for the clients needs but is also cognisant of the realities obtained in the industry and are therefore able to negotiate competitive and affordable prices for their clients. Thobethulani Trading is currently involved within the Department of Education program of developing ECDs (Early Childhood Development Classrooms) all around KZN. The implementing agents that Thobethulani Trading work with are COEGA and the IDT. Our “hands-on” approach, dedicated service and the ability to advise customers has led to a client portfolio which includes Metrorail, Prasa, IDT, Coega and eThekwini Municipality to name a few. Contact Thobethulani Trading for a free quotation, “ it’s where dreams are turned into reality.”

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HEALTH How to reduce, prevent and cope with stress

Writer Rishqah Roberts

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s one year draws to a close and another begins; we find ourselves in great amounts of stress in doing what needs to be done to finalise our affairs and making sure everything is in order for the upcoming year. These tasks inevitably brings with it certain amounts of stress, due to our fast paced modern lifestyles and the speed and hurried nature with which we find ourselves doing everything: we drive fast cars; despise traffic; eat fast food; have speed mail. We are all; rich or poor; old or young, forced to keep up and deal with the stress as best we can in an effort not to get left behind.

What we often do not realise is that a large percentage of the stress we have in our lives is self imposed and can in fact be avoided.

A quote by William James encapsulates this perfectly by stating “the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another”. I read this and thought; this person must think we volunteer for stress, this is surely absurd! Who would willingly bring into their lives an element which would have such adverse effects on them? We have all heard the stories of stress induced anxiety attacks and stress being the cause of various diseases such as, forms of cancer and even bringing about clinical depression, a general helplessness and hopelessness feeling in ones life. This has been proven to be truly brought about through prolonged stress, which leads to people developing a stress syndrome. The reason for this; is that it more often than not boils down to poor time management. Marilu Henner states that “Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management which is perhaps the

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most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life”. Sure we all have daily tasks to get through, but in reality how realistic are they? Many of us with these fast past lifestyles think of ourselves as super individuals able to plough through endless amounts work, without much thought as to whether it’s reasonable, or not, or what we are required to put into our bodies to get through the work, leading us to neglect of our bodies, inevitably causing more stress.

Thus mastering our coping mechanisms for stress is not always a bad thing and provides us with an opportunity to learn from our stresses; predict their reoccurrence and develop action plans to either reduce our stress levels or avoid them completely.

The benefits of this are that it may trigger personality growth and healthy adjustments which are generally guided by practical experience, but has a theoretical basis as well.

Stress has simply been defined as a fact of nature induced by both internal and external factors. External stress are easily identified as outside factors affecting an individuals life, such as their job, studies, bank balance etc. While internal stresses are often given a blind eye, these are one’s nutritional status; overall health; fitness levels; emotional well-being sleep etc. Stress is often thought of negatively, but biologically it is not only viewed in this manner, stress may also be viewed neutrally and even positively.

A preventative measure of stress is therefore, focusing on one’s internal factors, as all of these are within ones control, unlike external factors, which may not be within ones control. As ones internal factors are well maintained, it better equips an individual to deal with the external factors.

In a healthy human response to stress there

are three components which operate together to maintain ones internal balance; optimize energy and utilization. The organisms of quick reaction are geared up in cases of emergency within the sympathetic nervous system, which will increase one’s heart rate and blood pressure; redirecting blood flow to the heart, brain and muscles releasing fatty acids and glucose which will either make one fight or flee in a situation. This is why in cases of extreme stress; we deal with matters, better than we initially thought we would.

These three components are naturally imbedded into our makeup and are; firstly, our brain has an immediate response, signalling adrenal medulla and releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine; secondly, the central area in our brains, known as the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, initiate a slower maintenance response, this also signals the adrenal cortex to release cortisol and other hormones; lastly, plenty of neutral nerve circuits are involved in our behavioural response, increasing our alertness and allowing us heightened awareness, which focuses our attention; inhibits feeding and reproductive behaviour lessening our pain perception and redirecting our behaviour.

This proves that “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, don’t stress”, as Kelly Clarkson puts it.

The uncontrollable, unpredictable and constant nature of stress has immense consequences on our health, both physically and mentally. A vital step in stress management is regular exercise. This has been proven to reduce the production of stress hormones and associated neurochemicals.

Regular exercise avoids damage to ones health caused by prolonged stress; functions as an antidepressant; anxiolytic (combats anxiety) and also operates as a sleeping aid.

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THE PLANET

Collaborative consumption

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haring is caring. Although a phrase much favoured by Barney the dinosaur, it is now one that is taking the world by storm through a new movement called Collaborative Consumption.

Collaborative Consumption is all about sharing, bartering, lending, trading, renting, gifting, and swapping of all kinds of assets, from spaces to skills to cars. It has exploded onto the scene through network technologies that allow for these more traditional ways of economic exchange to take place on a scale and in ways never possible before.

Why buy when you can rent? Or swap? Or share? Want to go on holiday but can’t afford it? Why not consider a house swop? Or how about swopping books, CD’s and DVD’s with friends? Perhaps you need to hang pictures in your home – rather than rushing out and buying a power drill, rather borrow

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your neighbours or rent one. And when the time comes to start a family, consider renting your baby equipment for the short period of time that it is needed.

These are a just a few of the many ways that people are starting to change their consumer behaviour. The 20th century has seen us churning out mass produced consumer goods such as laptops, cell phones, TV’s, cars etc.

– we are a society of consumers - but people are being driven through a combination of recessionary thrift and a growing consciousness of what we are doing to our planet to reduce the amount of ‘stuff’ that we own. Sharing and renting more stuff means producing and wasting less stuff, which is good for the planet and is also a perfect fit for an urban lifestyle in which you have lots of neighbours and limited storage.

Internationally there are innovators who have established hubs where people can connect to engage in Collaborative Consumption –

such as Brooklyn-based SnapGoods www. snapgoods.com, which helps people rent goods via the Internet, or Airbnb www. airbnb.com, which allows people to rent their homes to travellers.

And now, increasingly, people are dealing directly with one another and cutting out the middleman. Peer-to-peer sharing involves the re-emergence of community - another real benefit of collaborative consumption.

People have begun interacting meaningfully with others and this shows a surging interest in community – people what to connect.

TIME Magazine recently called Collaborative Consumption one of the “10 Ideas That Will Change the World” and Rachel Botsman - a social innovator who writes, consults and speaks on the power of collaboration and sharing - has written a book entitled “What’s Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption Is Changing The Way We Live”.

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Anthill tigers and the ‘big cats’ of conservation Writer Michelle Nel Photo Dr Alexander Sliwa

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Biodiversity is essential to life support, from wild places to urban green lungs and the private sector, from citizen groups to companies, it’s leading the way

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The Friends of Huddle Park have called on the Public Protector to protect the public open space.

The land in question is a former municipal golf course which lies over a Johannesburg wetland. Developers are trying to pave it over into parking, shops and townhouses. Daryl Fuchs and his band of activists want recreation and biodiversity to thrive in tandem with (slightly less) concrete. These private citizens have laid a complaint with the public protector’s office because of shifting goal posts in public participation. The Friends have much to fight for since they have already sunk money into cleaning up the derelict course, fencing it and beginning to renovate the clubhouse.

A project with a similar purpose is being undertaken in southern Johannesburg. A citizens’ group - including NGOs KlipSA (Klipriviersberg Sustainability Association) and Thaba Ya Batswana, a business (SOJO Business & Tourism) and Johannesburg City Parks - is creating a 12 kilometre Klipriviersberg Urban Biodiversity Corridor (KUBiC) along the Klip River running from Booysens through Alberton to beyond Mondeor. The project should be complete in five years. Planting will beautify the M1 and M2, and promote tourism in the south of Joburg. Trees earn carbon credits for the project. The improved habitat will add to the biodiversity and linkages between fragmented open spaces. The corridor will connect to the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve and the surrounding areas. Ecologist Morné Brits of Kironia Environmental says: “We will create a suitable environment for the movement of indigenous flora and fauna.”

Big business averts catastrophe On the eastern side of Johannesburg, Friends of Modderfontein have teamed up with property development company Heartland, a wholly-owned subsidiary of explosives and chemicals company AECI to establish the 275 hectare Modderfontein Reserve on old AECI land. Heartland has, to its credit, sunk significant money into restoring the historical village of Modderfontein and also this reserve. Its core business is developing land for commercial and residential use.

The reserve is the second-largest private park in Gauteng and includes portions of the Modderfontein Spruit, a number of dams, grassland and hills. It is more than double the size of Delta Park. Much of the land set aside for the park was previously used for farming and will be rehabilitated. As part of the process, invader species are being removed and replaced with indigenous vegetation.

This project is supported by the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Not content with ‘cat’alysing urban conservation, Heartland also supports the Cheetah Outreach project, a conservation, education and community-based programme in the Western Cape which started with two cheetahs and has grown over the years to include jackals, meerkats, servals, caracals, bat-eared foxes and Anatolian Shepherd guard dogs. Cheetah Outreach offers a variety of fun and educational activities for all, and is open seven days a week, 365 days per year. Another large company, De Beers ( diamond mining) has created ‘the Diamond Route’ to promote conservation and tourism, and involve local communities in employment, education and healthcare.

As founding member Strilli Oppenheimer says, “…conservation of the environment, which we have inherited as custodians is imperative for society “. There are nine properties managed as nature reserves. They support ecosystems which are studied by researchers and visited by the public. The Diamond Route reserve managers recently held a conference at which researchers internationally presented their findings. One of the farms, Benfontein near Kimberley in the Northern Cape, is home to leading research on aardwolf and black-footed cat.

Benfontein comes alive at night with rare nocturnal carnivores that can be viewed within 10 metres from vehicles because they have become habituated to the scientists’ vehicles. These include aardwolf, aardvark, bat eared fox, black backed jackal, black footed cat (listed as a vulnerable species), caracal, Cape fox, porcupine and spring hare. Africa’s smallest cat, the black-footed cat, or ‘anthill tiger’ is a tiny carnivore which is rarely seen, other than at Benfontein where it has been studied for 19 years by zoologist Beryl Wilson and other scientists. A summary of six years of fieldwork on Benfontein NR

was provided by members of the Blackfooted Cat Working Group (BFCWG).

Dr Alexander Sliwa curator Cologne Zoo reported that 20 different cats (12 males, 8 females) were captured. Thirteen cats were radio-collared and locations collected by members of the BFCWG and field assistants.

Six litters of small kittens were found. An adult male around nine years old holds the current longevity record. Anthill tigers live about nine years in the wild. A female range measures around 10km2 while the male range is double that. Females can bring food to kittens 25 times a night. Females feast on mouse explosions whereas males are big enough to take a hare. They can weigh as little as two kilograms and are considered the most effective carnivore in Africa. Another species being studied at Benfontein is the aardwolf, a member of the hyena family, but which only eats termites and ants, making it one of the most specialised mammal feeders in the world.

‘Fur’ther private support iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority in KwaZulu-Natal has introduced two rare serval cats into the Eastern Shores section of this heritage site. Less than a dozen of these elusive creatures are currently found in the 230 000ha iSimangaliso which offers ideal habitat. An adult female and young male were confiscated from a farmer in Vryheid who alleged that he found them in snares.

They were taken by an Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife District Conservation Officer to the Emdoneni Animal Care and Rehabilitation Centre near Hluhluwe. This operation has an 18 year track record of successfully rehabilitating and releasing cheetahs, servals, caracals and an African wild cat. Servals are listed as “Threatened or Protected Species” due to their rarity. They are vulnerable to being snared and killed by farmers and in particular for their beautiful pelts. It is private organisations such as Emdoneni Animal Care, which welcomes visitors to help fund activities, that help South Africa ‘cat’alyse biodiversity conservation and save us from ‘cat’astrophe that threatens when ecosystem complexity is compromised.

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Inkunzi Group has secured the exclusive rights to market the Sabre biometric range of hardware and software products to government, parastatals and municipalities in South Africa

New kids on the block!

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he security industry in South Africa may just want to take notice of the arrival of two young black entrepreneurs in the form of Inkunzi Group. Mthandeni Mchunu and Nhlakanipho Mlambo from KwaZulu Natal have entered the biometric time and attendance and access control arena with a bang.

Identifying a niche in the market, where the common misconception exists that “biometrics” mean “expensive”, Inkunzi Group has developed their own complete system called - the Inkunzi Total Electronic Communication Platform (ITECP). This integrated solution includes a call centre, time management systems, SMS data facilities for escalation of accountability for real-time communications to line managers, internet systems such as customer relations management systems (CRM), Knowledge Base, integration into clients’ existing systems and many other applications including the Inkunz-eScan anti-virus.

Inkunzi Group has secured the exclusive rights to market the Sabre biometric range of hardware and software products to government, parastatals and municipalities in South Africa. These products have been developed since 1996. Current clients include Department of Public Works KZN, Education nationally, and municipalities.

Visit www.inkunzigroup.co.za/clients.

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The Inkunzi Group have just made the finals of the TT100 Technology Awards www. tt100.co.za, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, which takes place in Johannesburg on 28th of November 2012.

They hope to win an award for technological innovation and entrepreneurship. Watch this space for these young lions to upset a few apple carts and comfort zones in the industry.

The top 10 profit thieves Buddy Clocking Late Arrivals / Early Departures Frequent & Extended smoke breaks Frequent and extended toilet breaks “Planned” sick leave Unauthorised overtime Time taken for manual data capture Human errors in manual administration Uncontrolled audit trail with obvious repercussions Favours for friends e.g. manipulation of illegal clockings

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SUSTAINABILITY

From backyard shacks to viable apartments Writer Michelle Nel

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mall scale rental can be a significant provider of affordable rental homes near jobs. It uses densification, and use of existing buildings, thereby promoting private sector involvement. This is the view of ‘Small-Scale Private Rental: a strategy for increasing supply in South Africa’ by David Gardner (published

by Urban LandMark and the Social Housing Foundation). Two big challenges are ensuring decent minimum living standards and access to finance new rental units.

A new development by the Alexandra Renewal Project in Johannesburg is already following this advice, by building homes with a small rental unit in each backyard.

Upgrading informal settlements, or ‘formalising’ them, is another method of increasing housing supply. The challenge is that shacklands are too crowded for decent access roads, for bringing in services, or allowing security, ambulance or fire vehicles safe entry. To try and ‘thin out’ the shackland, the ARP has bought some properties in Linbro Park which lies across the N3 highway.

This is not ideal since much of the Linbro land is used for urban agriculture, livestock and nurseries. It forms an important wetland and green lung: Linbro is a catchment for the Modderfontein river and dam system.

Many properties are seasonally waterlogged.

Happily a Modderfontein Conservation Area has been opened to the public by the old explosives company AECI which has partially morphed into a land development company called Heartland.

So where to house the Alex overflow? The traditional solution was to ship people out to far flung areas such as Diepsloot. Ironically, this has become a thriving informal area in need of formalisation itself. The downside is, it is further away from jobs than Alex.

Well, there is plenty of land available in the inner city of Johannesburg, notably

62

in a suburb called Bertrams, where some landowners have absconded, houses squatted and destroyed, and finally demolished by the City of Johannesburg.

At least 10 pieces of land lie open in Bertrams . They would be perfect for three to five storey social or affordable apartments for the Alex overflow.

Instead Bertams festers. In 2009 the City of Johannesburg identified a ‘priority block’ opposite Ellis Park stadium for a flagship 2010 Soccer World Cup project. Landowners were issued with notices of expropriation.

Some fought back and won the right to keep their homes on heritage grounds (many houses date back to the 1920s).

And thank goodness because almost five years later much of the ‘priority block’ stands in ruins. One landowner has written to the city complaining about open land where perfectly viable houses were demolished.

“The site harbours rats made worse by the fact that the boarded up flats are used as a giant waste bin. Invasive alien wattle and bugweed plants (Category 3) must urgently be cut because they now pose a fire hazard to remaining houses. Sadly the heritage flats intended for renovation are peeling and crumbling. A heritage house that belonged to a pensioner is now overrun by tenants ‘slumlord style’. “ The holdup is partly due to the Legal Resources Centre forcing the City of Johannesburg to find accommodation for evictees. But some evictee’s ‘right to shelter’ might be as tenuous as the fact that they decided to squat in those derelict flats for just long enough. How does this balance against the right to a healthy, safe environment for legitimate owners and tenants?

In terms of social housing, politics gets in the way. The Northern Federation of Ratepayers has released an oversight report of the municipal public accounts committee for 2010/11. The Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) spent R575

000 for security eviction at Kliptown Square.

Four defaulters from Kliptown square were finally evicted only to be reinstated by powerful friends. Buildings are threatened by poor management. There is increased illegal electrical connections, hijacking of buildings, and an uncontrolled influx of foreigners.

This begs the questions of whether money should be diverted from expropriating new land, to rather cleaning up existing social housing.

Money is needed for law enforcement. It is needed for formalising informal settlements and upgrading hostels. Hostels were vandalised and invaded. Further wasted housing opportunities.

The City of Johannesburg should improve maintenance of council stock to encourage better rentals. The Committee noted with concern that there seems to be no maintenance budget for Joburg Property Company buildings. The report did not reflect expired leases and vacant buildings.

JPC is billing only 1 060 of 3 615 potential leases that could be billed. It can take more than nine months to renew or sign a lease with the City of Johannesburg.

The Department of Development Planning and Urban Management needs to address the illegal extension of homes and illegal land use especially prevalent in low income areas or in new social housing developments.

In the Inner City Regeneration Programme, there are service delivery failures and vandalism.

The lack of maintenance, policing or inspectors has contributed to the deterioration of newly completed capital projects. Examples of these include the FIFA 2010 World Cup projects in Hillbrow, Yeoville and Bertrams. Vacant land which is often a catalyst for dumping or land invasion.

Max Fuhrmann, a junior researcher at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany with a background in Human Geography, is part of research project “Festivalisation of Urban Governance” which aims at identifying configurations and transformations of urban governance in South Africa stimulated by the FIFA World Cup. He is examining changes in the Ellis Park precinct.

According to the thesis of ‘festivalisation’ mega-events influence the restructuring of cities and society. The project is affiliated to the German Research Association (DFG).

One prays that he goes home with some useful tips on providing better housing, more efficiently, using such areas as Bertrams and countless other inner city areas that are full of potential.

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It is unreasonable to believe that government can check and vet each and every supplier of building products.

However, by insisting that suppliers be registered with credible industry associations that regulate members and carry out quality audits, government can still be assured that all its requirements are met.

Avoiding expensive rebuilds Published on behalf of SARMA

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overnment’s costly repair bill for substandard low-cost houses can be avoided in future by insisting on quality assured building products sourced from suppliers belonging to regulated and accredited industry organisations. So says South African Readymix Association (Sarma) director, Nico Pienaar, commenting in response to minister of human settlements minister Tokyo Sexwale’s announcement of government’s R50-billion repair bill as a result of poorly built low cost houses. He added that the time has come for government and private contractors to put a premium on quality and to procure materials only from organisations that can display credentials that are in keeping with the overall requirements to produce quality houses.

“It is unreasonable to believe that government can check and vet each and every supplier of 64

building products. However, by insisting that suppliers be registered with credible industry associations that regulate members and carry out quality audits, government can still be assured that all its requirements are met.”

Sarma members, for example, are compelled to adhere to a number of key criteria governing the manufacturing of concrete to ensure customers get what they pay for. It also proactively seeks ways of ensuring the highest quality products are delivered by its members on a consistent basis. A good example is the association’s introduction of a comprehensive quality management system (QMS) that was developed specifically for the readymix industry and is being rolled out to all association members, in all provinces and regions in South Africa.

Managing inputs The QMS is inline with international

standards and sets certain minimum standards for the manufacture of readymix concrete, from supplier management to policies and procedures to final delivery of the mixed product. Verification is required along the way and accountability is assigned at each step in the process. Regular audits are also undertaken to ensure Sarma members adhere to the association’s set codes of conduct.

“Just as the Minister points a finger at “less than credible shovel, wheelbarrow and bakkie brigade construction groups, so too should Government stop using nonregistered, unaffiliated concrete suppliers that are in effect a law unto themselves.”

Officials and procurement officers within organisations may not always be unaware of the intricacies involved in manufacturing certain goods. Readymix concrete, like many other products, needs to be made according to a careful recipe. By cutting costs or substituting certain ingredients with inferior products the end product will be a complete failure.

Such concrete can be sold at an attractive price with an attractive profit margin for the supplier, but at the end of the day the end-user pays the price for poor quality. Fly-by-night operators most commonly substitute quality cement with inferior product, add excessive extenders, use low quality, illegally obtained sand and aggregates or add too much water to the mix to make it easily pourable.

Bad recipe “All of these factors are a recipe for disaster as each will have an extremely negative effect on the concrete when it has cured.

When one considers that concrete is the most important ingredient of low-cost houses from foundation to building blocks, as well as the mortar and plaster that holds houses together it is clear to see the value in using Sarma members,” concludes Nico.

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ADVERTORIAL

Duro, building with pride

A

s a leading supplier to the building and construction industry, Duro Pressings has achieved tremendous success in South Africa since its inception in 1955.

Historically, Duro’s core business was centred around pressed steel but subsequent to a broad diversification process, Duro is now widely regarded as one of the biggest manufacturers and suppliers

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of steel and aluminium windows, doors, doorframes and garage doors to the building, construction and retailing industries in Southern Africa.

The Duro Pressings head office is based in Alrode, Gauteng and they have a national footprint across all provinces, with branches in Babelegi, Free State, Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal, East London, Port Elizabeth and Mpumalanga - they also have associates in Namibia and Mozambique.

Duro has over 114,000 sqm of factory and warehouse space in South Africa which is supported with a fleet of over 46 vehicles, and a team consisting of over 2 100 driven and dedicated individuals. These figures give Duro the ability to offer the building industry an excellent all round service encompassing sales, distribution, after sales service.

Duro’s ultimate objective is to become the number one window and door company in

Southern Africa and their belief is that this can only be achieved by providing a devoted commitment to employees, clients and the community.

“Besides informal settlements, we have a vast product range which suits hospitals, schools and clinics – we also have an alternative building/housing solution which is ideal for schooling, housing, and temporary housing.”

Comments Chief Sales and Marketing Officer John Lamb.

Duro are currently involved in many low cost housing developments across the country including Jabulani & Fleurhof (Gauteng), Joe Slovo (Western Cape), Table Mountain and Matatiele (KwaZulu Natal) and are supplying North End Prison – a highly specialised project - in the Eastern Cape with steel prison cell doors. www.thedurogroup.com

ECO

Roads without rage Writer Michelle Nel

I

motorised three wheelers ferrying children to school, overloaded push carts, camel wagons, ox carts, bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians.

Greener transport is all about public transport and also non-motorised transport, which the South African government has been promoting lately. But for safe nonmotorised, or even low motorised transport such as the ubiquitous Indian scooters, we need South Africans to have a 180 degree shift in attitude. India has a road network of over 3, 250,000 South Africa has three times the number of km. Roads carry 61% of the road deaths per 100 000 people than India. about freight and 85% of What can we learn from a fellow BRIC(S)? the passenger traffic.

India has over 1.21 billion people (2011 census), more than a when his load falls. The old man clucks and sixth of the world’s population. South Africa fusses. People help him. A little hooting. A has 50 million people. In India there are 16 lot of waiting. But life and the traffic flow on. cars per 1000 people; in SA there are 162 Everyone is mobile. Whether an animal cars per 1000 people. The two countries have carries the load, or people walk, or ride on much in common. India alone is home to a some small vehicle, the system works and it third of the world’s poor. In South Africa at works because people navigate the roads as least 50% of people live below the poverty if people, cows, horses and camels matter. line. Yet, South Africa’s road death rate is The roads are far more congested. But there is much higher. According to WHO figures, in an absence of tempers. People drive at speeds India 11 out of 100 000 people die due to road that accommodate the bicycle rickshaws, have heard transport in India being described on a South African radio station as a slow flowing river. I see it as a co-operative muddle that works. In India a camel wagon can co-exist with a government SUV. Motor scooters are plentiful as they weave around taxis, cars and three-wheelers. Scooters often carry whole families; husband, wife with baby on lap and a younger child wedged in the middle somewhere. An old man pushing a bicycle laden with building materials is mortified

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deaths per annum; in South Africa 33 out of 100 000 people die due to road deaths per annum. In India, motor vehicle penetration is low with only 13 million cars on the nation’s roads. India’s public transport systems are among the most heavily utilised in the world. India’s rail network is the longest and fourth most heavily used system in the world transporting over 6 billion passengers and over 350 million tons of freight annually.

India relies on low impact transport In 2005, more than 40% of Indian households owned a bicycle, with ownership rates ranging from around 30% to 70% at the state level. Along with walking, cycling accounts for 50 to 75 % of the commuter trips for those in the informal sector in urban areas.

Bicycle rickshaws were introduced into India in the 1940s. Two people sit on an elevated seat at the back and a person pedals from the front. Environmentalists have supported the retention of cycle rickshaws as a nonpolluting and inexpensive mode of transport.

An auto rickshaw is a three wheeler vehicle for hire that has no doors and is generally characterised by a small cabin for the driver in the front and a seat for passengers in the rear. Generally it is painted in yellow, green or black and has a black, yellow or green canopy on the top. The colour of the autorickshaw is also determined by the fuel that it is powered by, for example Ahmedabad and Delhi have green autos indicating the use of Compressed Natural Gas, whereas the autos of Mumbai and Bangalore have black autos indicating the use of diesel.

Annual sales of motorcycles in India are expected to exceed 10 million by 2010.

Motorised two-wheelers like scooters, small capacity motorcycles and mopeds are a very popular mode of transport due to their fuel efficiency and ease of use in congested traffic. The number of two-wheelers sold is several times that of cars.

‘Hippy’ trucks and tolerance Trucks and taxis are major culprits in South African road accidents. In India, these vehicles drive with a great deal more care.

Most of the traditional taxicabs in India are either retro Premier Padmini or Hindustan Ambassador cars. The livery of the taxis in India varies from state-to-state.

Amazingly the trucks drive carefully and well. They ask you politely, via handpainted signs, to hoot before overtaking. In India people obey traffic laws. Everyone has a corner of the road and everyone gets to where they are going.

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11618 Initiative

High Efficiency, Low Cost Solutions

SUSTAINABILITY

Are we fishing sustainably?

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Writer George Bezuidenhout

T

he level of awareness of environmental issues globally has risen considerably during the last decade and the disparities between industrialised powers and artisanal producers have been highlighted.

Focus within media circles has been on the industrialised fishing industry and worldwide problem of overfishing. This is a very real problem in certain parts of the world, and the environmental movement has helped to raise deserved awareness of this issue. Unscientific, emotive and biased communication has resulted in the fishing industry being run down in the mind of the consumers without offering viable alternatives.

“The increased focus on managing fish resources sustainably is bearing remarkable fruit,” says George Bezuidenhout, managing director of Sea Harvest, leading blackempowered South African commercial fishing company that catches local, wild, sustainably caught hake.

“In SA the hake quota has been increased by over 20% over the last three years and in fact, quotas for globally comparable species such as Cod and Pollock have increased from a total of about 6million tons to 7million tons over recent years,” he shares.

To help consumers make responsible decisions, NGOs and retailers worldwide are highlighting those species that are green enough to be consumed and those that are red should not be consumed at all. But what reassurance does the consumer have that a ‘green’ labelled product does indeed come from a sustainable source?

The world’s leading certification and ecolabelling program for sustainable wild capture seafood, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), is internationally recognised and consistent with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s guidelines for the eco-labelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture Fisheries.

In a 2009 report by Accenture Development Partners (ADP) in association with the World Wildlife Fund, the MSC is ranked the highest out of seven international ecolabelling programs that claim to improve fishery and marine ecosystem health and sustainability. The report highlights six criteria that the WWF considers of primary importance to the future health of the oceans and fisheries therein and crucial for any credible sustainable wild-capture seafood eco-labelling certification scheme, and then scores the various programmes accordingly.

“The MSC’s weighted average score across all criteria was more than 95% while the next best result was 64%. The lowest score

was less than 30%,” says George of Sea Harvest, the biggest employer on the West Coast providing 2425 jobs, with 25-30% of all household income being generated as a result of their activities.

‘The other assessed eco-labels are not well balanced across all six segments to the extent required to support sustainable fishing. No other eco-label has a consistent approach across all assessed segments.

This indicates the shortcomings of these other eco-labels and casts doubts on their overall contribution to effective fisheries management and ecological sustainability.’

(Reference: Assessment Study of OnPack, Wild-Capture Seafood Sustainability Certification Programmes and Seafood Ecolabels Accenture. WWF International.2009) In April 2004, after extensive investigation and verification, the South African Deep Sea Hake Trawl Fishery was certified as a sustainable fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council. The South African Hake Trawl Fishery was the first Hake fishery in the world to be awarded MSC status. At the end of 2009 the fishery was recertified for another five years.

These measures have also been undertaken by the industry: Four leading South African fishing companies (Sea Harvest, Oceana, Viking and I&J) launched the Responsible Fisheries Alliance (RFA) in partnership with WWF in September 2009 to support the implementation of an ecosystems approach to marine resource management and promote responsible fisheries practice in South African waters.

Furthermore, the deep-sea trawl industry voluntarily introduced effort-limitation on fishing capacity in 2009. Effectively this means that no more capacity can be added into the fishery to catch the available quota, whether that quota increases or reduces.

In addition by-catch limitations for bycatch species such as Kingklip and Monk were imposed by the department to ensure that there is no targeting of these valuable species.

The industry has, also voluntarily, ringfenced current fishing grounds and fishing activities are strictly limited to those areas.

This restriction is monitored by DAFF to ensure compliance. In this regard, research into the impact of trawling on the sea bed is in its initial phase.

Sea bird mortalities have been reduced substantially to globally acceptable standards through the introduction and improvement of mitigation devices which are now compulsory on all deep-sea hake trawlers.

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interview

Steering SITA to success State Information Technology Agency (SITA) CEO Blake Mosley-Lefatola explains the importance of the organisation’s refocused mandate.

Blake Mosley-Lefatola

How has SITA’s strategic direction shifted to accommodate its aim of evolving into a customer-centred organisation?

The strategic vision that is encapsulated in SITA’s turnaround strategy is for the organisation to become a lead IT agency that will act as Prime Systems Integrator (PSI) for government. This requires a paradigm shift; a new outlook in business and operational approach that is customer-focused and a service portfolio based on an understanding of customers’ and suppliers’ demands, that is, public-sector institutions and the ICT sector respectively.

What are SITA’s organisational key objectives for the next Blake Mosley–Lefatola three years? became CEO of SITA in As the organisation edges towards wrapping up the implementation 2011. An experienced of its three-year turnaround strategy, its intentions over the next leader and manager, with three years are clear – namely: many years of service at • To achieve its turnaround/transformational outcomes of becoming provincial and local governa high-performing, ICT lead agency and PSI for state that delivers ment levels, he joined SITA a customer-focused, value-adding ICT service portfolio effectively at a critical time to lead the and efficiently organisation through its • Going forward, to reposition itself as the only official IT agency turnaround phase. Before that can continue to deliver a service portfolio that is relevant and joining SITA, he served in responsive to the dynamic and evolving ICT needs of the public many strategic managesector within government’s developmental agenda ment positions including CEO of the Gauteng Tell us about SITA’s new project, the Wireless Application Service Economic Development Provider (WASP).

Agency, municipal man- SITA has packaged the Wireless Application Service Provider platager at the City of Tshwane, form as a service to government departments with the corresponding regional director at the architecture models, go-to-market strategy and costing and pricing City of Johannesburg and models. The WASP project entails the establishment of a Wireless deputy director-general Application Service Provider platform that will enable communicain the Department of tion to mobile devices.

The WASP platform will empower officials with information to deal Developmental Local Government and Housing. with queries regarding the status of government services provided Blake holds a post- to the citizens. It will also notify the public about the developments graduate qualification in around the government service they have requested.

Industrial Sociology.

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south african Business 2012/13

2

ONE SYSTEM ONE SOLUTION INTEGRATING PEOPLE AND PROCESSES IMPROVING PERFORMANCE

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SITA on track to become prime systems integrator State Information Technology Agency is focusing on high-performance, customer-centric service excellence.

The PSI goal As part of its turnaround strategy, SITA has adopted a far-reaching goal of transforming itself into a prime systems integrator (PSI) for the South African government. According to the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), systems integrators execute large, complex acquisition programmes. Their wide spectrum of functions include: requirements generation, technology development, source selection, construction or modification work, procurement of systems or components, management of supplier firms, testing, validation and administration.

It is vital that SITA achieves its goal of becoming a PSI, as the benefits are far-reaching.

As an accredited PSI and lead IT agency for the state, SITA will become an indispensable roleplayer in public-sector IT, with varied critical expectations, such as providing integration capability to government, in accordance with the ICT house of values.

In order to achieve its PSI certification, SITA must become truly selfenabled. This implies a fundamental shift from an internal working environment that is silo-oriented and highly structured, to one that is highly integrated, collaborative and customer-centric, with a chief focus on excellent service delivery.

SITA’s work on the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) for government has provided the organisation with crucial experience and lessons to take forward on this PSI journey. On this PSI journey, key ICT touch points are interoperability of systems, reducing duplica- tion, integration and security of assets.

The process The transformation process of redefining and repositioning SITA comprises three main stages, namely:

• • •

Phase 1: which will serve as a conceptualisation phase for the PSI Phase 2: which focuses on rigorous self-assessments Phase 3: where SITA undergoes PSI assessments and evaluations

In this drive to become a prime systems integrator for government, SITA is currently taking the organisation through a rigorous and internationally recognised appraisal for process improvement, called the CMMI (Capability Model Maturity Integration). The areas being assessed for its capability and maturity are configured around SITA’s people, services, acquisitions and software development. CMMI is recognised as the premier international framework for process improvement in the ICT world.

This means that stakeholders are assured that SITA will deliver its multiple services togovernment in line with internationally celebrated standards. Through this process, SITA also promises operational improvements. From a customer perspective, SITA will put customer needs and demands at the heart of its operations.

SITA is keen on producing an end-to-end service that meets clients’ expectations, and the organisation has increased its portfolio of services substantively.

To date the Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI) was concluded in March 2012 to evaluate the organisation at a Capability Level 1 rating for CMMI-DEV (development), CMMI-SVC (services) and CMMIIACQ (acquisition). SCAMPI is the official SEI method to provide benchmark quality international ratings relative to CMMI. CMMI training is an important component and by May 2012, 787 training sessions had been done. Of these, 254 SITA staff were trained on CMMI-DEV, 127 on CMMI-SVC, 85 on CMMI-ACQ, while 321 SITA staff were trained on People CMM. SITA has achieved an important milestone of CMMI Capability Level 1. SITA embarked on the CMMI drive to institutionalise a culture of excellence and continuous process improvement.

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CMMI Capability Level 1 is defined as ‘Performed Processes’, which means the SITA performs all the specific practices (SPs) that satisfies the specific goals (SGs) per process area (PA) mentioned.

SITA is now moving in the next phase to achieve Capability Level 2 for CMMI-DEV, CMMI-SVC and CMMI-ACQ and People CMM (PCMM).

CMMI training is an important component and by May 2012, 787 training sessions had Ensure the processes based on the practices in the process areas are effective, repeatable and lasting Provide needed infrastructure support Ensure processes are defined, documented and understood Enable organisational learning to improve the process.

Capability Level 2 is defined as ‘managed processes’, which means that SITA satisfies the generic goals and practices. Institutionalisation involves implementing practices that: • • • •

Ensure the processes based on the practices in the process areas are effective, repeatable and lasting Provide needed infrastructure support Ensure processes are defined, documented and understood Enable organisational learning to improve the process

Benefits

SITA is also emphasising strategic partnerships with industry in the development and acquisition of government IT goods and serzvices. This is an era for real and meaningful SMME opportunities, through strategic partnerships. The following strategies have been concluded and are areas to be noted for future growth and development: • Government Systems Convergence Strategy • Government Cloud Computing Strategy • GovernmentICTStrategy

Achieving PSI accreditation has long-term benefits for service delivery and customer care.

Strategic projects A roadmap for modernisation of legacy government systems for the future includes: •

•

SITA will benefit from becoming a PSI in the following ways: • • • • • • • • • • •

Improving service delivery and operational excellence Optimising overlaps in service and product coverage Generating a holistic view of product development Integrating across all points of contact in both sales and service delivery Enabling availability and access of shared resources (people, hardware, software, data centres, etc) Controlling the release of service and technology into the customer environment Effective management of customer demands and servicedelivery capabilities Implementing balanced project prioritisation towards implementation success and customer value Clearly defining functions that will be centralised and decentralised as well as roles and responsibilites Determining the capabilities required to apply the model Determining the organisational structure and talent required to execute the processes and functions

SITA’s transformation agenda is to create a whole new SITA experience for its clients. In essence, SITA is transforming into a new organisation, with key institutional reforms. This includes a new business and operating model, supported by new plans, policies and procedures. Given SITA’s new operating, business and industry partnership models and policies, the organisation’s foundations are strong and SITA is standing on firm ground.

• •

The e-government Gateway solution architecture: A base platform for government departments to send messages to citizens including electronic forms through text (SMS and MMS), email, fax and social media. Citizens will also be able to complete government forms online and return them to the relevant department for immediate assistance. eDisclosure system: Allows members of the senior management staff within the public service to electronically declare their business interests. This will be rolled out with DPSA during the financial year.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM): Solution architecture for government that will be offered as a transversal system.

Comprehensive egovernment strategy: This has been approved for implementation.

SITA is developing a number of strategic projects for the future.

The SITA transformation story is one that is breaking with the past in a profound way. SITA is on a journey to success, with all the complexities that transformation brings.

SITA also adopted a consultative approach and met with clients on their turf in their provinces. It was a priority to reconfirm SITA provincial relations, and put in place instruments of accountability that bind both parties.

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SUSTAINABILITY Writer Michelle Nel

Bottleworx recycling

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have five bins at home: the Ronnie bag for paper, the metals bin, glass bin, plastics bag and a composting bin. The Ronnie bag is collected by owner/driver Mondi-sponsored recyclers. The tin and plastic I put out for the informal bin pickers. Glass has to driven to a bottle bank. I try to reuse as many containers as I can. My current project is making flower pots and snail covers out of plastic bottles.

Imagine if my seven weekly milk bottles, numerous detergent bottles and yoghurt tubs could become bricks? I could have built a three-roomed house by now to earn extra

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Writer Michelle Nel

income and saved a ton of space in landfill.

This thinking recently garnered Bottleworx an EnviroPaedia EcoLogic Award for EcoInnovation sponsored by Standard Bank.

Bottleworx has patented a range (500ml – 5litre) of functional PET (polyethylene terephthalate) rectangular, interlocking containers for liquids such as wine and juice. The interlocking design reduces the transport footprint and lessens the need for secondary packaging. Once the product has been consumed, the bottles can become bricks. You could fiddle with DIY or opt for the patented ‘BWX Building System’.

Using Bottleworx bottles, a sorghum beer distributor in Zambia was able to use 12 less trucks to deliver his beer countrywide, says one of three partners in the business, Faan Muller (the other two are Eddie Gibbon and Louis Bos). What made them want to design ‘greener’ plastic bottles? “We had to do something about packaging waste,” is Faan’s short, businesslike answer. Bottleworx saves on pre-consumer packaging and associated costs. The bottles are square or rectangular and fit together like Lego blocks. They don‘t slide around during transport. With round bottles you need cardboard sheets between

For myself, as a greenie, the real win is that the bottles can be used afterwards as building blocks. You can visit the website and see examples of housing, schools, clinics, bed bases, couches and even educational toys.

each layer of bottles and plastic ties or crates.

With Bottleworx you need only cardboard at the very top and bottom of the stack. “Round bottles lose some 25% of packed space in a truck to the fresh air between the bottles. The square bottles give you 25% more bottles and therefore 25% more product,” Faan points out. They also save on fridge space in stores. The real clincher is despite all these advantages, Bottleworx bottles sell at the same price as round bottles. So why hasn’t everyone moved across to Bottleworx? “To make the change a manufacturer needs to modify the filling machines,” says Faan. This has a cost but it can be earned back through savings in transport and storage costs.

For myself, as a greenie, the real win is that the bottles can be used afterwards as building blocks. You can visit the website and see examples of housing, schools, clinics, bed bases, couches and even educational toys.

A year ago an experimental building was erected on site at the Gibbs Steel factory in Boksburg. The walls created from bottles fit into steel frames. The frames are secured via concrete foundations. A concrete floor is usually laid at this stage. The walls are then plastered with a sand and polymer mixture which is fire resistant, waterproof and needs no painting. The plaster dries to an attractive earthy finish, much like a cob wall.

Spaces are left for windows and doors as for any standard building. Because the bottles contain air, the insulation properties of the walls are good. A sheet of joined bottles is also inserted into the roof, between roof sheets, and ceiling, as further insulation.

Electrical points and wires can then be added,

most conveniently via surface mounting.

A Bottleworx building can cost as little as R1000 per square metre including ceiling, windows, doors and electrical fittings. The price rises if fancy finishes, cupboards, plumbing or other features are required.

The company has patented a building system that is being certified via the Agrément system. The latter provides reassurance of the fitness-for-purpose by an independent organisation with experience evaluating non-standardised building and construction products. Agrément certificates can demonstrate compliance with regulations.

“The classrooms already built have the Agrément 1 standards suitable for informal buildings which means the walls are structurally safe and fire resistant,” says Faan. “Agrément 2 refers to globally recognised standards including insulation and sound-proofing. We are busy doing the tests for that.”

“Plastic recycling is only running at 30% capacity in South Africa. Collectors get R2 per kilo. Glass and metal recycling pays better and greater quantities are recycled.

Some 90% of the plastic recycled is pulled out of rubbish dumps. Sometimes there are car batteries or rocks sneaked into the middle of the bales to cheat on the weight. We wanted to add to the value of the plastic bottle and turn the ‘waste’ bottle into a brick.”

Bottleworx produces half litre, one litre and 1,5 litre bottles. There is also a 5 litre bottle that requires wider frames when used for building. Brave partners with foresight, Juice Box and EcoAqua water, package in Bottleworx bottles. These products are

being sold to schools, as the ‘Bottle 2 Build’ initiative. The drinks are healthy, and schools can collect the bottles. When a school has 90 000 bottles they can either have a free classroom built by Bottleworx, or the school can donate a classroom to another school.

The Acorn Foundation feeding scheme will also benefit from juices, water, and bottles for buildings.

Bottle 2 Build will be rolled out to 1000 schools next year and involve competitions and prizes. “The ultimate aim is to create 300 000 young people who appreciate the value of recycling,” says Faan.

“Building with the Bottleworx system requires only basic building and plastering skills,” says Faan. Bottleworx has patented a building process and if you feel the need for an extra room coming on, you can buy the materials from Bottleworx and get a recommended, trained builder to erect the building for you.

What would be brilliant is if manufacturers of Tetrapaks, tins and even glass bottles would come up with a similar design. Tetrapaks would make brilliant insulation material in ceilings because they are so light. Ditto for tins if one could click them into A3 sized sheets. And interlocking glass bottles could be used instead of glass bricks for letting in light.

One day, I will have five recycling bins marked: bricks, windows, ceilings, insulation and compost. And they will all be housed in a brand new building made of packaging waste.

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ADVERTORIAL

Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Project in South Africa Developing scarce and critical skills in Energy Management

T

he objective of the Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Project (IEE Project) is to contribute to a sustainable transformation of industrial energy usage practices in South Africa. According to Gerswynn McKuur, National Project Manager, the IEE Project works in a multi-pronged approach to enable this transformation. One of the focus areas of the project is the development of scarce and critical capacities in the relatively new field of green skills, as IEE improvements can only be successful if there is sufficient capacity to sustain the implementation process. “The IEE Project not only assists industry to implement Energy Management Systems and Energy Systems Optimization - it operates from the holistic view where significant potentials for energy savings can be unlocked if systems are treated and analysed as a whole rather than just as individual equipment pieces.”

To this end, the project offers training courses in Energy Management Systems (EnMS) and Energy Systems Optimization (ESO) across the country at advanced (enduser) and expert level.

The EnMS and ESO advanced courses take place over two days. Systems covered

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in ESO training include: steam, pumps, compressed air, fans and motors. The content incorporates theory, management processes, case studies, training on appropriate software and practical sessions where relevant.

The expert-level courses consist of theoretical and in-plant practical modules spread over a number of months, depending on the area of specialization. Thirty one candidates have successfully completed the expert-level training courses with many more already enrolled in the programme.

Training manuals and ad-hoc softwaretools are given to each candidate in order to facilitate the in-class training and work-place implementation of the concepts learned. Post training online support and information sharing of best practices is available at any time to the trainees through international expert advice and guidance on the different EnMS and ESO topics.

All the courses have been awarded Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points by the South African Institute for Mechanical Engineers (SAIMechE). The cost of a two-day advanced course is R900, while the expert level course costs R9,000.

The IEE training courses are proving very beneficial and attendance is high, with more than 1 700 professionals having completed

one or more of the courses. This number includes a wide scope of candidates, ranging from engineers and engineering technicians and technologists to ISO and quality assurance auditors and government officials. “The courses are also attended by a mix between consultants, SMMEs and big industry players.”

As part of its awareness-raising efforts, the IEE Project presents half-day sessions for those interested in finding out more about the project and the skills covered by the training courses. Such sessions are helpful for industry management or government officials who wish to understand the effects and benefits of applying energy management using a systematic approach, as well as implementing energy systems optimization initiatives.

For more details about the training courses, contact the IEE Project Training Coordinator Sybil Rowles on +27 (0) 12 841 2519, or the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa on +27 (0)12 841 2768 (Pretoria), +27 (0)21 658 2776 (Cape Town), Email: info@ ncpc.co.za The latest training schedule is available on the IEE website: www.iee-sa.co.za

energy Energy

Swiss Confederation Federal Department of Economic Affairs FDEA State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO

hamela, melk, ubisi, amasi

WHY SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANIES NEED A

LANGUAGE STRATEGY Writer Dr Nhlanhla Thwala, Director of the Wits Language School

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I

n a recent provocative article in the Harvard Business Review, Tsedal Neely proclaimed that “English is emerging as the common tongue of the global economy, and companies that fail to adopt an English-only policy could face a competitive disadvantage”. Further, she argues, “If you want to surpass your rivals, it’s no longer a matter of choice”. I do not agree that English is the only business language to adopt. However, I support the view that businesses must develop a language strategy as part of their broader communication strategy.

Although businesses in South Africa acknowledge that communication is a critical component of overall business strategy, their conduct reveals that they still do not fully appreciate how language affects the bottom line. This is partly due to restricting the scope of communication to marketing and public relations. Communication, when conceived as including the use language, plays a critical role in other areas of a business including human resources training, customer service, branding and international business trade and expansion.

The simplest definition of communication is that it is the act of conveying information for the purpose of creating a shared understanding. The key phrase is ‘shared understanding’. Communication can be verbal and non-verbal and requires at least two parties, the speakers (interlocutors), and a message. Crucially, for communication to be successful, the message must be in a language that the interlocutors share. Below we show how businesses can maximise communication by using languages optimally in order to add value to the business bottom line.

The linguistic profile of South Africa is eleven official languages plus South African Sign Language (SASL). The linguistic profile is not as complex as it may appear.

The nine African languages divide into two mutually intelligible groups i.e. Nguni and Sotho-Tswana languages. A speaker of any one of the Nguni or Sotho languages can understand the other languages in the group.

Hence we call them mutually intelligible.

The outliers in terms of linguistic profile are Venda and Tsonga. We can therefore restructure the profile of the African languages in South Africa into: (a) Nguni – Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Ndebele, (b) SothoTswana – Tswana, Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho (c) Venda (d) Tsonga Although we cannot classify English and Afrikaans as mutually intelligible, in practice the speakers of Afrikaans also speak English and vice versa in South Africa. We thus

assume that Afrikaans and English constitute one linguistic group: the Germanic family: (e) Germanic – English and Afrikaans South Africa therefore consists of five official language groupings and SASL. It is this linguistic context that makes up the business context in South Africa. Businesses can maximize value by using languages strategically in these four areas: Human resource training: Training of the workforce is a strategic objective for both sustainability and profitability for business in the 21st Century. Businesses invest millions in training their employees annually, yet evidence suggests that most waste their skills training by using the wrong language medium. Most businesses assume that all employees speak and understand English.

languages on road signs, advertisements, or public notices. The branding of products also ignores local languages almost entirely.

On a recent trip to Swaziland I noticed that milk in that country is branded in SiSwati as Umcenge for a population of roughly just over a million consumers. Yet no brand of fresh milk in South Africa even acknowledges the local languages. Businesses are making a mistake by ignoring the local languages in branding their products. They stand to gain massive competitive advantage by branding products in the languages of the people who consume them.

International trade and expansion: Most businesses actively seek to expand their markets through international trade or by physically opening branches in other

The branding of products also ignores local languages almost entirely. On a recent trip to Swaziland I noticed that milk in that country is branded in SiSwati as Umcenge for a population of roughly just over a million consumers. Yet no brand of fresh milk in South Africa even acknowledges the local languages They then make the wrong assumption that training must take place in English for all levels of employment. Yet research shows that the English proficiency of lower-end employees is very poor. So, well-intentioned training conducted in English is wasted.

Businesses that want to see a positive return on their training must first conduct a language proficiency survey to determine the language most suitable for the training.

Customer service communication: Language is also a strategic variable in customer service. Yet, the use of language as part of customer service is an area in which South African businesses show the most neglect of customer needs. Communicating to customers in their languages is traditionally very low in the strategies of most businesses.

It is not uncommon for customer service desks or call centers to require clients to communicate in the language of the customer-service representative. Admittedly, it is not easy to accommodate every single official language of the republic. Yet, there are strategies that businesses can use to better accommodate the languages of customers. For example, the hiring criteria for customer service representatives could require proficiency in at least three of the five language groupings above. A single customer service representative could thus serve a larger proportion of South Africans.

Branding: South Africa is unique in the whole of Africa in that written public communication largely excludes the local

countries. A major stumbling block in the pursuit of that strategy for most South African companies is language. It is therefore important that every company that wishes to expand its business beyond the borders of South Africa devises a language strategy to communicate with its customers, suppliers and the government agencies of the respective countries. For example, expansion of business into Angola, Mozambique and the whole of Francophone Africa hinges on the good command of Portuguese and French; the Americas require Spanish and Portuguese. To conduct business in BRIC countries, a language strategy that includes Russian and Mandarin is essential.

Language certainly deserves a special place in the communication strategy of every business. Restricting communication strategy to marketing and PR is a mistake as language also plays a critical role in human resources training, customer service, branding and international business trade and expansion www.witslanguageschool.com

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Through its groundbreaking e-Coaching system, called “Stepping Stones”, experienced workers can be guided towards expanding their career horizons and maintaining their roles as productive members of the economic society.

Changing the way the corporate world approaches retrenchment

T

he retrenchment of staff need not be the end of their contribution to the economy. Even though so much experience and insight risks being lost when senior staff are pushed into early retirement or retrenchment, a pioneering new product from corporate talent management firm CR Squared will turn the tables.

Through its groundbreaking e-Coaching system, called “Stepping Stones”, experienced workers can be guided towards expanding their career horizons and maintaining their roles as productive members of the economic society.

Co-founder of CR Squared, Dr. Conor Hughes explains “In the traditional corporate space, coaching only exists on the executive

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level, because it’s so slow and so expensive.

The volume of people, like the ordinary guys who work their socks off for their companiesneed the benefits of coaching to support them in a really tough environment.”

By using an extensive and intuitive system that operates freely through any Internet browser, Stepping Stones takes a user through the various stages of discovering and establishing their strengths, priorities and motivations. Designed to accommodate the pace anddemands of each individual, it minimises the need for human coaches. This saves on costs, whilst enabling the company to provide a broad spectrum of its departees the opportunity and illumination offered by coaches.

Stepping Stones makes use of interactive

presentations, useful tools such as regular journal keeping, and proposing insightful questions. It was built from the ground-up to be an effective, engaging and insightful experience. Able to be deployed online or on a coroporate intranet, it is the best way for a company to empower its outbound employees in the current hard economic realities.

Dr. Hughes goes on to say “We have a very clear idea of what will work when you don’t have a coach sitting next to you. As with traditional coaching, the client will always set the agenda, but e-coaching cannot follow that. So we incorporated the ideals of niche coaching, aiming to take the user through processes which would allow them to explore what they needed to explore.”

Stepping Stones was developed by a dedicated team of professionals who collectively specialise in cognitive sciences, as well as insights and extensive experience of the corporate world.

It was visualised through a series of actual “stones” on a board, with each step representing modules that delve into the motivations, psychology and tangible elements of an employee’s skills and drive.

It then helps that person establish a route forward. Perhaps they put their experience to use in a new field or maybe they venture into the world of the entrepreneur. Whatever the result, Stepping Stones offers an employer the means to enable outbound staff, encouraging both their wellbeing and the larger benefits to the economy.

Open Trade Training Centre Why get a Trade at OTTC Embark on a career in the technical field of refrigeration air-conditioning Ammonia and heatpump systems, secure yourself a slice of a booming future.

Humankind’s attempt to preserve food goes back to prehistoric times, where ice was harvested in the mountains and stored in caves in order to preserve food over the warm season. It took until the middle of the 19th century that technology finally made it possible to manufacture ice wherever, whenever it was required. From the early 20th century on, with the invention of synthetic refrigerants and the miniaturised vapour compression cycle, almost everybody had access to simple cooling devices by means of domestic refrigerators.

Today there are many other applications to enrich the quality of life of the society. Worth mentioning are car air-conditioners, large air-conditioning systems in office buildings and shopping centres, transport refrigeration units on trucks, trains and ships, refrigeration systems in supermarkets, ice skating stadiums as well as process cooling in the industry. Based on the principle of extracting and rejecting heat, the array of applications can be extended to heat-pump systems for heating buildings and pool water and heat recovery units.

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In order to be able to build and maintain such systems and to acquire a fundamental understanding in thermodynamics, the student is required to undergo a specialised training, which includes both practical and theoretical components. On the practical side, the student is going to get involved in learning tools skills, which include the manufacturing of components from metal, as well as conducting copper pipe work installations, electrical board installations and commissioning of plants.

The theoretical side covers various aspects, starting from the thermo dynamical basics up to the design of complex systems, which enables the technician to choose work in a broad field of applications, even overseas, or to start an own business.

At OTTC you will learn how refrigeration and airconditioning works. Over time you will develop your skills in refrigeration, air-conditioning, electrical engineering, plumbing and other sub categories of the trade. You can achieve the requirements for the Trade Test and any of the OTTC Diplomas with an international and South African Qualification.

Energy saving Edeka Supermarket in Bad Krotzingen, Germany. The secondary cooling system using CO 2 Refrigerant

Consider a future in this trade and be one of the few who would most likely never be unemployed ever again.

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Labelling of foods derived through biotechnology does not advance consumer health information but will result in increasing food prices, of which the cost will be borne by consumers

Mr Motlasi Musi, in his farm outside Johannesburg where he plants 25 Ha with GM maize (his maize is protected from insect attacks)

The right to food Biotechnology can boost crop yields and incomes says South African GM maize farmer

I

do not mind the debate on geneticallymodified (GM) food labelling but it will not change the science and for that matter the benefits which I have realised from growing my GM maize. I will continue to grow the Bt maize as it has in-built resistance to insect pests and therefore gives me more yields” says farmer, Mr. Motlasi Musi.

Musi is worried more about access to 86

healthy and affordable food and less about its GM contents since he started growing GM maize eight years ago on his then small farm at FunValley, Olifantsvlei, outside Johannesburg, South Africa. From starting with seven hectares under GM maize, today he plants 25 hectares.

South Africa passed and implemented the Consumer Protection Act in 2011 mandating the labelling of foods with genetically

modified ingredients or components or derived from genetically modified crops.

Food producers, importers and packagers are required by law, in terms of the Consumer Protection Act and its Regulations, to label GM foods and marketing materials where the genetically modified (GM) ingredient is at least 5 percent.

GM crops include food and non-food crops that scientists developed by altering the structure of their genetic material (DNA) to make them exhibit specific new traits that are of benefit to farmers, such as resistance to pests, tolerance to drought or increased yields.

While South African consumers have the right to know what is in their food and to exercise choice, the issue of GM food is as divisive as is controversial. Anti-GM lobbyists are calling for a GM free world while pro-GMO groups feel the furore over GM food is a health scare ploy. They are arguing that educating the public to make informed decisions and choices about GMOs is the solution.

“That is why there are biotechnology communicators like myself who are there to teach others about the safety of the GM technology,” says Musi who this year is expecting to harvest at least 8-9 tonnes of maize per hectare. Maize is a staple crop in South Africa. He says since growing the maize it is not just the yields that have gone up but his income too.

However the ACB based in Johannesburg does not buy ‘the claims’ about the safety of GM food nor the benefits said to accrue to farmers who grow GM maize.

ACB’s Haidee Swanby, said her organisation has written an open letter to South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture to ban GM maize in South Africa because it neither has contributed to food security nor made the lives of smallholder farmers better. However, smallholder farmers like Mr. Musi and Mr & Mrs Buda (pictured) with 8 years of growing GM maize have a different view.

“Labelling of foods derived through biotechnology does not advance consumer health information but will result in increasing food prices, of which the cost will be borne by consumers says Dr.

Mr and Mrs Buda, including 19 000 other small holder farmers in South Africa continue to use the GM maize technology due to its benefits

Nompumelelo Obokoh, CEO of AfricaBio. “We do not believe that the vast majority of the South African population, already struggling to meet their daily needs, has to pay higher food prices to satisfy the small number of consumers who have the money to pay for the costs of sourcing organic foods or other non GM products.”

Dr. Obokoh said before entering the food supply, biotech crops are approved for food safety through the vigorous national regulatory approval process under the GMO Act 15 of 1997.

Further emphasizing that the labelling for consumer choice is not a safety issue, Obokoh said labelling which suggests otherwise is contrary to the evidence compiled from the numerous and thorough safety assessment that biotech-derived foods undergo before entering the marketplace. After 16 years in the marketplace, she said there is no evidence that biotech-derived foods, which are carefully evaluated and widely grown and consumed worldwide, have had any adverse effects on human or animal health. Robust and rigorous scientific evaluation contained in the national legislation continues to be enforced by the government for safe

introduction of GM crops in South Africa.

AfricaBio strongly supports requirements for accurate and informative product labels that communicate information that is relevant to health, safety and nutrition.

“Thus foods developed through biotechnology or another method should be labelled if there is a change in nutritional composition or if an added component could be toxic or allergenic,” said Dr. Obokoh.

The Food stuff, Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act 54 of 1972 under the Department of Health, has as its main purpose the safety of GM foodstuffs and its labelling requirements all relate to the safety aspects of GM foodstuffs. To date no GM-derived foodstuffs on sale in South Africa have met the threshold requiring labelling and thus R25 has no application to foodstuffs sold in South Africa.

Connect with AfricaBio through social media Follow us on Twitter @AfricaBioSA Like our Facebook page: www.facebook. com/AfricaBio Kindly send your feedback and any comments to info@africabio.com.

Visit our website on www.africabio.com

Dr Nompumelelo H. Obokoh, CEO of AfricaBio

Switch board +27 12 844 0126 E nompumelelo@africabio.com 87

South Africa should look to African entrepreneurs for inspiration

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he recently released Accelerating Entrepreneurship in Africa survey revealed that 57% of respondents consider becoming an entrepreneur a desirable career choice. According to Mark Paper, Chief Operating Officer of Business Partners International, a specialist fund management company providing financing, specialist sectoral knowledge and added-value services to viable SMEs in selected African countries, this finding is extremely positive for the growth of entrepreneurship in Africa and says that South African entrepreneurs should

African entrepreneurs definitely operate in a more challenging environment look to the continent for inspiration.

Paper says that in light of Global Entrepreneurship Week, South Africa should be making use of the African continent as a positive example when it comes to entrepreneurship, as in comparison to the 57% of Africans that cite entrepreneurship as a desirable career, it was recently revealed in The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa report that corporate careers are still more desirable to most South Africans.

“We have noticed that there is certainly more of an interest in entrepreneurship as a first career choice in some other parts of Africa in comparison to South Africa. In the selected African countries that we operate we also see a more spirited interest in entrepreneurship.

In comparison, entrepreneurship is not embedded as a first career choice within South African society yet.”

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He says that despite the many challenges that African entrepreneurs face, they often manage to overcome these and succeed in various industries, which contributes positively to the economy. “Entrepreneurs in other parts of Africa have considerably less access to funding as the banks are much stricter in comparison to South Africa. In addition, African entrepreneurs also face significant challenges when it comes to skills development, as they do not have an abundance of skilled workers in the region.

“The infrastructure in many parts of Africa is also far less conducive for an entrepreneurial environment and entrepreneurs often struggle with electricity and transport challenges, which all hinder growth.

“African entrepreneurs definitely operate in a more challenging environment and thus need to be more creative and resilient in order to make their businesses succeed. If they can operate and succeed despite their numerous challenges, entrepreneurs in South African certainly can too.”

He says that although the African continent continues to face significant challenges, the economy is growing and presenting opportunities for entrepreneurs that have not always existed. “Economic activity in the African region is projected to expand by about 5% in 2012 and 2013, a similar pace to that observed in 2010–11, thus presenting with a growing opportunity for entrepreneurs to establish themselves with the economy.”

Paper says that since the early 2000s, entrepreneurship in Africa has reported strong organic growth, and now, as the world’s second fastest growing region, has the potential to develop even more. “The population in Africa is also expected to

expand by more than double to two billion by 2050, so the continent’s potential will develop even further.

“This increased population’s needs will not be able to be met by only government and the corporates operating in the area, so entrepreneurial ventures will be key in serving consumers’ needs.”

He says that research from the McKinsey Global Institute reveals that natural resources account for only about a third of Africa’s growth. The rest of this growth is as a result of internal structural changes that have stimulated domestic economies - the telecommunications, construction, banking and retail sectors, which are thriving. “This provides entrepreneurs in Africa with much opportunity to take advantage of these growing industries.”

Paper says that South Africa, as part of this growing economy, needs to embrace entrepreneurship. “The limited views that many South Africans have with regards to entrepreneurship need to be eradicated in order for the industry to flourish.”

Global Entrepreneurship Week aims to expose the public to the benefits of entrepreneurship and motivate individuals to explore entrepreneurial ideas. Paper adds that South Africans, who are generally viewed to have a rather negative perception when it comes to entrepreneurial failures, need to reassess the perception they have of entrepreneurship. “The brave individuals, who choose to take the risk of starting a new venture that contributes to the economy, should be recognised and rewarded,” concludes Paper.

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Business sustainability through collaboration Writer Franki Black

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A

merica, China, Japan and Germany, the world’s wealthiest nations, have one thing in common, their economies are all strongly reliant on small businesses,” said Sisa Ntshona, ABSA’s head of Enterprise Development at a symposium hosted by the University of Stellenbosch at the beginning of the year.

Ntshona pointed to Germany as an example of a country that is blessed with many small family-style businesses that feed off one another and focus on collaboration. The common good is thereby expanded and this creates sustainable job creation, higher selfesteem, less inequality, less crime and all the positive ripples that follow.

In an attempt to equalise South Africa’s business playing field and to stimulate enterprise development, a recent proposal to amend the BEE codes may lead to increased collaboration between large and small businesses. It is proposed that two of the BEE compliance categories, enterprise development and procurement, merge into one category, weighted at 40 points. It is hoped by Government that this will translate into an expansion and ‘opening up’ of access

to big business supply chains and increased opportunities for small businesses.

“Even at corporate level, people are starting to understand that South Africa’s future is a shared one, and that there may be space for adopting a more collaborative approach to individual success. Forward thinking businesses and NGO’s alike are starting to realise the increased value that can be obtained through effective partnership,” says Catherine Wiijnberg, director of Fetola, a specialist in enterprise development.

Cross-learning among Industries Fetola runs the Legends programme, an award-winning national business support programme funded by ED & CSI grants.

“One of the unique factors of the programme is the mix of urban & rural, small business & NGO’s across 12 different sectors of industry,” says Legends Programme Manager, Chantal De Kock. “Crosslearning and collaboration among members make for interesting exchanges, valuable partnerships and ultimately more sustainable organisational models.”

Guest speaker at the recent Legends Magic Conference in Johannesburg, Jonathan

CPM BEYOND V Strip:Layout 1 3/12/12 3:28 PM

Robinson of Bean There Coffee, agrees that a collaborative approach leads to more sustainable business, and cites the social impact that his business has made in Kenya as illustration of this. He spoke of a coffee farmer called Agnus who has sent her two children through school due to their investment in her. “If people remember anything of my presentations it’s Agnus,” said Robinson. “People approach me months later and ask about Agnus. This partnership is providing a sustainable supply chain to us, while Agnus is able to sustain her family.”

Funders viewed as partners “Part of the Legends Model, is that Nonprofit programme participants are encouraged to see donors not just as funders, but as strategic partners in reaching common goals,” explains Wijnberg. “This thinking turns the traditional funder-recipient model into one of collaboration and mutual benefit, which is so much more sustainable,” she adds.

Corporate social investment practitioner and specialist presenter at the Legends conference, Samantha Braithwaite of Tshikululu Social Investments, agrees. She says that it is imperative for nonprofits to focus on the positive relationship when handling and winning over donors. “Try and avoid just highlighting problems and challenges. Tell success stories, emphasise the impact that you’ve made in your sector, explain how you work with community partnerships and how this will benefit the funder’s aims as well,” says Braithwaite.

De Kock adds to this collaborative approach in her argument for seeking alternative funding channels. “We are seeing more and more that NGO’s and businesses are being urged to consider innovative and much more collaborative funding channels, such as crowd-funding, which uses public interest and buy-in to spark financial investments,” says De Kock.

Feeding off one another Minister of Finance, Mr. Pravin Gordhan, also believes in the importance of collaboration in the entrepreneurial space. At the same symposium attended by Ntshona he spoke about a solidarity model where increased procurement between small businesses and large corporations is encouraged. Instead of competing with adjacent businesses, he illustrated the benefits of mutual participation and collaboration. As an example, he drew on the sustainable results of linking household cooks to prison and school feeding programmes. Professor Russel Botman, Vice-chancellor of the University of Stellenbosch, spoke about a

successful community upliftment initiative that stemmed from a partnership between local vegetable producers in Zambia and the Sun International hotel chain.

South Africa has been slower than some to embrace the concept of collaboration and partnership to achieve common business goals, especially when it relates to relationships between corporates and SMMEs. “The main problem with large corporates trying to partner with much smaller businesses has been around capacity and business readiness, especially when it relates to service provision. Up until recently, in spite of lip service to the contrary and the inevitable PR spin, it has been about the bottom line – if the potential small supplier is more expensive, or requires too much ‘hand-holding’ in order to master the systems and requirements of the big guy, it has been a case of ‘Sorry, next.’ Hopefully with the advent of the new BEE codes, this may change,” says enterprise development specialist Anton Ressel.

In truth, grooming small businesses into capable service providers for corporates makes a lot of business sense in the long term. A small business that is nurtured and assisted to grow through corporate procurement channels will most likely end up as a loyal and committed service provider for the future.

“Business models can be significantly strengthened through partnerships,” says Wijjnberg. “The more players on board a business idea, the more viable it becomes, as long as there is a shared vision and common sense of purpose. This is the new way of doing business, as espoused by Richard Branson and many other visionary business leaders, and here in SA we need to work together more than most nations when one considers the economic and social challenges we face,” she concludes.

The Legends Magic Interactive Conference is an annual event on the Legends calendar.

To access the speaker presentations from this workshop, visit www.facebook.com/ FetolaSA. To learn more about Legends or apply for the programme in 2013, refer to www.fetola.co.za.

Franki Black is an educator and writer as well as head of internal training, workshop facilitator and programme developer at Fetola ED specialists. She has a degree in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Stellenbosch and two postgraduate diplomas, one in Enterprise Management (UCT) and another in Education (UNISA).

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The Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management 92

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Possible career opportunities in Logistics include: A career in Logistics planning and analysis; Careers in Information systems and control; Career opportunities in Supply Chain Management; A career in Inventory Planning and control; A variety of careers in Purchasing and Materials Management; Careers in Production Planning and Logistics consultancy; Consultancy.

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Business development

Writer Anton Ressel 94

vital to South Africa’s ECONOMIC GROWTH

W

ith millions of South Africans unemployed and underemployed, the government has no option but to give its full attention to the task of job creation, and generating sustainable and equitable growth.” “We (the government) believe that the real engine of sustainable and equitable growth in this country is the private sector. We are committed to doing all we can to help create an environment in which businesses can get on with their job. We believe in the principle of working together

growth and create employment, but are bases of innovation and new ideas.

SMME Sector Under Strain As much as this point is true, the 2012 Adcorp Employment Index recently released data showing that in the last five years, around 440000 small businesses closed down in SA. The release also showed that the number of people involved in starting their own business has shrunk - from around 250 000 in 2001to only 58000 people in 2011, a decline of 76%. While many factors have undoubtedly contributed to this, the net result

Business development, and especially SMME sector development, is the gospel that economists, researchers and experts have long been preaching for a sustainable South African economy. with our partners in the private sector - big and small businesses – in realizing our hopes and aspirations for this economy.”

These words were uttered in 1995 by then Minister of Trade and Industry, Trevor Manuel. Nearly two decades later, his words still resonate but differ very much with our current economic reality. In the last 12 years, South Africa’s unemployment rate has grown from 25.5% to 31.2%, suggesting that the plans and promises of 1995 are still a bridge too far. In fact, all indications are that our economy is backpedalling under a seemingly endless burden of industrial action, low productivity and most worryingly, a government that is simply unable to create an enabling environment to allow the SMME sector to thrive. This being so, what can be done to improve things?

Business development, and especially SMME sector development, is the gospel that economists, researchers and experts have long been preaching for a sustainable South African economy. It is acknowledged globally that small businesses play an important role in not just the sustainability but also the growth of an economy. According to Adcorp’s labour economist, Loane Sharp, a typical small business employs 12 people (aside from the owner-manager); a reinforcement of this sector could potentially create millions of jobs. Furthermore, it is recognized around the world that small businesses do not just help drive economic

is that our economy’s job creation potential has been reduced by around 2.3-million jobs.

There were several reasons noted behind the high reduction, a core one being a lack of access to finance. There is a high demand for financial backing from Micro and Small Businesses - research conducted by The South African Led Network shows that 1.4 million small businesses reported a need for external funding to start or develop their business.

These reduced numbers are only exacerbated by the generally below-par performance of our small business sector , much of which can be attributed to poor education levels, lack of management and work skills, lack of access to working capital, and low spending for research and development. In light of all these challenges, Mr Manuel’s words take on an increasingly hollow ring. Government has thrown millions at the SMME sector, but from a legislative, tax and employer rights perspective, SA remains one of the most difficult countries in the world to start a new business, just ask any entrepreneur.

Light at the end of the Tunnel?

Fortunately, the vacuum left by the dearth of a truly enabling climate in which SMME’s can thrive, has seen a large number of organisations created to help small businesses, train entrepreneurs and provide technical experience. Such organisations have realised the importance

of developing small businesses and how they can contribute to the embattled South African economy, and while the quality of such offerings differs markedly it is apparent that some of these business incubators are having a major impact. “We measure our success by the success of the businesses we help and support. If they are growing and thriving in these tough times, we are doing our job,” says Catherine Wijnberg of Capebased enterprise development agency Fetola.

“South Africa does not have a culture of entrepreneurship when compared with India for example, but we do have a lot of talented and creative individuals and a government that is at least trying to create the right climate for entrepreneurship and small business development, so there is certainly some hope for the future,” she adds.

Economists are constantly debating about small business as the main engine for economic growth, and the evidence is still being questioned. However, small business unarguably remains an unambiguously positive and ‘optimistic’ force for job creation and employment, both in developed and developing economies.

With the growing civil unrest in major industries like mining and transport, it could very well be the SMME sector that ends up being our economy’s saviour – but only if we develop a climate that truly supports the SMME sector by making it far easier to start, run and grow a business than is currently the case.

Anton Ressel is the Senior Business Consultant at Fetola. A co-founder of Streetwires, one of SA’s largest and most successful social enterprises, Anton has worked in enterprise development for the Norwegian Development Aid Organisation (NORAD), the Embassy of Finland, Old Mutual Foundation and many others. His articles have appeared in publications such as Business Day, Sawubona, Financial Mail and Entrepreneur magazine.

Abram Molelemane is a third year Journalism student at the Tshwane University of Technology. He has written for various publications such as Wealthwise magazine and Rekord newspaper. In 2011 he was nominated for the Rekord print journalist of the year award. He is currently a junior media officer at Fetola.

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Collect-a-Can facilitates job creation Issued by Reputation Matters

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he unemployment rate in South Africa was reported at 25.5% in the third Quarter of 2012 (up from 24.9 percent in the second quarter).

This rate refers to the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

Unemployment has been attributed to fragile economic conditions, skills mismatches, problems with education and overly rigid labour regulations. Having a quarter of our adult population out of work is a dire situation and yet, while some people have been crippled by not being able to find a job, others have flouted adversity and found ways to create their own employment.

One way in which many individuals have been generating an income for themselves is by reclaiming recyclable waste from the waste stream and selling it on to recycling

companies. It is estimated that more than 80 thousand South Africans currently earn a living in this way. Waste recovery offers a means to make a living regardless of age, level of education or skills set. A basic understanding of what is recyclable is required but this is gained through working experience.

Recycling organisations such as Collecta-Can have realised the potential for job creation that waste recovery offers struggling South Africans and have done their best to engage with these individuals to aid their efforts. “There is economic potential in the waste management sector, offering great scope for increased job creation and GDP,” says Zimasa Velaphi, Public Relations and Marketing Manager at Collect-a-Can. “At Collect-a-Can we have attempted to create economic opportunities for individuals in the lower income sectors through our “cashfor-cans” collection drive where we pay collectors for all the cans that they bring us.

We try to assist these upcoming entrepreneurs by providing them with advice on how to increase their productivity and profitability and, where possible, by providing them with bags for collection, arrangement of transport and the use of our mobile balers,” Velaphi explains. Many waste collectors have evolved into entrepreneurs through this process as they acquire basic business skills and grow their own recovery and recycling businesses or recycling buyback centres.

Engaging with entrepreneurs through the provision of waste management training is another way that Collect-a-Can has tried

to make a difference. In February this year Collect-a-Can joined forces with the Recycling Action Group (RAG), PETCO and the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEA) to host a waste management workshop for the Nkonkobe Municipality in the tiny town of Alice near East London in the Eastern Cape. Collect-a-Can participated in the initiative to provide information on the recovery and recyclability of used steel cans as well as ways that Collect-a-Can could assist collectors and government with these activities. “It is important to get the message about the economic value of recycling out to every corner of South Africa, “says Gregory Masoka, Operations Manager at Collect-aCan. “The opportunity of providing training to waste recyclers enables us to empower them to manage their waste recycling activities in an exemplary and economically viable manner.”

Tsosane Waste Management Centre in Ladybrand, Free State Province; The Zondi Buyback Centre in Soweto, Gauteng; EnviroSmart and Waste-Want in the Western Cape and Sh’na Khna Buyback Centre in Randfontein, Gauteng are just a few examples of small businesses that have benefitted from their involvement with Collect-a-Can. Lydia Tsosane, owner of Tsosane Waste Management says, “When I decided to start my own recycling business in 2007 I realised that this was a business that didn’t need too much capital outlay to get started.” Tsosane now employs four people in her operation,

two men to operate a baling machine and two women to sort the cans. She buys cans from the dumping site and has placed collection bins in numerous public locations. “We also run a buy back centre where waste collectors, municipal workers and children come to sell us recyclables,” Tsosane says.

Tsosane’s advice to others wanting to follow in her footsteps is; “Don’t go into this just looking for money. You will need to love the business and work very hard to meet the tonnages required by Collect-a-Can. My suggestion is for all women to pull up their socks and start their own businesses. I have worked very hard but it has paid off. My lifestyle is far better now and I have ensured a brighter future for my children.”

“Our dream is to one day have a network of these entrepreneurial collectors across the whole of Southern Africa,” says Velaphi, “ensuring not only that all cans are recovered, but also that all South Africans benefit in the process. We encourage the public and private sector to assist us with our efforts in building up this sector wherever possible.”

To get involved in assisting Collect-a-Can or for more information contact the Collect-aCan head office on 011 466 2939 or visit their website www.collectacan.co.za. Collect-aCan is also on Facebook www.facebook. com/CollectaCan and Twitter www.twitter. com/CollectaCan

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The art of environmental responsibility

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ot only is Cape Town boasting the construction of the greenest hotel in Africa, but the hotel owners and operators – who are taking environmental responsibility, awareness and education very seriously – have extended the green thinking into classrooms.

Hotel Verde, part of the recently launched BON Hotels, is under construction at the Cape Town International Airport vicinity.

The owners, Mario and Annemarie Delicio, have initiated and funded a project allowing grade 11 art students to decorate the walls of their green hotel. The project, driven by Niklas Zimmer, art consultant and Masters graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art (UCT), sees 45 grade 11 learners from various schools within the airport vicinity researching environmental responsibility and conceptualising and producing artworks in a variety of media which will form part of the hotel’s art collection. Annemarie Delicio’s passion for art and social upliftment is what initiated the project. She says, “Our thought behind this project was to help these students, 98

who have limited, if any, access to art studies at their schools by giving them the best tools, teachers and facilities available to do what they love and what they are good at.”

“The progress and dedication has been amazing,“ says Zimmer. “We started with 21 schools within the airport vicinity and we narrowed it down to five, from which we selected 45 students … these students have at times worked 18 hours non-stop on their art pieces.”

The project is taking place at the Frank Joubert Art Centre in Newlands, Cape Town.

Director Liesl Hartman explains, “This real life project has been extremely beneficial for the learners, not only have they researched environmental issues within their own neighbourhood, but they have also learnt how to produce work for a real client.” Divided into four sub-themes, the artworks range from detailed abstracts to paintings. One group of children has studied the biodiversity of trees and the aerial visual effects this has had on the environment, and translated this to their artwork. Another group has worked on a series of mixed media collages, looking

specifically at the relationship between the urban environment and the wetland areas closest to Cape Town International Airport.

“The plan,” says Zimmer, “is for these finished works to be translated by local crafters and artists into suitable mediums such as sewing, beading and mosaic. The finished works will then be exhibited on the four floors of the hotel, along with credits to each child and craft professional.

Guy Stehlik, founder of BON Hotels, who will manage and operate Hotel Verde, has embraced the project and believes that “creative ways for BON Hotels to collaborate with their immediate and broader community is an essential part of what we do daily and what we stand for: Good people.

Good thinking. Good feeling.”

Education Saving our dysfunctional schools Writer Natasha Braaf

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n 16 October MEC Donald Grant finally announced, what he termed as “a plan aimed at improving the lives of 4 000 learners in the Western Cape Province“.

This announcement was the culmination of many months of talks, consultations, demonstrations and not to mention the fierce malaise of opposition parties and civic society organisations.

MEC Grant announced that out of the 27 schools which was earmarked for closure at the end of December, seven had been granted reprieve. 20 schools will have its doors

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closed. The big question is of course – Why? The Western Cape Education Department recommended these schools for closure based on the following factors: Dwindling learner numbers learners; Multi-grade teaching; High dropout rates; Unsuitable schooling facilities; Poor Performance.

The Minister is adamant that all the processes and procedures have been followed carefully in accordance with the South African Schools Act and other relevant legislation and that he went beyond the prescribed public participation process to ensure that every member of society has the opportunity

to voice their opinion.

The draft plans that are in place to accommodate the learners affected by the closures are: The placement of learners at alternative schools; The placement of educators and support staff at alternative schools; The provision of learner transport; The provision of new school uniforms; Making provision for school fees where learners move from a no-fee school to a feepaying school.

Distraught parents and teachers are still numb after the announcement. One parent said that she had made no plans to place her son in another school as she still believes that the school (Lavis Rylaan primary) will remain open. School principal, Henry Hockey of Beauvalion says he is certain that the so-called consultation process was an utter waste of the community’s time as the WCED paid “John Ramsay High” a sum of R3 million sometime in March to accommodate his students. This shows that their minds were made up months ago.

According to Mr Hockey, his students refuse to attend the target school as it means they have to cross rival gang territory.

Seeking legal advice, Mr Marius Fransman vows that the fight against the closure of the schools will now be escalated. He says that “It is disgraceful that the Premier and Donald Grant have refused to listen to what the people want….We will litigate and we will campaign until the schools that will be closed are reopened”.

Mr Pierre de Vos – lecturer at the UCT Law Faculty opines that legal advice to Mr Fransman will no doubt focus on Section 29 of the Bill of Rights and on the provisions of the SA Schools Act, section 29 (1)(a) of the Constitution that states that “everyone has the right to a basic education”. Where the government fails to provide this or where it takes steps to limit the existing enjoyment of the right to education, it may be in breach of the Constitution and has to be fully justified.

While Section 33 of the Act effectively empowers the MEC to close schools, it does not require him to consider the potentially devastating impact of school closures. This section might well constitute an unreasonable and unjustifiable limitation on the right to section 29 (1) (a) of the Constitution and might therefore be unconstitutional.

Mr Grant expresses his chagrin about what he terms as “an attempt to hijack the issue for cheap political gain”, while the chairperson of the Equal Education lobby group maintains that the WCED evaded its obligation to provide substantive support to these schools and instead turned to the quick fix alternative of closure.

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POINT JOINS MAD IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Gary Davies, CEO POINT

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Investing in education is a very important part of South Africa as it contributes towards social development, employment, poverty alleviation and most importantly, paves a way for the future leaders of the country. It is because of this

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that POINT (Print Outsource International) is working together with Make A Difference (MAD) to contribute to a greater South Africa. POINT has announced that the company is sponsoring the MAD award for the Top Student in Gauteng, contributing to the celebration of youth development and education. The sponsorship covers the cost of tuition, books and accommodation for the student for the year. Chief Executive Officer of POINT , Gary Davies says, “It is very exciting because this is where our future leaders come from. MAD chooses the top students and paves the way for them.”

With a developed model of care that is unique in that it focuses resources on a small number of children with quality care, MAD enables vulnerable children in developing countries like South Africa to get the chance to not only change their circumstances but to become leaders. MAD also helps countries like Tanzania and India, sending children to the best schools in the regions that they come

from and ensuring that they have private tutoring, nutritional meals, sports therapy programs and counselling sessions.

Davies says, “The great thing about MAD is that it really is an investment into the future of the country. Education is the best investment you can really make.”

As South Africa’s only independent business focused on the outsourcing of print-related business processes, specialising in finding ways to save their clients up to 35% on printing costs, this is just another way POINT is contributing to a more sustainable future.

MAD’s vision, since its launch in 2008, has been to alleviate poverty among children and assist them in becoming leaders within their countries. It was founded by Theresa Grant, who left a marketing job in Silicon Valley, California to make a difference by investing in education. The organisation is a charity that helps to raise funds to send children to quality schools where a real difference to their futures can be made.

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Talbot & Talbot hosts successful water industry event

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ater scarcity is undoubtedly one of the most significant challenges facing humanity over the next century. A rapidly growing population, changes in consumption patterns, increased competition due to expanding economies and unsustainable practices have resulted in declining water quality and placed increasing pressure on already limited water supplies. In addition, further stress due to the impact of climate change (namely increased variability in rainfall and runoff, increasingly higher mean annual temperatures and the rise in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events) is likely to exacerbate the situation.

This was the theme of a recent workshop, hosted by Talbot & Talbot in association with WISA, which tackled the topic ‘Water supply in a Changing World’. Speakers from both the public and private sector were invited and addressed a well represented delegation to discuss issues relating to water supply and risk and the impact on future economic growth for the KwaZulu-Natal region.

Dr. Francois Talbot kicked off the workshop, introducing the topic and reviewing present and future water supply concerns for the greater Durban metro. This was followed

by Chris Fennemore from the EThekwini Municipality, who outlined the challenges being faced by the municipality’s water and sanitation unit. Currently, the discharge or overflow of storm water into sewer systems is the biggest problem, as this hydraulically overloads both the sewer networks and treatment works and introduces sand, silt litter and solid waste into the sewer. There was also a strong emphasis on the need for improved waste minimisation and water reuse as a means of augmenting scarce water supplies in the future. The onus being on industry to improve waste and

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effluent management so that the wastewater discharged to either municipal systems or directly to the river is of sufficient quality for re-use downstream or will not negatively impact on the natural environment. Stricter controls with regards to discharge consents and permits are essential, as well as incentive schemes which will reward industries with breaks on price tariffs if discharge limits are adhered too. Noncompliance needs to be better monitored and regulated to encourage improved water management and adherence to benchmarks and best practices.

Neal Bromley, Technical Director at Jeffares & Green, spoke to the need for municipalities to adopt a business approach to water management, where water is managed as the commodity and water users as the client. As such, it is essential that municipalities employ more systematic controls, measurement and monitoring of water use and supply, to minimise the gap between stressors in the water system and control of water use by municipalities. It was recognised that there is a significant need for a more holistic solution for municipal services that speak to addressing the key issues in current water services; namely erroneous metering, loss of revenue from inaccurate readings and uncollected rates and fines etc. New innovative systems are currently being piloted which use radio and cell phone technology to automatically correlate data and monitor water use in domestic households. The benefits of such automated systems are considerable and include, inter alia, mapping of consumption patterns and trends leading to reductions in overuse, management of water use systems according to predetermined criteria, improved billing and revenue collection and the empowerment of consumers to enable households to manage their own water use more efficiently.

Emeritus Professor Roland Schulze then concluded the workshop, with a presentation on the anticipated impacts of climate change on future water supply in South Africa.

South Africa is already faced with managing water in a damaged ecosystem and is well known as being predominantly water stressed. In fact, the region has exceeded predicted climate change scenarios; which makes the identification of key areas for improvement, education on the importance of waste minimisation and consideration of specific risks and issues for future planning and design of infrastructure critical for future water managers and infrastructure planners.

This will allow for the capitalisation on opportunities for shared value within both the private and public sectors and can contribute to the search for sustainable solutions for managing water. Collaboration between the private and public sector is the only way to begin to see real improvements on the ground in relation to water quality, water use efficiency and reductions in the gap between supply and demand, while promoting sustainable business, empowering communities and protecting critical freshwater ecosystems.

The most glaring conclusion from the event was the need for collaboration between both the private and public sectors in managing future water risk (availability and quality).

As water becomes scarcer, competition for this limited resource will increase, thereby affecting all users and most notably, more impoverished communities.

Talbot & Talbot is a water and wastewater management company that offers turnkey solutions with the aim of driving down clients production costs and optimising water and wastewater management. For further information please contact Talbot & Talbot on www.talbot.co.za, talbot@talbot. co.za or+27(0)33 3461 444.

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Responsible Tourism Tau Game Lodge

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n 22nd September, people all over the world took a stand against rhino poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn in recognition of the 3rd annual “World Rhino Day”, a global campaign initiated

by WWF. This day was declared in an attempt to debunk myths about rhino horn and it’s supposed healing and aphrodisiac qualities, and thus assist the Rhino in its fight for survival. Poachers have devastated rhino populations across Africa and Asia in the past decade, sending multiple species into extinction and threatening those that remain.

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At least 440 rhinos have been killed by poachers in South Africa in 2012, Madikwe included…

At Tau we too focused on World Rhino Day and during this September weekend Madikwe staff and guests signed a specially designed fiberglass Rhino in a pledge to safeguard the world’s remaining Rhinos. The North West Parks Board officials gave an informative talk on Rhino poaching and arranged an impressive display at a central clearing in the Reserve, where the anti-poaching unit demonstrated the procedures they follow when capturing and arresting poachers when

out on patrols. This was a great opportunity for all guests, rangers, managers and staff in Madikwe to see how the anti-poaching unit is trained, what is expected of them and the special skills which they possess.

Sadly we received the astonishing news that during the 48 hours of the “World Rhino Day” weekend, South Africa lost another 7 Rhinos and totals continue to increase…

In the past 4 years over a 1000 rhino have been lost in South Africa. Currently 1 rhino is poached every 16 hours, at which rate these ancient animals will soon be extinct.

It is therefore vitally important to continue to

De Doornkraal 13 x 8.8 ad 3/12/12 4:00 PM Page 1 C

raise awareness and funds and Tau will treat every day as “World Rhino Day” during the months to come.

Developments in Madikwe Game Reserve The Reserve, created from 75,000 ha of farmland, which had been extensively degraded by overgrazing, was chosen as the site of ‘Operation Phoenix “.

Commencing in 1991, the governmentsponsored, biggest-ever game- relocation program in Africa involved re-stocking and conserving flora and wildlife, which had long since disappeared from the region.

More than ten thousand animals of 27 major species, including Wild Dog, Cheetah, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo and Elephant were reintroduced to the Reserve over an extended period of years, with animals coming from various reserves and breeding centers.

The name of Operation Phoenix is appropriate: like the mythical bird that burnt itself to a crisp on the pyre and then rose from the ashes to live again with new vigor, nature has regained a stronghold on the land and the program has been hugely successful.

Madikwe is managed by the North West Parks Board, successor to the widelyacclaimed Bop Parks, which was also responsible for the establishment of the Pilanusberg National Park.

In 2012 the Parks Board has been working on another huge game relocation project, the largest since “Operation Phoenix” and Madikwe’s inception. An ambitious target of introducing over 6000 head of game (nearly 50% of Operation Phoenix) before the end of September 2012 was set. The reason for these game introductions is the number of predators within the Reserve. The Lion and ever-growing Wild Dog populations have been very successful in their hunting, and this has resulted in a gradual decrease of the general game species.

A drop off ramp was built in close proximity to Tau Game Lodge. As a direct result thereof Tau has had many daily visitors of a variety of species to the water hole and it has also offered some fortunate guests the opportunity of witnessing the game release procedures.

Madikwe Game Reserve is one of the premier game reserves in Southern Africa.

With the “Big 5” – including S.A’s second largest population of Elephants – its beautiful scenery, superb climate and the absence of Malaria, Madikwe is more than just a South African Game Reserve with lots to see in added comfort and safety.

A bright and exciting future is in store for what is already one of the most diverse and expanding game reserves in the country.

In the past 4 years over a 1000 rhino have been lost in South Africa.

Currently 1 rhino is poached every 16 hours, at which rate these ancient animals will soon be extinct.

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W Africa’s greenest hotel Hotel Verde

from the ground up

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e have a responsibility as a company, as an employer and as a visitor on this planet to live as sustainably as possible. This is the only way we can survive longterm and hand over to our children in a responsible manner.” Mario and Annemarie Delicio of Dematech are the couple behind Hotel Verde – Africa’s greenest hotel. Dedicated and passionate about sustainability, they have transformed what was initially just a sensible business

Writer Kendal Brown

proposition into a showcase for some of the most advanced environmentally conscious technological installations as well as construction and operation practices in the world.

Construction on Hotel Verde, which is a part of the recently launched BON Hotels group, began over a year ago just outside Cape Town International Airport, with a team of contractors and experts dedicated to finding the alternative. “If you look at what can be done from a green angle you look at energy, water and waste reduction,” Delicio

explains. “You then take each of these areas and work out how to implement alternatives, generating your own electricity for example.

Then you need to explore the extent to which you can go.”

And the team at Hotel Verde have gone to the furthest extent yet seen on the continent – from locally sourced suppliers to sustainable practices on the building site to multiple ways in which they can generate their own electricity and reduce waste to almost zero.

“We have an advantage because we are starting from scratch. We could go from choosing recycled bricks and insulation, to installing a geothermal field, coupled to ground-source heat pumps. When you build new you can plan much more than if you retrofit an existing building.”

Andre Harms, Sustainability Manager and founder of Ecolution Consulting, is a trained mechanical engineer and the expertise behind some of the more technical aspects of the building. Having spent 15 months at the South African Research Centre in Antarctica, Harms knows what it is to value everyday resources and is applying this dedication to each facet of the project. “We have the opportunity to change the status quo here,” he says. “We have looked at different ways of doing everything, right from the word go.”

This includes the photovoltaic (solar) panels cleverly positioned to provide shade as well as power. “They are mounted on the north façade of the building so as to not only generate electricity but create shading for the windows that get the most sun.”

Another way is to dramatically reduce the amount of concrete required by utilising Cobiax void formers – recycled plastic balls placed strategically within the concrete slabs that are required for the various floors. They displace the concrete, saving approximately 535 m3 or 1284 ton while maintaining structural integrity.

Hotel Verde also boasts a sophisticated grey water recycling plant that will contribute towards a 37% reduction of potable water use. “We have run a network of pipes through the building in order to reticulate the grey water, collect it and supply it to the toilets,” Harms explains. They will also be utilising a rainwater filtering and capture system to provide water for the car wash and irrigation.

The elevators will run on a regenerative drive, which will allow for about 30% of the input energy to be recaptured and fed back into the building, and double-glazed windows with spectrally selective glass will filter out hot rays, so less heat enters the building reducing the need for air-conditioning.

In order to bypass the need for standard air-conditioning systems, traditionally one

of the biggest energy consumers, Hotel Verde will utilise ground source heat pumps made by 100 holes drilled about 76 metres into the ground, where the temperature is a consistent 19 degrees Centigrade. Renowned German supplier AGO Energy will install a complex network of piping and equipment specifically designed for Hotel Verde that uses the earth as a heat source in winter and “heat sink” in summer, boosting efficiency and dramatically reducing operational costs.

“There is no other hotel in Africa that has gone to the extent that we are hoping to achieve,” Delicio says. “But going green is not just about the building, it’s about every aspect of the operation; zero waste to landfill for example. We might never reach that, but with the ideas we have in mind, we will come pretty close.”

Open to the public in May 2013, the hotel plans to incentivise clientele with credit notes and bar tabs for those who utilise towels more than once, for example, or don’t use the air-conditioning. “It’s about getting customers involved and making them a part of the whole green thinking philosophy,” Delicio explains.

Guy Stehlik, founder of BON Hotels, who will manage and operate Hotel Verde, says that the value of being involved in a project of this nature, plus its learning in terms of future hotels, is invaluable. “The three cornerstones of BON Hotels are Good people. Good thinking. Good feeling. Hotel Verde and the philosophy behind it is where the Good Thinking lies. This is definitely one of the most innovative hotels in the country and we are thrilled to be involved in a project of this nature.”

Despite the fact that this is the first of its kind, the Hotel Verde team doesn’t want it to be a secret; they want to share their convictions with anyone who’ll listen. “We might have the slogan ‘Africa’s Greenest Hotel’ right now, but we hope it won’t be for long,” says Harms. “We want to show the continent what can be done. We want to challenge the industry as a whole.”

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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 110

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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amibia is a country of primeval and unspoilt beauty. SWA SAFARIS can introduce you to its spectacular variety of landscapes, rich treasures of wildlife and unique flora. Enjoy the hospitality and friendliness of the Namibian people. Nevertheless, we at SWA SAFARIS are well equipped to make your stay an unforgettable one.

In 2012 SWA SAFARIS has celebrated it’s 58th anniversary thus making it the oldest and most experienced, family owned, tour operator in Namibia. The company was founded in 1954, and in those memorable years, were pioneers of tourism in our country. One of these pioneers was Uwe Sentefol, who took over SWA SAFARIS in 1974 and was the “heart” of the company until his sudden and unexpected death in 2001. Today, SWA SAFARIS is managed by his son Wilfried.

His granddaughter Tanja has just joined the company.

In the beginning, SWA SAFARIS started 112

with camping safaris, in trucks which had been converted to carry passengers, due to the lack of accommodation. Today, tourists travel in comfortable modern coaches.

We wish to make it quite clear that these are not luxury buses, but are Volkswagen Microbuses and larger MAN- and Mercedes buses with fresh-air ventilation and/or air condition and sliding windows . This is a very important aspect for photographers. The buses are specially constructed for our local roads which are mostly gravel roads. Seating is comfortable and spacious. Overnight stops take place at the best hotels, lodges, guest farms and rest camps available.

What is very important to you - and also for us - is the high standard of cleanliness maintained throughout Namibia. Our tour guides are also drivers and all of them speak English. They will do their best to show you our beautiful country where the magic heartbeat of Africa is just a stone’s throw away from a rich heritage of architecture dating back from the German era. Come and see for yourself. We would be more

than happy to welcome you on one of our scheduled tours. But we would like to tell you that we are not only running scheduled tours but also a lot of charter tours for tour operators from all over the world.

Last but not least we also can arrange tailormade tours especially for you. We book your hotels, guest farms, lodges and rest camps as well as your car, either a sedan or 4x4 vehicle. We help you with your itinerary even for self-drive tours or we drive you through the country in one of our cars, so that you can really relax and learn a lot of our country and its people from your tour guide. We also can book special excursions (by car or air) and Camping Safaris and we are always open for all your questions and will assist you. We also offer tours for special interest groups, e.g. for ornithologists, botanists or farmers, study tours and incentive tours.

So come and let us help to make your next holiday in sunny Namibia an unforgettable experience. www.swasafaris.com

Namibia is a country of primeval and unspoilt beauty. SWA SAFARIS can introduce you to its spectacular variety of landscapes, rich treasures of wildlife and unique flora. Enjoy the hospitality and friendliness of the Namibian people.

Let SWA SAFARIS, one of the most experienced Tour operators in Namibia, that has been in operation since 1954, make your stay in Namibia an unforgettable one.

Since 1954 .... your tour operator with experience Tel: + 264-61-221193 / 237567, Fax: + 264-61-225387 PO Box 20373, 43 Independence Avenue, Windhoek, Namibia swasaf@swasafaris.com.na - www.swasafaris.com - www.swasafaris.de

Putting sport in perspective Writer Kendal Brown

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outh Africans are sport mad. I think that’s a fairly fair generalisation.

Whether we play or spectate, it’s done with great fervour. The reality is that South Africa won’t always be the best at everything nor will they win every game they play. I am referring specifically to the three games that occupy most of the collective interest of the sport loving population: soccer, cricket and rugby.

So let’s have a look at cricket. A good series in England, a convincing series win in the true form of the game i.e. five days cricket and credible tied series in the fifty over and T20 version against the then world champions. Ah! This tag “world champions”, how it turns reasonable men into raving experts who are able to condemn everyone from player to officials at all levels for the shortcomings of their beloved favourites.

In my opinion, the closest we get to judging who the best side in the world may be is in the five day game where the powers that be have devised a system to more or less judge who the best side may be. But without the benefit of every team playing a home and away match against every other team within one season, we will never really be able to judge who is really number one and even then, who knows what may affect the outcome of games and as a result who is eventually judged the number one team.

Striving for excellence is a natural inclination but this being “number one” is simply a source for inexplicable fanaticism over what is in the end a game! So why can’t it be enough to be able to discern who the best sides may be at a particular time without having to affix a number one label to them.

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T 20 is a form of cricket but certainly not the purest by a long shot. It is largely a game of chance. Undeniably there are very skilled players taking part but their skill is restricted by having to take chances because of a limited amount of overs in which to accumulate a score. Normally their skill would preempt their taking chances at playing particular shots at certain types of delivery but given the constraints of the game they must. The result could be an improbable boundary shot or a quick dismissal.

A point in case, Australia and Sri Lanka

South Africans are sport mad. I think that’s a fairly fair generalisation. looked like the two teams likely to win the championship. Both teams succumbed to West Indies who took the honours. How many would say that at present WI are the best side in the world in the truest version of the game.

South Africa bowed out with three straight losses in the round of eight and the captain feels he needs to apologise to the nation.

Why? Who of us doubts they did their best?

They may have just as well have won if the bounce of the ball had favoured them on the day. So why all the fuss? In the real version of the game they are ranked number one in the world. Other versions of the game are for popular entertainment and to make money for the cricket powers that be.

The test game is the true measure of cricketing prowess and will always be! So enjoy the one day games and savour the five day tests. SA will be up against arch rivals Australia soon and then they will either prove or disprove

whether they deserve the honorary title of number one in the world. Our players play well and hard. Let’s commend them for that and the great sporting entertainment they bring us and relieve them of the pressure of always supposedly needing to be number one.

The same goes for rugby. We have a good side in the process of rebuilding.They are playing against their vastly more experienced antipodean counterparts and generally fared reasonably well. Truth of the matter is New Zealand is an exceptional side and clearly the best rugby playing side in the world. What we need to remember is that the players are providing us with some tremendous rugby week after week. Enjoy it! one of these days they will start gelling as a squad and playing some outstanding rugby against their greatest opponents and quite frankly the signs are there that they can compete with the very best already. Let them do so without the pressure of having to be overnight successes!

And so to soccer. Avidly supported. So often disappointing. Bafana Bafana have access to loads of talent. Major detractions being the failure to provide consistent coaching and a whole bunch of behind the scenes wrangling amongst officialdom.

Happily we have found a local coach with great credentials. If he is left to choose his squad without undue influence from outside he is sure to put together a truly representative side that will enjoy greater success in the days ahead.

But please remember, being number one isn’t the main objective. In sport,and I think any sportsmen knows this, it’s doing the best you can that really counts. If you love the game you’ll support your team, win or lose.

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TECHNOLOGY

Technologies relying on past wisdom for future sustainability Writer Cris Robertson

N

irmala Nair of the Zero Emissions Research Institute of South Africa has to be one of the most genuine advocates of sustainability.

Not because she has written enough books, spoken at enough conferences or coined enough terms. Not at all. She has just carried on living her life the way she always has been, which would have been called ‘sustainable’ even before the Brundtland Commission popularised the concept. In solving the problems of our time, the technologies we produce to answer certain unsustainable questions should sometimes look back on the wisdom of the past before bringing the future closer with bigger, faster and newer innovations.

In her poem, ‘The Myth of Sustainable Development’, Nirmala Nair says, “First they told my people / They were backward and primitive / They made my generation sick and lost / Then they stole the wisdom from my elders / Now they sell it back to my people / For a price, a big price / And call it / Sustainable development”. It’s true; sustainability is nothing new. Ancient cultures and tribal societies have been able to live within the natural limits and provide for their communities. Yet, we still refer to these cultures as ‘backward’. Why? Is it our fixation with whatever we call ‘progress’?

This addiction with always being up-todate and ‘present in the future’ knows no boundaries, it understands no boundaries, and is foolish in not drawing on the wisdom that many societies have simply called ‘life’.

Nevertheless, we dangerously continue with technological advancements that look into an unknown future to the extent that these fantasy things run our lives.

It is possible to solve our modern issues with tricks of the trade from the past. Traditional ecological knowledge has been able to guide our journey, even when it has seemed irrelevant in our technocratic societies, but a prejudice exists. The prejudice against this wisdom comes from our distrust in its capacity to absorb our techno-developments.

This is rubbish, and it is the opposite that seems to hold – the developments are unable to soak up the wisdom. This is because this form of knowledge that has been passed on from one to another has been set in a context – the elders have known the natural world intimately and have managed to find solutions that work together with this world we are so detached from. We should not be swayed by the lure of the newest technologies, as if these inanimate objects will bring about sustainability. Sometimes, what we need is just simple common sense –

a knowledge which we have collected along the way, but something we forgot in our modern ‘progress’.

An example of this common sense comes from outer space, funnily enough. The USA space team were developing a highly specialised and expensive pen to write in the great, dark nothingness. A lot of research and experiments resulted in a high-tech pen that the Americans boasted about to the Russians, who at the time were their rivalling superpower. The Russians simply brought a pencil up to space. Whether the tale is true or not isn’t really the point, the point is in the message – that our onedimensional investments in future prospects can be pathetic when compared to the ways of doing things in the past that have remained applicable and efficient. The argument against putting all of our faith in technological advancements is an argument for simplicity – it’s just common sense.

Thankfully, there is a practice that has shown some common sense in the chaos of this commitment to non-stop continuation. It combines technicallysound scientific solutions with 3.8 billion years of experience. This is the practice of biomimicry. Tina Casey of Triple Pundit says that humans don’t have the time to expect that some new thing will solve our problems, but with biomimicry “we can use the engineering principles found in nature to jumpstart research and development, reaching an economical solution with fewer sidetracks and dead ends.” However, as with all chances at hope, we somehow still end up shooting ourselves in both feet. In 2009, the Swiss food corporation Nestlé applied for a patent on home-made remedies based on cow’s milk to cure constipation that Indian housewives have used for centuries. Why is this not surprising?

Perhaps we don’t have common sense anymore. But we certainly did. We’ve just lost it along the way. This is why Nirmala Nair deserves so much respect. She hasn’t been fooled by the marketing, the madeup words and the techno-fantasies of the powerful. It’s common sense. She grows and eats her own food, she rides her bike around (and doesn’t own a car), she’s been recycling even before it was called ‘recycling’, and she has a strong set of values she lives by. Now, why do we find this so radical and new?

MOTORING

CAR REVIEW Toyota GT 86

T

he formula is simply classic: snarly, high-revving four-cylinder engine in the nose, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2 seating, a swoopy body, a stubby gearlever and a cosy cabin with lowslung sport seats , Subaru’s version, the BRZ, is mechanically identical but looks a little different, and there’ll even be a third version for the American market called the Scion FR-S which will look subtly altered . Common to all the versions, is a 197bhp, flat four engine that uses a Subaru block and Toyota-designed cylinder heads that’s been designed to spin to 7000rpm and direct its output to the road via a six-speed manual gearbox. So it’s Old School with a modern execution. Best of all is the asking price of around R298 500 for the standard spec and R346 500 for the high spec which will certainly give front wheel drive rivals like the VW Scirocco R something to think about.

Weighing just 1180 kg, you might expect the GT86 to make rather more of its 197bhp engine ,the estimated headline performance stats of 225km/h and 0-100km/h in 7.6s .

But this car isn’t just about raw power. Its lean kerb weight will play just as big a role in the way it handles and rides. A limited slip differential also fitted as standard, reaffirming GT86’s essential “driver’s car” character.

And, in this respect, all the ingredients look especially promising: quick steering (2.5 turns lock to lock), a limited slip differential and, perhaps most importantly of all, ESP

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that can be fully turned off. The emphasis here is on keenness of response, agility and the ability to adjust the cornering attitude as much with the throttle as the helm, and 17inch versions of the low rolling resistance tyres that can also be found on the Toyota Prius should ensure that outright grip never overwhelms the desire to play the angles should the driver so wish. Back-to-basics fun was always at the heart of the brief for this car.

The driving environment should certainly help get you in the mood with its low-slung bucket seats and driver-centric control layout, not to mention the drilled pedals and footrest. Disappointments? A shortthrow gearchange that’s a bit notchy and a six-speed auto option that, while smooth, lacks the snappy alacrity of the best doubleclutchers. But that’s about it.

Of the two versions of this design (Subaru’s BRZ is the other), Toyota’s aesthetic approach has been the more conservative.

This though, remains a very good looking car indeed and if the styling isn’t daring enough for you, roof and bonnet decals are available in black or silver to add an extra dimension to GT86’s sporting appearance.

The 2+2 cabin further emphasizes the essential character of the GT86, with a cockpit designed around the driver, front sports seats, aluminium pedals and contrasting red stitching around the black leather trimmed steering wheel, gear knob and parking brake.

Access is easy thanks to the Smart Entry system, and the cabin environment can be

Writer Jerome Dyson

programmed for comfort with dual-zone air conditioning. The six-speed automatic transmission available for GT86s includes paddle shifts to give the driver the option of making manual gear changes.

The high quality extends to an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, cruise control, hill-start assist, scuff plates and the Toyota touch screen control system for controlling the six-speaker sound system, with Bluetooth for phone connection and music streaming, and a USB port. As an option, the system can be upgraded to Toyota Touch and Go, with satellite navigation and advanced functions such as speed and safety camera warnings, on-board connection to Google Local Search.

Active safety provisions include a switchable VSC stability control system, which can be adjusted through three driving modes to suit driver preference, and a torque-sensing limited slip differential. Seven airbags are provided, including a driver’s knee airbag.

For all the undoubted excellence of cars like the Volkswagen Scirocco, the affordable coupe market has probably been waiting for a car like the Toyota for too long. But, in a way, that only makes its timing all the more perfect. For drivers old enough to have been cutting their sporting teeth in the ’80s, it’s a slice of updated nostalgia.

It may not be the fastest thing from A to B but it was never meant to be. In the GT86 the experience will be all about the journey, not how fast you can get there.

Technology REVIEWS Writer Charlene Heyburgh

Google Nexus 10 Google and Samsung teamed up to create this tablet. Made of plastic and glass, it is lighter and thinner than an iPad. It has a bigger display and offers better screen resolution.

Screen size: 26 cm Weight: 602 g Software: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Ram: 2 GB Storage: 16 & 32 GB options Connectivity: Wi-Fi only Camera: 5MP rear camera PROS: With a retina searing 10.05 inch, 2560 x 1600 Super PLS display, it is even higher in resolution than the latest iPad. CONS: No 3G/4G option. No expendable storage.

Battery charging is said to be extremely slow.

Apple iPad Superbly crafted out of glass and Aluminium, the iPad is a real beauty.

Screen size: 24.6 cm Weight: 635 g Software: Ios 6 Ram: 1 GB Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB Connectivity: Wi-Fi and cellular Camera: 5MP rear camera PROS: Access to more than 275 000 iPad Apps in its iTunes store and an amazing high quality retina screen.

CONS: Prepare to dig deep in your pocket once it reaches South African shores in December.

Apple iPad Mini Apple’s goal was to create the smallest possible iPad that could still deliver the full iPad experience. They succeeded by making the iPad mini, perfect for those on a budget. It is 23% thinner than a traditional iPad and 53% lighter.

Screen size: 20.07cm Weight: 308 g Software: Ios 6 Ram: 512 MB Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB Connectivity: Wi-Fi and cellular Camera: 5MP rear camera PROS: It has an impressively low weight and is all about portability.

Perfect for when you are out and about as it can be held in one hand.

CONS: The screen is not what you would expect from an Apple product.

You need to ask yourself if it is worth spending your hard earned cash on a mini version when you can fork out a bit more and purchase the fully fledged version of Apples Tablet.

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Tech+ Kindle Fire HD Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 This offering from Samsung is definitely built for practicality and durability as it is made from shiny plastic. The Galaxy Note 10.1 combines a high resolution screen with Samsungs leading S Pen Stylus to expand what can be done with a tablet computer.

Google Nexus 7 Google paired with Asus to design and manufacture this slender tablet. A rather plain-looking device compared to the other offerings on the market but a comfortable design and a great battery life at a low starting price.

Screen size: 17.7cm Weight: 340 g Software: Android OS 4.1 Jelly Bean Ram: 1 GB Storage: 8 and 16 GB Connectivity: Wi-Fi Camera: 1.2MP front camera PROS: Best value for money if you are looking for a decent priced tablet.

Access to apps through the Google Play store. The cheapest way to experience the best that Android has to offer.

CONS: Limited storage options and too few Android Apps. Functionality is limited.

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Screen size: 26cm Weight: 600g Software: Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Ram: 2GB Storage: 16, 32 or 64 GB Connectivity: Wi-Fi and cellular Camera: 5MP rear camera and a 1.9MP lens in the front.

PROS: The ability to divide the screen in 2 so applications can be displayed alongside each other.

Access to 500 000 apps available from the Google Play store.

CONS: The screen resolution is a bit disappointing if you consider the cost of the tablet.

A perfect choice for anyone looking for a tablet similar to an iPad but without the high price tag, the only difference being fewer features than on the iPad. A simple, basic tablet in terms of design and functionality.

Screen size: 19.3 cm Weight: 395 g Software: Custom Android OS Ram: 1 GB Storage: 16 & 32 GB options Connectivity: Wi-Fi only Camera: 720p front-facing camera for video calls.

PROS: You get access to the entire library of books on Amazon. The screen is high resolution enough to make text crisp and not blurry as they are on other tablets.

CONS: Web browser could be better.

Takes time to scroll through web pages once you double-tap to zoom into an area.

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Book reviewS

Writer Charlene Heyburgh

Succeed Under Pressure

Killing For Profit

The Art of Losing

Author Julian Rademeyer

Author Luke Alfred

Author Gary Bailey & Rakesh Sondhi

Publisher Random House Struik

Publisher Random House Struik

Publisher Random House Struik

Price R220

Price R220

Price R200

On the black markets of Southeast Asia, rhino horn is worth more than gold, cocaine and heroin. This is the chilling story of a two-year-long investigation into a dangerous criminal underworld and the merciless syndicates that will stop at nothing to obtain their prize. It is a tale of greed, folly and corruption, and of an increasingly desperate battle to save the rhino –which has survived for more than fifty million years- from extinction.

Killing for profit is a compelling, meticulous and revelatory account of one of the world’s most secretive trades.

It exposes the poachers, gangsters, con men, mercenaries, killers, gunrunners, diplomats, government officials and crime bosses behind the slaughter. And it follows the bloody trail from the front lines of the rhino wars in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to the medicine markets of Vietnam.

Since South Africa’s readmission to world cricket in 1991, the Proteas have played in six World Cups (and four World T20 tournaments) and have been knocked out in all of them. The reasons range from the weather and misreading the Duckworth-Lewis table to being outwitted on the field itself. In the most recent tournaments, though, they have shown a scandalous lack of nerve in the pressure-cooker of international knockout cricket.

Drawing from interviews with the major protagonists and behind-the-scenes officials, the Art of Losing recreates the drama of these matches. With fresh anecdotes, stories and insights, it also attempts to explain why World Cup failure has become a habit. Does the problem lie with coaching, with communication issues, or with a lack of independent thinking among the players?

Top-level football is one of the most stressful and competitive areas of the business world. Thirty-three percent of managers in the English professional football leagues are sacked or resign each year. And although most business people are under pressure these days, not much time, or money, is spent helping them to deal with, or even thrive on, pressure – which is what Gary had to do as a goalkeeper, the toughest position on the pitch, for the biggest club in the world.... and what Sir Alex has been doing for the last 26 hugely successful years at Old Trafford.

Succeed Under Pressure is based on Gary Bailey’s highly popular motivational talks, which are, in part, inspired by Sir Alex Ferguson’s leadership abilities as manager of Manchester United.

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Conversations with My Sons and Daughters Author Mamphela Ramphele Publisher Penguin Books SA Price R170 In these conversations with people of a younger generation, Mamphela Ramphele responds to the growing despair among young South Africans about the cracks that are appearing in our system of governance and threatening the idealism of the country that reinvented itself with the dawn of democracy in 1994. She shows incisively how successive post-apartheid ANC governments have betrayed the nation for a culture of impunity among those close to the seat of power, where corruption goes unremarked and accountability has been swept aside.

Enduring poverty, inequity and a failing public service, most notably in health and education, are the results.

DIARY OF EVENTS 19TH ANNUAL INVESTING IN AFRICAN MINING INDABA Africa Energy Indaba Johannesburg 19 - 21 February 2012 Sandton Convention Centre The Africa Energy Indaba, adopted by the World Energy Council (WEC) as the African regional event of the WEC, receives global recognition as the foremost event for energy professionals from across the globe and is rapidly gaining momentum as the energy business forum in Africa. Presented by the South African National Energy Association (SANEA) in association with the World Energy Council, and supported by the African Union and the NEPAD Planning & Coordinating Agency, the forum has achieved the highest level of endorsement and support and as such is without doubt the leading energy event in Africa. The 5th annual Africa Energy Indaba will be the forum and business networking opportunity for decisionmakers and leading role-players planning and developing Africa’s energy future. www.energyindaba.co.za

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CAPE TOWN 4 - 7 February 2013, Cape Town International Convention Centre The annual Investing in African Mining Indaba is organised by Mining Indaba LLC. For more than 18 years, the Investing in African Mining Indaba in collaboration with its partners in South Africa and the African continent, have channeled billions of dollars into the African mining value chain. The annual Mining Indaba is the world’s largest mining investment event and Africa’s largest mining event. Investing in African Mining Indaba is an annual professional conference dedicated to the capitalisation and development of mining interests in Africa. www.miningindaba.com

IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology 2013 CAPE TOWN 25 - 27 February 2013 Pavilion-Clock Tower Conference Centre For ICIT 2013 the organisers are planning on two Industry Form sessions, focusing on the potential contribution of Industrial Electronics technologies in two major South African industry sectors: 1. Power1 - Industrial Electronics Technologies are evolving in the power industry with smart grid, renewable technologies, management, and control systems some of the application areas.

2. Mining2 - The mining industry faces many challenges where Industrial Electronics Technologies can have an impact, including robotics, control systems, safety concerns, and communications.

Industry Forum sessions are part of the conference. In addition to the Industry Forum, attendees will be interested in the general ICIT sessions, including a Technology Management Track done in cooperation with the IEEE Technology Management Council. www.icit2013.org

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