Author: Thandile Thobela

IMF: In an IMF blog posted yesterday, the Fund noted that climate change poses ‘grave threats to countries across Africa – but especially fragile and conflict-affected states’. The Fund noted that it is vital that Africa’s leaders come up with solutions to support these vulnerable countries. It added that from Central Africa Republic to Somalia and Sudan, fragile states suffer more from floods, droughts, storms and other climate-related shocks than other countries when they have contributed the least to climate change. Moreover, each year, three times more people are affected by natural disasters in these fragile states than in other countries,…

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The return to full production at the Rainbow Chicken plant in Hammarsdale, outside Durban, is a historic event. The plant was partly shuttered in 2017, due to rising levels of dumped chicken imports. The 2017 Hammarsdale closure highlighted the crisis in the South African poultry industry because of nearly two decades of chicken dumping.  Import volumes had risen steadily, with devastating consequences for chicken farmers. Rainbow downsized and restructured its operations; many smaller operations had closed, with the loss of more than 6 000 jobs. Some 1 200 jobs were lost at Hammarsdale alone, as the plant was shuttered and poultry farms…

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We had a look at what our female Share Invest clients are invested in right now. While not completely different to what our male clients are invested in – there were some interesting surprises waiting for us in the thousands of data points (and subsequent pivot tables) that we combed through. As a start, it is important to note that we still have a lot more men than women with share portfolios – only 25% of our Share Invest client base who disclosed their gender are women. This is in-line with global norms and, although the balance has improved over…

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Hammarsdale has special significance for FairPlay. The Hammarsdale closure, and the plight of the workers and communities affected, resulted in the launch of FairPlay as a movement opposed to dumping and unfair and illegal trade. FairPlay founder Francois Baird recalled that the decision to close the plant and retrench workers was announced in 2016. FairPlay came into being soon afterwards. “FairPlay was founded with two main objectives – to stand on the side of the people by opposing trade dumping and by supporting workers and communities affected by the job losses that dumping causes. By the time the Hammarsdale doors…

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The Saudi Arabian Food and Drug Authority has announced it is to lift a ban on meat imports from South Africa, opening up opportunities for local meat producers in a sizeable market. Freight News reports that Saudi officials inspected local abattoirs and feedlots in June this year to ensure that meat products complied with Saudi Arabian market access protocols and halaal certification. The ban was imposed after the local foot-and-mouth disease outbreak 21 years ago. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said South African meat producers were now allowed to participate in a huge, global halaal meat industry. He said…

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China believes African countries will be able to feed themselves, and has promised Chinese investment to help the continent to achieve that objective. The undertaking came from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recent summit in Johannesburg of the BRICS group of nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He said China will allocate more resources to Africa’s industrialisation and agricultural production, as well as train thousands of African students in their professional skills. In particular, Beijing will help African countries expand wheat production and encourage Chinese companies to increase agricultural investment in Africa and increase seed production.  Xi said he…

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PPT Group, one of South Africa’s premier management consultancy firms, has announced that it will integrate the transformative capabilities of Microsoft Copilot, an AI-powered collaboration tool for Microsoft 365, into its portfolio of client services. “Platform shifts in technology have always defined the eras of innovation. From text-based computing to the GUI, the internet and mobile, and now AI, we are on the cusp of another monumental shift. AI will transform how businesses across all industry sectors operate, collaborate, and improve internal efficiencies,” says Tony Silva, Managing Director at PPT Group. The alliance between Microsoft and OpenAI has produced Copilot,…

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In a first of its kind in South Africa, Vodacom signed a Virtual Wheeling agreement with Eskom earlier today that will help accelerate efforts to solve the country’s energy crisis. In addition to adding capacity to the nation’s power grid, this agreement – a Vodacom innovation which has been co-developed with Eskom – will also play a significant role in moving Vodacom closer to its goal of sourcing 100% of its electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2025. This agreement will now enable Vodacom to execute the next phase of this innovative solution – securing Independent Power Producers (IPPs)…

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When you took out car insurance on your new vehicle, it is unlikely you reviewed the policy with a fine-tooth comb. You would rather be enjoying your new ride than reading the fine print, right? This means that while you might know the basics of what is covered by your vehicle insurance, you might not be aware of some of the crazy unknown risks that car insurance cover takes care of for you. Your comprehensive policy covers you for things that are out of your control like theft and weather. But there are some surprising things your policy covers that…

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By the year 2050, the global population is projected to surpass 9 billion, presenting a substantial challenge in ensuring an adequate food supply for everyone. Addressing this imperative, the agricultural sector must undergo a remarkable transformation, aiming to increase production by approximately 69% from 2010 to 2050. Farmers spanning from small-scale cultivators to expansive agricultural enterprises are actively embracing intelligent farming techniques and cutting-edge technologies to navigate this effort. This concerted effort is geared towards optimising production processes, pre-empting market demands, mitigating potential adversities, and swiftly adapting to fluid market dynamics. This progressive shift brings a new level of intelligence…

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