Mbombela - Organisations that want to help fight rhino poaching have until Friday, February 7 to provide government with their suggested anti-poaching strategies.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has urged all its partners to review South Africa's current strategy after 86 of the endangered animals were killed in January alone. Last year was the worst on record, with 1 004 rhinos killed.

“The aim of this (review) process is to identify priority areas that require additional assistance and gaps that must be addressed," said DEA spokesperson Albi Modise.

He said the department also hoped to identify opportunities to collaborate, cooperate or consolidate existing projects and initiatives with its partners.

The department's partners include NGOs, non-profit organisations, fund raisers, rhino conservation and anti-poaching service providers and donors involved in rhino-related projects.

Modise said 21 suspected poachers have already been arrested this year in connection with the 86 rhinos that were poached since the beginning of January. Last year, 343 suspects were arrested.

Like last year, most of the rhinos killed so far this year (63) were killed in the Kruger National Park. Eight were poached in KwaZulu-Natal, six in Limpopo, four in the Free State, three in Mpumalanga and two in the North West.

Both South Africans and members of the international community are being encouraged to report information related to rhino poaching and related tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211. – SAnews.gov.za

Positive Outlook For Irish Agrifood If Sustainable Long Term Investment Can Be Achieved. Top food industry executives, banking strategists, and farming interests are gathered in Dublin today (Clyde Court Hotel, Lansdowne Road) to explore sustainable investment options for the future growth and development of Ireland’s Agrifood industry.Â* The AgriFood Business Partners Conference is designed to [...]
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ECDC loan turns around the fortunes of a local business. An R800 000 Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) loan has helped to turn around the fortunes of a local filling station. The Mtembu family’s Caltex filing station in Ulundi has in less than two years become an award winning business that has seen a 20% [...]ECDC loan turns around business is a post from: South Africa Business

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In 1973, Hilary and George Bradt were told about an old Inca road leading from Cusco’s Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. They hiked it, explored the ruins and published the first ever description of the Inca Trail in 1974. Backpacking Along Ancient Ways in Peru and Bolivia became the first Bradt guide and 40 years [...]
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This is the cover of the book, Middle Hill Child, written by dear friend and author Arpad Paddy Bacskai, about the shattering events he experienced as a child in Eastern Europe during and after World War II. The cover picture is of Paddy. Paddy was the progeny of a turbulent family caught up in the [...]
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Addis Ababa - African leaders on Wednesday accepted President Jacob Zuma’s report on progress made on the Nepad Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative for the continent, the President’s special advisor Lindiwe Zulu told SAnews.

The initiative is part of African countries strategy to champion regional and cross-border infrastructure projects in order to attract investments and enhance regional integration.

In the past two years, African leaders have held a view that regional integration is the best and perhaps the only way for Africa to realise its growth potential, participate effectively in the global economy, and share the benefits of globalisation.

“He (Zuma) today presented a progress report on all the different projects that the other presidents are championing. As you know he is championing the North South corridor infrastructure which moves from south right up to the top of Africa,” said Zulu. North South is a network of road and rail connections between South Africa in the south and Tanzania in the north.

In 2011, the AU and Nepad (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) through the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative, identified infrastructure nodes that required urgent investment. President Zuma chairs the initiative, as well as the corridor, which is one of eight mega-projects on the continent. The corridor is reportedly made up of 59 road projects, 38 rail projects and six bridges.

On Wednesday, Zuma presented his report to the Nepad Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee and that document is expected to be further discussed when Heads of State officially open their two-day AU summit on Thursday. This year’s theme for the summit is centred on food security and agriculture.

Zulu said some of the Presidents who are also ‘champions’ in the infrastructure programme made additions to Zuma’s report.

The Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative is based on the AU, Nepad African Action Plan (AAP) and the Programme for the Infrastructural Development of Africa (PIDA). The PIDA initiative came after the AU raised concerns that deficits of infrastructure have a clear impact on African competitiveness.

“African countries, particularly those south of the Sahara, are among the least competitive in the world, and infrastructure appears to be one of the most important factors holding them back,” reads an AU report on the state of the continent’s infrastructure.

Many of Africa’s 54 countries were small, with populations of fewer than 20 million and economies of less than $10 billion. Their infrastructure systems, like their borders, were reflections of the continent’s colonial past, with roads, ports, and railroads built for resource extraction and political control, rather than to bind territories together economically or socially. This was a continental problem that requires a continental solution.

The AU says once PIDA is fully implemented, the outcomes would be a reduction in energy costs. Africa will reap savings on electricity production costs of $30 billion a year, or $850 billion through 2040. Power access will rise from 39% in 2009 to nearly 70% in 2040, providing access to an additional 800 million people.

The Nepad steering committee also gave its report on its activities in the past year and presented “a plan of action” until 2017.

“What was also important was the presentation of the ‘Africa 50’ report that is a long term programme on infrastructure development on the continent and what is interesting about it is that the African Development Bank has already worked out quite a number of projects and even looked into funding of those projects, added Zulu.

The bank would work with other financing institutions where there is an implementation of the projects.

“The projects President Zuma and other leaders are pushing, must obviously be seen in the context of Africa’s own programme of 2063 because Africa now has this long term plan. So overall, today’s meeting was very successful”.

The Nepad Planning and Coordinating Agency, also known as the Nepad Agency, oversees all plans for infrastructure projects and acts as a technical body of the AU.

The body works closely with the African Union Commission (AUC), regional economic communities, national governments, civil society and the private sector to push for programmes and projects that focus on improving the continent’s pace in infrastructure delivery.

Later in the day, Zuma is expected to present South Africa’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) report for the period October 2010 – January 2013. The African Peer Review Mechanism is a mutually agreed programme, voluntarily adopted by the member states of the African Union, to promote and re-enforce high standards of governance. It is a self-monitoring mechanism.

“What will be most important for us will be the comment that the other Heads of State will be making with regards to South Africa’s own APRM report,” said Zulu. – SAnews.gov.za

The Reserve Bank has hiked up the repo rate to 5.5%. “The MPC [Monetary Policy Committee] has decided to increase the repurchase rate by 50 basis...

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While government has made considerable strides since the dawn of democracy, much more still remains to be done to reduce inequality in the country, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Speaking at the Mail & Guardian 20 Years of Economic Transformation Summit in Sandton, Motlanthe said while poverty had declined, inequality had not, as data shows that the richest 10% of households still get over half of the country’s national income.

“We should not underestimate the impact of inequality on our society. Social stratification, which cuts across the colour line today, sharpens the sense of economic injustice among some sections of the South African population.”

Motlanthe said this shortfall should be taken into account with the unique institutions, the pattern of investment and infrastructure, workplace relations, and the structures of education, skills and ownership set up through centuries of colonial and apartheid rule.

These, he said, restricted and impoverished certain groups, leaving them without assets or land, adequate qualifications or entrepreneurial experience.

In trying to address both challenges of poverty and equality, government had much success in overhauling apartheid-inherited labour laws and creating greater equality in the work place, while seeking to bring about economic transformation and increasing productivity.

These included redirecting government investment into social services and infrastructure towards historically disadvantaged communities, introduction of labour rights and a new skills system, programmes to broaden economic power by supporting emerging enterprise, industrial and trade policy measures to diversify the economy.

Among those policies, Motlanthe said, was the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), which he admitted had its own challenges, such as fronting, speculation and abuse of the tender system.

“BBBEE regulations also fail to adequately incentivise job creation and support for small enterprises and local procurement.”

He said the revision of the code and the passing of the B-BBEE Amendment Act were intended to deal with this.

With regards to the labour market, which the Deputy President said was characterised by deep segmentation and oppressive workplace relations, government had made notable strides since 1994.

“Labour laws were deracialised and extended equally to all workers. The Labour Relations Act of 1995 (LRA) introduced organisational rights for workers, set a framework for bargaining structures and provided for alternative dispute settlement mechanisms.”

To work its way out of the current challenges, the country would need to invest in innovation and people.

“Innovation is the impulse that propels modernisation and consistently empowers societies that are largely successful today. Therefore going forward, we need to invest in local capacity that enables us to research new ways of value addition to our mineral resources.”

Among areas that innovation can prove of great value to us are: agro processing; the maritime industry; green economy; and hydrogen fuel cells or clean energy, all of which he said could create decent jobs, grow the economy and energise ongoing process of reconstruction and development of our country. – SAnews.gov.za

Downloads: A new file has been added by TheEdan Luyt 15km Results 2014 (http://www.time-to-run.com/forums/downlo...id=225)Aki...

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Ingolstadt – On June 14/15, Audi will leave no stone unturned to continue its string of victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The new Audi R18 e-tron quattro the brand will be competing with is the most complex race car in Audi’s history. Chris Reinke, Head of LMP at Audi Sport, outlines the key [...]Audi And The Long Way To Le Mans is a post from: Auto n Spire


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