Progress is being made in dealing with the shortage of artisans in the country, says the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) of South Africa.

The HRDC held its 9th Human Resource Development Provincial Coordination Forum meeting in the North West on Friday.

The forum was established to create a link and to encourage alignment between provincial human resource development activities.

It also affords provincial representatives an opportunity to report on the progress made in the production of professionals, including artisans and the alignment of the provincial resource development strategy to the New Growth Path.

The North West Provincial Government reported that 141 artisans were certified by the end of 2013, while the Northern Cape reported that over and above training and development two training centres of excellence have been completed while two other green skills centres are under construction for artisan development.

This is an addition to the newly established university in the province. The two newly launched universities in Northern Cape and Mpumalanga have started with their programmes with the first intake earlier this year.

Gauteng reported 100 vocational development programme graduates identified for the automotive artisanal programmes with 90 placed in electrical engineering learnerships, among others.

"Accumulatively, these numbers show a positive trajectory in dealing with the shortage of artisans in the country and ultimately building the human resource development base required to ensure a prosperous and inclusive South African society and economy,” head of the HRDC Secretariat Brenda Ntombela said.

Following the successful Year of the Artisan in 2013, the Department of Higher Education and Training is embarking on a 10-year campaign called 2014 - 2024 Decade of the Artisan under the theme "It's cool to be a 21st Century Artisan”.

The HRDC is a national multi-tiered stakeholder advisory body established in 2010 under the leadership of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and under the management of the Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande to build the human resource development base required to ensure a prosperous and inclusive South African society and economy. –SAnews.gov.za

South Africans saved a total 575 MW of electricity - enough electricity to power a city the size of Polokwane - during Earth Hour on Saturday, says Eskom.

As part of its support for the Earth Hour campaign, Eskom measured the reduction in electricity used during the hour against typical consumption for this time on an average Saturday evening.

Eskom had also switched off non-essential lighting at all its offices around the country, except at strategic facilities for security reasons.

South Africans switched off their lights for Earth Hour from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and more than 2 000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Support for the initiative has increased each year.

“Earth Hour affords all electricity users an opportunity to realise that it is ‘in our power’ to save electricity and switch to more sustainable ways of living and doing business.

“Individual actions have a collective impact; together, as a nation, we can leave a legacy of a healthy South Africa and a healthy planet,” Andrew Etzinger, Eskom’s Senior General Manager for Integrated Demand Management said on Sunday.

In 2013, South Africans achieved a 629MW average reduction on their electricity usage.

Turning off the lights saves hundreds of tons of coal from being burned to produce electricity, so that less greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. - SAnews.gov.za

Collin Matjila has been appointed as the acting Chief Executive Officer of Eskom as of 1 April 2014, the electricity utility said.

This as the current CEO Brian Dames will leave the company on 31 March.

“Matjila is currently a member of the Eskom Board. He is the former chairman of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and has a track record of leadership and management of large organisations, and a deep knowledge of the electricity industry,” said Eskom on Thursday.

Matjila, who will be supported by team of competent executives, will return to his position as a non-executive director of the Eskom board once an appointment of a substantive CEO has been made.

“The board took the considered view that while the company’s executives are sufficiently competent for this position, their pressing priority is managing the highly constraint electricity system. The executives are however eligible and free to apply for the full-time position,” noted the entity.

Eskom board chairperson Zola Tsotsi welcomed Matjila’s appointment.

“We are very excited to have Matjila as the acting chief executive of Eskom given his vast knowledge and experience of the electricity industry. Collin’s experience as Chairman of Nersa at some stage in his career and also as one of the current members of the Eskom Board whilst also being the Chairman of the Eskom Board Tender Committee for almost 3 years stands him in good stead for this role,” said Tsotsi.

Additionally Tsotsi paid tribute to the outgoing CEO, saying that he had brought stability to Eskom.

“Brian Dames is held in high regard as a result of his knowledge, leadership style and his open and transparent approach to communication. Eskom is indebted to him for his life-long contributions to the company. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Dames -- who was appointed as CEO on 1 July 2010 -- announced his resignation in December 2013.

The process for the appointment of the new chief executive is currently underway and will be finalised as soon as possible.

“An executive search agency has been appointed to assist the Board in finding a suitable candidate for this position,” said Eskom. - SAnews.gov.za

The KwaZulu-Natal Finance Department has injected R4 million to assist with infrastructure development in the dilapidating Nongoma town.

This comes after the local business sector had complained that it was becoming difficult for them to run their business at the town due to a number of challenges which include ageing infrastructure.

As part of her budget consultation roadshows, Finance MEC Ina Cronje met the local business sector in Nongoma on Wednesday, where she announced that the provincial treasury had injected R4 million to assist the town with experts in infrastructure development.

The Provincial Treasury, through the panel of infrastructure experts (Infrastructure Crack Team), intervened and appointed LTE Consulting as Project Management Support Unit to build capacity and assist the Municipality with the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant projects.

“Our Infrastructure Crack Team is working with Nongoma municipality to unlock bottlenecks in infrastructure projects. We will always assist municipalities that need our intervention to unlock infrastructure projects.

“We are happy to announce that the road upgrade in town is near completion. The bus and taxi rank construction project is almost complete.

“These are exciting projects that assist to bring development in our community. This is a commitment that our government has made to improve the lives of our people,” MEC Cronje said.

Nongoma municipal mayor, Councillor Jeremiah Bhekumthetho Mavundla, could not hide his excitement about the development in Nongoma.

Mavundla commended the Provincial Treasury for its intervention, saying: “Nongoma is no longer the same since the Provincial Treasury’s intervention. We have witnessed the Crack Team’s interventions driving development to another level”.

He explained that prior to the interventions, the municipality had had capacity problems which prompted them to seek help because infrastructure problems were spiralling out of hand.

Deputy Chairman of Nongoma Taxi Association, Mthukutheli Mchunu, was overjoyed. He said the construction of the bus and taxi rank was a huge relief to the bus and taxi industry.

“We did not have space and used to park our vehicles all over the town causing traffic congestion. It was a total chaos. Today, our town is at peace and the traffic is flowing smoothly,” he said.

The MEC also heard that some businesses were affected negatively by late payment by some government departments.

MEC Cronje said the provincial government had committed itself to pay service providers within 30 days after the receipt of an invoice. - SAnews.gov.za

The Mining Sector Consultative Forum, led by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, has reaffirmed its commitment to continue working together to stabilise the mining industry in the country.

Deputy President Motlanthe on Thursday led a quarterly meeting of the mining sector stakeholders’ consultative forum representatives in Pretoria.

The aim of the meeting was to assess progress in the implementation of the Framework Agreement for a Sustainable Mining Industry. The framework agreement, signed by organised labour, business and government in July 2013, identifies measures required to stabilise South Africa’s mining sector and place it on a sustainable footing.

The stakeholders on Thursday agreed that good progress has been made, amid some challenges that still need to be addressed.

Representing the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, Mike Teke said: “I think we are encouraged to be part of this process, through this platform our deliberations cover areas such as housing and labour relations. In all these areas we are proud to say we are making progress.”

Eric Gcilitshana from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said: “We must indicate that this process is bearing fruit and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

UASA, a trade union affiliated to the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) delegate Alwyn van Heerden said they would like all stakeholders to join the forum so they can work together to find a lasting solution to the challenges facing the mining sector.

At the meeting, parties agreed to continue supporting the growth and stability of the sector and to take the following steps:

· Actively engage both local and foreign investors to ensure that the country remains an attractive investment destination;

· Ensure certainty in the legislative and regulatory programmes;

· Inform employees upon receiving emolument garnishee orders;

· Prevention of unscrupulous micro-lenders and reviewing the regulations around salary deductions on garnishee orders;

· Assessment of economic and social conditions in surrounding and labour sending areas;

· Enforce and implement all elements and commitments of the Mining Charter; and

· Ensure integration and implementation of Social and Labour Plans and Integrated Development Plans (IDP) in labour sending areas and mining areas.

An acknowledgement was also made to engage extensively with the investment community on progress made to ensure strike activity is done within the ambit of the law.

The meeting also agreed that in order to bring growth and stability to the sector, stakeholders will need to ensure that efforts are made to resolve industrial action, taking into account current economic constraints.

The short-term measures identified in the framework agreement include ensuring the rule of law is upheld, peace and stability and the provision of proper and sustainable human settlement infrastructure in the North-West platinum belt.

The meeting also noted that since the signing of the framework agreement, there has been relative peace and stability in the mines and that both labour and mining companies have been conducting their affairs within the ambit of the law.

Mine Crime Combating Forum

Speaking at the briefing, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said significant progress had been made in the Mine Crime Combating Forum, which was launched in August last year.

Trade unions and mining companies are cooperating with the South African Police Service in ensuring that there is peace and stability in the mines and surrounding communities.

“The report shows that there is now less violent, intimidation within the mining communities and mining industry,” she said.

Government has also taken steps to improve case management and capacity in order to speed up the processing of all cases related to violence in the mining areas.

There is improved cooperation between stakeholders in the mining communities and authorities regarding the provision of evidence for cases of violence, intimidation, murder and malicious damage to property. - SAnews.gov.za

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi today held an urgent meeting with the board of the National Health Laboratory Services to ensure that services rendered by the lab continue.

“There is no way that we will allow the NHLS to stop doing tests under any conditions, we will definitely resolve the issues. We met this morning because we no longer want debates about the billing system when there is a possibility of people suffering,” said the minister at a briefing in Pretoria.

This comes after media reports that the NHLS was threatening to suspend its services to the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal Health Departments for owing R900 million and R3 billion, respectively.

Minister Motsoaledi said on Thursday he wanted to stop that possibility at all costs to ensure the gains that have been made in fighting HIV and Aids and TB were not reversed.

The NHLS provides screening for HIV and TB patients, diagnostic laboratory services, research and the production of sera for anti-snake venom. Divisions of the NHLS include the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Cancer Registry, and the SA Vaccine Producers.

The minister explained that the meeting had discussed changes to the NHLS funding structure following the announcement by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in his Budget Speech, in February, that there would be a new funding framework for the NHLS and associated research activities.

“The issues stem from the manner in which the NHLS functions. We are going to find a new financing model for NHLS,” said Minister Motsoaledi.

Currently the National Treasury allocates money to the Department Health, which transfers funds to the provincial Treasuries, which in turn pays the NHLS. Then the NHLS bills the provincial Departments of Health for services rendered. Minister Motsoaledi said National Treasury should rather allocate a budget to the NHLS directly.

Under the current model there was room for health departments and the NHLS to squabble over differences in billing. “The funding model will no longer depend on a squabble between the provinces and the NHLS.”

He said there was a need to ensure that the same problems did not arise time and again.

“Today’s meeting is about ensuring that these types of problems never occur again. The board has accepted that as minister, I can’t allow the CEO to say that we are going to stop services - that cannot happen,” said the minister.

The minister added that it would be dangerous for testing of TB patients to be stopped as it would mean patients would go untreated. This would pose the risk of infecting others and experiencing drug-resistant TB which is more expensive to treat in the long run.

Last week, the Gauteng Health Department paid the NHLS R77 million and is due to pay R123 million in the first week of April. – SAnews.gov.za

The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has left the repo rate unchanged at 5.5% per annum.

“The MPC has decided to keep the repurchase rate unchanged at 5.5% per annum,” Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus said on Thursday.

The bank’s forecast for headline inflation is unchanged for 2014 and is expected to average 6.3% with a 6.6% peak expected in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Since the last meeting of the MPC, the rand has been relatively volatile, having fluctuated between R11.39 and R10.60 against the dollar. There has been an appreciation trend over the period. The rand has appreciated by about 2.4% against the dollar and 2.2% on a trade weighted basis.

“While the risk to the inflation outlook from the exchange rate may have moderated somewhat since the previous meeting, these risks are still assessed to be on the upside,” she said.

The committee is of the view that the exchange rate will continue to be highly “sensitive” against global and domestic developments.

South Africa’s economic growth outlook remains subdued with economic growth expected to remain below potential of between 3% and 3.5% in 2014.

“The bank’s forecast for economic growth has declined to 2.6% in 2014, compared with 2.8% previously, while the forecast for 2015 has been revised down from 3.3% to 3.1%.

“The risks to this forecast are seen to be on the downside, given the protracted strike in the platinum sector and electricity supply constraints,” explained the Governor.

The trend in wage settlements has remained relatively unchanged.

“We wish to reiterate that even though we are in a tightening cycle, there will not necessarily be a change in the stance at every meeting, and that the increments may not always be of the same magnitude,” said Governor Marcus.

Some analysts expected the bank to keep the repo rate unchanged, while others expected a 50 basis points increase.

Absa, in a research note earlier today, said: “We expect the bank to hike rates but we acknowledge that the strength of the rand and the absence, so far, of substantial pass-through from rand depreciation to higher consumer prices means there are risks to our call.

“If the SARB does not hike, we view it as a postponement of the 100 basis points of tightening we forecast for this year. In our MPC tracker published last week, we highlighted the economic data that could feed into the SARB’s deliberations”. - SAnews.gov.za

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The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is a win-win situation as it provides much needed water to South Africa and creates infrastructure development and energy generation in Lesotho, says President Jacob Zuma.

Speaking at the ***-turning ceremony for phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, in Maseru, Lesotho, on Thursday, President Zuma said both phases of the project (Phase one and Phase two) had vast benefits for both countries.

In operation for over 20 years, the The Lesotho Highlands Water Project supplies South Africa with approximately 780 million cubic meters of water per annum.

When fully operational, phase two of the project will substantially increase the volume of water supplied to South Africa.

Phase one of the project, which was funded by the World Bank, was completed in 2004.

It has provided Lesotho with a number of benefits, inlcuding that the country will obtain guaranteed royalties's revenue.

“There has been benefits of infrastructure development during Phase I which has included 102km of paved roads, 265km of gravel roads, 1,133km of roads rehabilitated to grade 1 standard, 11 bridges built including 3 bridges between Lesotho and South Africa in Maseru, Maputsoe and Caledonspoort,” President Zuma said.

The benefits also include 299km of power lines, staff housing for an estimated 300 workers as well as Hydro electricity generation estimated at 72 megawatts.

The building of the Metolong Dam to which South Africa contributed R50 million, also meets the water needs of the Kingdom of Lesotho, he said, adding that Lesotho has also gained a village and an Information Centre at Metolong.

President Zuma said the benefits to South Africa were also immense.

“The country gains high quality water transfers and job opportunities. There is improved infrastructure in Clarens, Fouriesburg, Ficksburg and Ladybrand in the form of new border crossings and improved amenities, community halls, clinics, houses and improved rail facilities such as in Ficksburg,” President Zuma said.

The purpose of the project is to provide Lesotho with a source of income in exchange for the provision of water to the central Gauteng province where the majority of industrial and mining activity occurs in South Africa, as well as to generate hydroelectric power for Lesotho.

The Agreement on phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project between the two countries was signed in August 2011 and South Africa ratified it in 2012 while Lesotho finalized its ratification process in 2013.

South African companies have a significant presence in Lesotho and are involved in various sectors such as housing, food and beverages, construction, retail, hotels and leisure, banking, and medical services. – SAnews.gov.za