Pretoria News (www.pretorianews.co.za) Page 2 - New faces at prosecution helm Page 2 - Petrol price pain returns for motorists
The Star (www.IOL.co.za)
Page 2 - June 8 reopening unlikely – unions
Page 9 - R5BN MORE NEEDED TO GET SAA IN SKY
Business Day (www.businesslive.co.za)
Page 3 - Tobacco giant tells court of R2bn loss in revenue
Citizen (www.citizen.co.za)
Page 2 - Global Covid-19 Update (-Graphic Illustration) Page 3 - Liquor ban will hurt
Page 4 - Joburg’s prepaid users in for a shock Page 9 - Back to school in North Korea
연합뉴스 (www.yna.co.kr)
남아공 5월 PMI 50.2…경제활동 다소 증가로 개선(종합) 남아공 봉쇄령 추가 완화…등교는 한주 연기(종합)
New faces at prosecution helm
Mixed reaction to appointments by president to bolster fight against graft, state capture
Pretoria News 2 Jun 2020
BALDWIN NDABA
!
African News Agency (ANA)
ADVOCATE Rodney de Kock has been appointed the deputy national director of pub- lic prosecutions. |
LEGAL experts have expressed mixed feelings on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appointment of three senior public servants in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in his bid to bol- ster the fight against corruption and state capture in the country.
Yesterday, Ramaphosa confirmed the appointment of former Western Cape director of public prosecutions advocate Rodney de Kock as the national deputy director public prosecutions:
national prosecutions.
De Kock replaced Nomgcobo Jiba who left the NPA under a cloud following the recommen- dations of the Mokgoro Inquiry led by former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro who declared Jiba and former NDPP special director advocate Lawrence Mrwebi unfit to hold office in the NPA.
The two were sacked following their controversial withdrawal of criminal charges against former Crime Intelligence boss General Richard Mdluli.
Mrwebi did not challenge the outcome of the inquiry and opted to return to private practice while Jiba lodged an application in the High Court to interdict Parliament from removing her from her job.
However, on November 7 last year, Jiba wrote to Parliament Speaker Thandi Modise and of- ficially withdrew her legal challenge to remain in her job. As a result, Parliament and its port- folio committee on justice approved Ramaphosa’s endorsement of the Mokgoro Inquiry’s re- port.
In March, De Kock was appointed as acting NDPP until his official appointment was con- firmed yesterday.
Ramaphosa also appointed advocate Ouma Rasethaba as the new Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions and advocate Mthunzi Mhaga (former NPA spokesperson) as special director and adviser to National Director of Public Prosecutions advocate Shamila Batohi.
Detailing his reasons, Ramaphosa said: “These appointments are essential for the efficient functioning and rebuilding of the NPA as part of the fight against crime and corruption and as a contribution to deepening the capability of the state.”
Lawson Naidoo of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution agreed but said the appointments were long overdue. Naidoo said Casac welcomed the appointments but said the NPA had another critical NDDPP post to fill.
He said the NPA needed to undergo a process of “institutional rehabilitation” and to fill other critical posts on the prosecuting authority to increase its ability to fight against crime and cor- ruption. While he singled out De Kock as having valuable experience in prosecutorial activi- ties, Naidoo said his counterpart Rasethaba also brings a lot of experience with her commer- cial and corporate background.
“Advocate Mhaga has been around in the NPA and the public service,” Naidoo said.
But advocate Paul Hoffman SC was critical of the appointments.
“Due to the ravages of state capture during the Zuma years, the NPA can be likened to the Titanic after it struck the iceberg.
“The appointment of new senior staff on the ‘Upper Deck’ does not address the “Below the Deck” gashin-the-hull problems posed by what (Investigative Directorate) ID leader advocate Hermione Cronje calls ‘saboteurs’ within the ordinary NPA ranks.
“These ‘saboteurs’ are in place to thwart any attempts by the state to bring the kleptocrats to book. These new appointments can be compared to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titan- ic,” Hoffman said.
He said what was needed was an Integrity Commission to deal with grand corruption in a specialised way.
Petrol price pain returns for motorists
Pretoria News 2 Jun 2020
THE RETAIL price of both grades of petrol sold in South Africa will increase by R1.18 a litre from tomorrow, while the wholesale price of diesel will rise by between 21 and 22 cents a litre, the energy department said yesterday.
The department said the retail price of illuminating paraffin, which is still used by millions of poor people for cooking and lighting, would increase by between 40 and 54c, while gas would increase by R1.98.
“The average international product prices for petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin in- creased during the period under review. The rand appreciated against the dollar during the period under review, on average, when compared to the previous period,” the department said in a statement.
“The average rand-dollar exchange rate for April 30 to May 28 was R18.1715 compared with R18.4771 during the previous period. This led to a lower contribution to the basic fuel prices on petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 7.18c/l, 6.90c/l and 5.52c/l respectively.”
South Africa adjusts fuel prices each month, taking into account global oil prices and the rand exchange rate. Last month, the price of both grades of petrol fell by R1.74 a litre while the wholesale price of diesel dipped by R1.61. |
June 8 reopening unlikely – unions
The Star Early Edition 2 Jun 2020
SIHLE MAVUSO
!
LEARNERS at Wierda Independent School returned to their classrooms on the first day of level 3 lockdown amid stringent precautionary measures. | THOBILE MATH- ONSI African News Agency (ANA)
ALMOST a day after the Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that her de- partment was working hard to ensure schools are ready to open next week Monday, three teacher unions have poured cold water over the plan, saying it is simply impossible.
One of the unions, the National Teachers Union (Natu), said even if schools are ready to re- open they would not encourage their members to report for duty, setting the stage for another stand-off between them and their employer.
The union’s president, Alan Thompson, said what also worried them was that the department was engaging with unions in bad faith by announcing dates without consulting them.
“If you look at the work that has been done it is so little, such that the 3 500 tanks that should have been installed and water delivered, none of those school has received a tank… That is why we believe they will not be ready.
“There is another approach they have adopted, the approach of dumping chemicals in
schools, and we are saying dumping of chemicals does not make you ready to reopen because the principals of those schools don’t even know what those chemicals are for,” Thompson said.
He accused the department of forcing teachers who are over 60 and those with comorbidities to return to schools where they would be vulnerable to Covid-19.
SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) general secretary Mgwena Maluleke said it will take a miracle to get the work done within the few remaining days.
“If from April until the end of May we were not able to deliver 80% of the work, and some other provinces are sitting at 55%, it will take a miracle to get that school to deliver the 45%
and get ready in seven days,” he said, adding that only cutting corners will help the depart- ment meet its targets.
In response to the announcement that schools may not be ready by next week, National Pro- fessional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) president Basil Manuel said the reason the department was struggling was that it had started preparations very late.
“The department never looked beyond the immediate closing of schools; I think many offi- cials thought they were locking up buildings and when the lockdown was over they were go- ing to reopen them.
“They did not think for a minute that this virus is going to be around for a long time, and when they heard it was going to be around for a long time they did not jump into gear, they waited until the last minute” he said.
Addressing the media yesterday about the decision to temporarily halt the reopening of schools to cater for Grade 7 and Grade 12 learners, Motshekga said the blame for the delay in providing the personal protective equipment for learners and teachers lay with some service providers who misled them about their capabilities.
Other challenges encountered included having local business people demanding to be given contracts to provide the equipment.
Education director-general Mathanzima Mweli said the trouble got worse when a JSE-listed logistics company which got the contract to move around the equipment became over- whelmed.
“Initially, the whole government procured through only one supplier... for the whole of gov- ernment.
“And increasingly... it could not carry successfully the burden of procuring most of these Covid-19 essentials from overseas, and then the provinces were then told after about two weeks or so to cancel and reorder, which caused delays of about three weeks to procure afresh,” Mweli said.
KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo were some of the provinces deemed lagging be- hind.
R5BN MORE NEEDED TO GET SAA IN SKY
Business rescuers have new plan for carrier
The Star Early Edition 2 Jun 2020
DINEO FAKU dineo.faku@inl.co.za
BELEAGUERED SA Airways business rescue practitioners (BRPs) have asked for nearly R5 billion in further bailouts from the government to rehabilitate the struggling airline.
The BRPs, Siviwe Dongwana and Les Matuson, said in a new draft business rescue plan that they wanted the government to provide R4.6bn for them to continue with the process.
The draft plan, contained in a document, was circulated to creditors, employees and the De- partment of Public Enterprises (DPE) yesterday.
The BRPs said the airline’s sole shareholder, the government through the DPE, should fund the plan in order for them to turn the airline into a viable and sustainable national flag carrier that provided international, regional and domestic services.
They said R2bn of the proposed cash injection – beyond the R16.4bn awarded to them thus far – would be used as working capital which was needed to restart the airline after the coro- navirus travel ban.
Another R2bn, they said, would be used to cover the cost of retrenchments, and R600 million would pay general concurrent creditors.
Both the BRPs and the DPE confirmed the existence of the draft plan and said it had been forwarded for affected parties to comment and consultation.
The BRPs said the document would be finalised by Monday.
The proposed plan comes weeks after Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan expressed his disappointment with the business rescue process and said the government had developed a plan to create a viable and competitive entity.
The BRPs said the proposed plan was for discussion purposes only and pleaded that it not be circulated to the media.
“Given that it is a draft and has not received agreement or comment from any of the relevant affected persons, we will not comment on the leaked draft to the media and will await input from the affected parties as is prescribed by the Companies Act. To assume and comment on this draft as if it is the final version would be very irresponsible,” the BRPs said.
SAA went into voluntary business rescue in December after the government decided it was the best way forward to resolve its myriad financial problems while continuing to operate.
SAA has not tabled its financials since 2017, despite receiving a total of R31.4bn in cash in- jections since 2003 and guarantees of R19.11bn, although not all of them were used.
Last month, the airline told Parliament that it made losses of R5.5bn in 2018 and R5.1bn last year.
DPE spokesperson Sam Mkokeli said the government had not discussed the plan yet.
Mkokeli said the department embraced the restructuring process as part of a path to a new, dynamic and financially viable airline that would serve South Africa’s economic and strategic interests.
“We will review the plan, explore various funding options, and communicate our decisions in due course,” said Mkokeli.
Tobacco giant tells court of R2bn loss in revenue
• CEO of BATSA recounts in affidavit how government snubbed industry despite submissions
Business Day 2 Jun 2020
Genevieve Quintal - Political Editor quintalg@businesslive.co.za
British American Tobacco SA (BATSA), a division of the world’s second-largest cigarette producer, says it has lost revenue of more than R2bn so far due to the ban on the sale of to- bacco products during the lockdown.
The devastating effect of the continued ban was detailed in court papers filed in the high court in Cape Town, where BATSA is challenging the government after failing in its attempt to lobby for the legal sale of tobacco products.
The ban has also led to a loss of tax revenue and has boosted illicit cigarette sales. The SA Revenue Service (Sars), which is expecting a huge revenue shortfall for 2020/2021, had ex- pected to collect R14.5bn on excise taxes for tobacco over 12 months.
BATSA CEO Andre Joubert, in a founding affidavit filed on Monday, said the company was expected to suffer similar revenue losses in the future if the ban continued.
The company, supported by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), and groups and organisations representing the tobacco value chain countrywide, wants the court to declare the govern- ment’s regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco products unconstitutional and invalid, and to have it reviewed and set aside.
Joubert said the national fiscus is losing out on billions of rand in excise duties and that BATSA on its own usually collects and pays about R214m weekly in excise revenue to the fiscus, or more than R900m monthly. He said BATSA had held off on approaching the courts in the hope of being given an opportunity to engage with the government about the ban.
When the government called for public submissions on the regulations, before moving to lev- el 4 of the risk-adjusted strategy, BATSA sent six submissions outlining why the sale of to- bacco products should be allowed.
This was before the government backtracked on the announcement made by President Cyril Ramaphosa that tobacco sales would be legal under level 4 of the lockdown. The deci- sion was reversed days after the announcement.
One of BATSA’s submissions details the positive effect lifting the ban would have on the en- tire value chain, which includes 50,000 retail outlets being able to once again sell tobacco and vaping products, and how it would ensure job security for the thousands of employees in the tobacco industry in SA.
Joubert said the company had explained to the government that if the ban was extended it would be likely to result in foreclosure of a number of operations, such as farming, process- ing and local production.
It would have a strong effect on the revenue of local suppliers, distributors, retailers and wholesalers. It would also negatively affect BATSA’s sustainability programme for 10,000
informal retailers and result in the illicit cigarette trade completely replacing all legal tobacco and vaping products.
BATSA’s other submissions deal with the assertion that there is insufficient evidence to draw any firm conclusions on the relationship between smoking, vaping and Covid-19 to justify the extended sales ban, and that there is a need for a clear communication strategy over social distancing and the risk of sharing any goods that could worsen the spread of the virus, which applies equally to sharing utensils or a bottle of water.
Despite the submissions, the government did not revert to the tobacco industry before decid- ing to maintain the ban.
On May 22, BATSA directly made submissions to Ramaphosa on why tobacco products should be sold during level 3, but the company has not yet received any reply.
Liquor ban will hurt
RAMIFICATIONS: UP TO 18 000 WORKERS IN INDUS- TRY COULD LOSE JOBS
The Citizen (Gauteng) 2 Jun 2020
Sipho Mabena siphom@citizen.co.za
Wine industry lost R200m a week on exports and R300m in local sales.
The alcohol ban might have been lifted, but the effects of the extended lockdown and related ban on the sale of alcohol-related products will continue to reverberate throughout the econ- omy for a long time.
According to the SA Wine Industry Information & System, the wine industry alone lost R200 million a week on exports during the five weeks of no exports and R300 million in local sales a week.
These these are just the direct costs.
Wanda Augustyn, communications manager for SA Wine Industry Information and System, said their estimation was that about 80 wineries, with almost 350 producers, will be out of business, with 18 000 workers out of a job.
She said this equated to 15% to 20% of the sector and with the local market opening yester- day, it would also depend on the ability of the respective wineries to get back in business – both in sales volumes and the respective price points.
“Bear in mind we have been out of the market for [two months], which equates to 17% of a normal sales year. The implications of the lockdown are irreparable. Some businesses will close and thousands of people will lose their jobs – across production units, wineries and also in the tourism sector,” Augustyn said.
Speaking for SA Breweries (SAB), Annabel Sandamela said its primary focus was now to ensure that retailers were able to trade safely and responsibly.
She said it had developed an e-commerce option for the tavern owners to use a “click and collect” trading procedure to enable social distancing stipulations to be followed and to gen- erally maintain Covid-19 protection protocols.
Sandamela said SAB planned to make use of its extensive distribution network among the taverns to supply personal protective equipment and educational and training material on Covid-19.
She said as one of South Africa’s largest companies, sustaining a workforce of over 5 000, SAB was appreciative of the efforts to ensure taverns, wineries and microbreweries were in place for safe trading.
“As an industry, a lot of thought has been put into ensuring that retail outlets like taverns, mi- crobreweries, distillers and wine sellers are included in the regulations, and that the tavern space, with the right support is recognised as one in which trade can happen safely.”
SAB vice-president of corporate affairs Zoleka Lisa said safety remained the priority.
“We are minimising the risk of spreading Covid-19, while still allowing for economic activity to resume,” she said in a statement.
“As South Africa resumes the sale of alcohol in Level 3, SAB would like to remind traders to adhere to all safety protocols when making sales to the public and for consumers to practice responsible and moderate drinking in the safety of their homes.
“Our collective participating in adhering to these regulations and guidelines will be critical in the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Joburg’s prepaid users in for a shock
The Citizen (Gauteng) 2 Jun 2020
Joburg households and businesses using prepaid electricity are in for a shock if the fixed charges proposed in the city’s draft budget are approved.
It was tabled on Friday and stakeholders have until 23 June to comment.
The City of Joburg proposes a new R200 basic charge for prepaid residential customers and R400 for prepaid business customers.
That is over and above the increases to existing charges per kilowatt-hour (kWh) used, which are way above the current inflation rate. The proposal is for an 8.1% increase for residential prepaid and 5.8% for business.
In addition, the lowest tariff block for residential prepaid customers would be reduced by 50kWh to 300kWh, meaning that higher tariff blocks will be reached earlier in the month.
This means a household that uses 374 units a month will go from paying R527 to R780 per month, excluding VAT, from 1 July if the proposal is accepted – an increase of almost 50%.
This is not properly disclosed in the document published for public comment because, in cal- culating the average increase per user group, only the increase in charges per kWh used is taken into account.
The city tried to introduce the R200 basic charge for prepaid residential users last year, with- out even including it in the draft budget, but scrapped the fee after Moneyweb disclosed it.
According to a report to the mayoral committee dated 20 March that Moneyweb has seen, the new charges are aimed at closing the gap between prepaid and conventional users.
It states: “The residential prepaid customer currently does not make [an adequate] contribu- tion to the cost of operating and maintaining the electricity infrastructure to ensure its avail- ability on demand. It is therefore proposed to introduce a capacity charge of R200/m for all residential prepaid customers.” (sic)
If the city gets its way, it will increasingly be closing the gap between residential prepaid and conventional users over the next three years.
Residential users who have been buying electricity on credit are currently paying fixed charges of R527 per month. The city proposes increasing this to R757, in itself a 43% in- crease. In its budget document, the city also understates the proposed tariff increase for con- ventional users at 8.1% by excluding the fixed charges from the calculation.
The introduction of the R400 basic charge for prepaid business customers is also aimed at closing the gap between them and conventional users. In the report to the mayoral committee it is proposed that this be increased by a further R400 next year.
– Moneyweb
Back to school in North Korea
The Citizen (Gauteng) 2 Jun 2020
– North Korea will reopen schools this month after shuttering them over the coronavirus pan- demic, reports said yesterday.
Pyongyang has not confirmed a single infection but has imposed strict rules, including clos- ing its borders and putting thousands of its people into isolation.
The new school term – initially scheduled to start early April – has been repeatedly post- poned, although some universities and high schools were allowed to resume classes in mid- April.
– AFP
남아공 5월 PMI 50.2…경제활동 다소 증가로 개선(종합)
남아공 자동차 판매 감소율도 98.4%→68%로 둔화
!
통근자들이 1일 요하네스버그 노르드 택시 승강장에 도착하고 있다.
[AFP=연합뉴스]
(요하네스버그=연합뉴스) 김성진 특파원 = 남아프리카공화국의 압사(Absa) 구매관리 자지수(PMI)가 5월 공장들이 봉쇄령 완화로 점차 활동을 재개함에 따라 개선됐다고 로 이터통신이 1일(현지시간) 보도했다.
아프리카에서 가장 산업화된 경제인 남아공의 제조업 활동을 평가하는 압사 PMI는 4 월 46.1에서 5월 50.2로 4.1 포인트 올랐다.
남아공은 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 확산을 둔화하기 위해 지난 3월 말부 터 실시한 전국적 봉쇄령을 5월에 이어 이달 1일부터 추가로 완화해 일부 고위험군 직 종을 제외한 대부분의 경제를 재개했다.
비즈니스 활동 하부지수는 4월 사상 최저인 5.1에서 5월 43.2로 급상승했다.
신규 판매 하부지수도 올랐지만, 경기 확장과 수축을 가르는 기준선 50 밑에 머물렀다.
취업지수는 26.8로 대체로 변화가 없었다.
압사 이코노미스트들은 "비즈니스 활동 지수가 5월에 급격하게 오른 것은 상대적으로 4월에 활동이 거의 없었던 데 따른 것으로, 여전히 전반적 활동 수준이 매우 저하돼있 음을 시사한다"고 설명했다.
이런 가운데 남아공 신차 판매 감소세는 5월 들어 다소 둔화했다고 블룸버그통신이 전 했다.
남아공자동차산업협회(Naamsa)에 따르면 지난달 내수 판매는 전년 같은 달보다 68%
하락, 4월의 기록적인 감소율(98.4%)보다 30.4% 포인트 줄었다.
5월 한 달 총 판매대수는 1만2천932대이고 그 중 승용차는 9천19대였다.
승용차 가운데 현대차 남아공법인의 판매대수는 1천279대(시장 점유율 약 14%)이고, 기아 남아공은 521대(약 6%)였다.
남아공 봉쇄령 추가 완화…등교는 한주 연기(종합)
국내선 항공 제한적 운항…관광도 국내부터 단계적 재개 '술아 너 본 지 오래다' 주류 판매 재개로 사람들 긴 줄
!
1일 요하네스버그 소웨토에서 군인들이 거리 행상 사이로 순찰하고 있다.
[AFP=연합뉴스]
(요하네스버그=연합뉴스) 김성진 특파원 = 남아프리카공화국이 1일부터 봉쇄령 추가 완화조치에 돌입하면서 광업과 제조업을 비롯해 대부분의 경제활동을 재개했다.
신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 확산 둔화를 위해 지난 두 달 이상 실시된 록다 운이 현 4단계에서 3단계로 내려간 데 따른 것이다.
그러나 코로나19 누적확진자가 지난 주말 사이 3만명을 넘은 상황에서 봉쇄령 완화로 인해 확진자가 상당히 증가할 것이 거의 확실시 된다.
학교는 당초 이날부터 7학년과 12학년을 대상으로 등교토록 할 예정이었으나 교사단 체 등이 방역 준비 부족 등으로 반발해 한 주 더 연기됐다.
다만 웨스턴케이프주는 준비가 잘 돼 있다면서 예정대로 단계적 등교에 들어간다고 밝 히는 등 일선에서는 혼선이 빚어지기도 했다.
종교 집회도 이번 주부터 50인 이하의 경우 허용되지만 많은 교회는 코로나19에 취약 한 고령의 신자들을 감안해 집회 재개를 연기할 예정이라고 현지신문 프리토리아뉴스 가 이날 보도했다.
항공편 국내선 운항의 경우 비즈니스 목적에 한해 허용된다.
단 3단계에 걸쳐 운항이 재개되며 1단계에서는 단지 공항 4곳이 문을 열 것이라고 피킬 레 음바룰라 교통장관이 지난달 30일 예고했다고 로이터통신이 전했다.
관광산업도 이달부터 점진적으로 영업을 재개할 예정이다.
음마몰로코 쿠바이-응구바네 관광장관은 지난달 30일 "코로나19 전염병의 예상 궤도 에 기초해 첫단계 회복은 국내관광에 의해 추동되고, 이어 지역 관광과 국제관광으로 내년에 이어질 것"이라고 말했다고 신화통신이 전했다.
1일부터 술 판매가 가정내 소비를 전제로 재개됨에 따라 이날 주류 판매점 앞에는 긴 줄이 서기도 했고, 사람들이 흥겨운 노래를 부르며 기다리는 장면의 동영상이 온라인 에 나돌기도 했다.
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1일 케이프타운에서 사람들이 주류 판매점 앞에 줄을 서 있다.
[AFP=연합뉴스]
지난 3월 말부터 봉쇄령과 함께 실시된 '금주령'에 굶주린 듯 실제로 프리토리아 시내 한 주류 판매점에서는 큰 맥주 팩을 통째로 사가는 장면과 와인을 한꺼번에 여러 병 사 가는 모습도 심심찮게 목격할 수 있었다.
이 때문에 일부 소매점에서는 일인당 판매량을 한정하기도 했다고 로이터통신이 전했 다.
남아공은 세계에서 1인당 알코올 소비가 높은 나라 가운데 하나였지만 록다운 기간 알 코올 남용과 관련된 가정 폭력 증가를 막고 병원 업무량을 줄이기 위해 주류 판매를 전 면 금지했다.
지금도 주류 구입은 월요일부터 목요일까지 낮 시간대만 가능하고, 담배는 흡연자와 업계의 강력한 반발에도 불구하고 국민 건강을 이유로 계속 판매가 금지되고 있다.
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사람들로 북적이는 주류 판매점
(요하네스버그=연합뉴스) 김성진 특파원 = 1일 봉쇄령 완화로 주류 판매가 두 달여만 에 처음으로 재개되자 남아공 행정수도 프리토리아의 한 주류판매점에 사람들이 연이 어 드나들고 있다. sungjin@yna.co.kr
