1846: The saxophone is patented by Belgian musician Adolphe Sax, typically made of brass.
Love metal in or on your body? It’s International Body Piercing Day!

TRUMP’S TARIFFS PUT HARLEY DAVIDSON IN A SPIN

An unintended consequence of US president Donald “Tweet” Trump’s imposition of import duties on aluminum and steel, is American motorcycle icon Harley Davidson’s decision to move some of its operations offshore. The reason is that the tariffs will cost the company an estimated US$65 million (about ZAR910 million). It’s a lengthy read, but worth every word (click here).

GOVERNMENT SWEET TALKS SUGAR PROTESTORS

The South African government yesterday assured thousands of sugarcane farmers who descended on Pretoria in a massive protest led by the South African Sugar Association and the SA Farmers Development Association that their ailing sector will be protected. “We know that that there has been big imports of sugar from Brazil, India, and the UAE. Lots of sugar have come into the country, and this industry is bleeding. We know and understand that,” department of trade and industry director-general Lionel October addressed the thousands of protesters. Farmers from KZN and Mpumalanga were unhappy about massive sugar imports, which they claimed were the preferred ingredients by companies and which has left local sugar producers on the edge. (BDLive)

UKZN VICE-CHANCELLOR OFF TO AUSTRIA

The University of KwaZulu-Natal has announced the resignation of Dr Albert van Jaarsveld with a year to go to his five-ear term that would have ended in August 2019. UKZN's chair of council, Reverend Dr Vukile Mehana said Van Jaarsveld would leave the university at the end of September to head up the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IISA) in Austria as director general and CE. (IOL)

LAND REFORM 1: ‘DON’T FIDDLE WITH INGONYAMA TRUST’ – BUTHELEZI

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi warned that scrapping the Ingonyama Trust would be the first stage of disempowering traditional leaders and could threaten their existence. Buthelezi tackled the issue of land at a gathering of the house of traditional leaders in Durban yesterday. "I feel that the time has come‚ in my life at least‚ to issue a final warning to traditional leaders on what is undoubtedly a threat to the continued existence of this institution‚" he said. The Ingonyama Trust was established in 1994 as a special vehicle under the Zulu king and it owns about 28 000km² of land in the province. The high-level Panel on the Assessment of Key Legislation and Fundamental Change recommended that the Ingonyama Trust Act be repealed or amended and the Ingonyama Trust collapsed‚ ceding control of traditional land to the state. (BDLive)

LAND REFORM 2: EMOTIONS FLOW IN LIMPOPO

Tempers flared at packed public hearings on land expropriation in Limpopo yesterday. The first public hearings on the possible amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution were held in the Northern Cape on Tuesday, and moved to Marble Hall, Limpopo yesterday. Members of the public booed when some members of parliament’s joint constitutional review committee introduced themselves. They also shouted down views that opposed their own. At yesterday’s hearing organisers had to create overflow areas outside the venue as the hall was packed to capacity. (BDLive)

LAND REFORM 3: BLAME PAST FAILURES, NOT CONSTITUTION

Business has warned that land reform without compensation should be done within the limits of the Constitution. In a written submission to the constitutional review committee, Business Unity SA (Busa), the voice of organised business, said it was concerned about any amendments to the Constitution that could spook investors. "In reality, it is the challenges and failures associated with the implementation of land reform that have led to perceptions that the current constitutional framework has failed," the submission reads. Busa CEO Tanya Cohen said the Constitution already allowed for land reform to be addressed and any amendments would deter already wary investors. (BDLive)

LOOK LOCAL BEFORE CASTING NET FURTHER, SAYS RAMAPHOSA ADVISOR

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ambitious US$100 billion investment target must be driven by local investors, his economic adviser, Trudi Makhaya, says. "There is an emphasis on foreign direct investment but the basis of it all has to be local investment." While the government was targeting both private and public sector investment, the emphasis would be on the private sector, she said. Noting that investment had dropped significantly over the past five or 10 years, she said the government was committed to key reforms to ensure barriers to investment were addressed. These would be announced at the job creation summit in October. (BDLive)

HELP EMPLOYEES TO HELP THEMSELVES, URGES SAVINGS INSTITUTE

The South African Savings Institute (SASI) challenged employers to assist cash-strapped employees to save money as it launched Savings Month, which runs throughout July. According to the organisation, the country's savings rate is in dire straits, as more consumers are feeling the effects of the economic climate. "Employers can actively facilitate or automate the savings process for those with an income, such as garnishee options where money goes into tax-free savings accounts, and structuring 13th cheques as a savings tool," said SASI CEO Gerald Mwandiambira. July is known as Savings Month, aimed at promoting a culture of financial wellness, which SASI says should be adopted from an early age. According to the SA Reserve Bank, household savings to disposable income was at 0.2% per month, while debt to household income sat at 72.5%. (Fin24)

JSE WANTS ANSWERS ABOUT WIESE’S SHOPRITE MOVE

The JSE is engaging the sponsors of Christo Wiese’s Titan Group to establish the facts behind the reported placement of 17 million Shoprite shares with institutional investors, JSE GM Andre Visser said yesterday. The transaction is thought to have been triggered by Shoprite’s closed period, which begins next Monday and extends to mid-August when Shoprite’s year-end results are released. According to news reports, the shares, which were used as collateral for a loan to Wiese, were placed with the institutional investors at ZAR210 a share. An analyst said that given the collapse in the value of Steinhoff shares, which Wiese used previously for collateral, it was inevitable the banks wanted to be well covered this time. (BDLive)

MOYANE THRASHED SARS UNDER HIS WATCH 

On the second day of the commission of inquiry into SARS the panel heard how the new restructuring under currently suspended SARS commissioner Tom Moyane “broke” the Large Business Centre (LBC) and sidelined employees seen to be close to the former leadership. The entire "modernisation project", started in 2001, was also halted under Moyane – with allegedly little to no explanation why. Witnesses painted a picture of a tax revenue service that was operating well and that was constantly being improved - until Moyane’s arrival. Former SARS CEO Barry Hore said a modernisation process driven by IT infrastructure at a cost of ZAR3.6 billion realised nearly ZAR50 billion in revenue in seven years. Under Moyane the LBC, that accounted for 30% of the annual revenue collection for SARS, was dismantled. (Fin24)

MAIZE HARVEST UP, BUT BELOW RECORD YIELDS ​

Farmers will likely harvest 13.2-million tonnes of maize this year, which is 2% higher than the previous estimate, released in May. Still, the maize harvest will be 21% smaller than last year’s crop, which was the highest yet produced in SA at 16.82-million tonnes, the crop estimates committee said yesterday. SA is projected to consume about 10.8-million tonnes in the 2018-19 marketing season that started in May. (BDLive)

MORE NEWS, NOTICES AND APPEALS

SHARKS IN FIRST FORAY AT MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM

The Cell C Sharks and the Union Bordeaux Bègles, from France will be hosted at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday, August 17. It will be the Sharks’ first ever game at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. The next day, August 18, will see the Test between the Springboks and Argentina hosted at Jonsson King’s Park.

ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Starts: 20 August 2018

There is a project management knowledge gap existing among those responsible for managing projects within different industries. This course has been designed to provide delegates with sufficient contemporary project management skills in order to allow them to be efficient in managing resources and time when working on projects.

This course is expected to turn current ‘Accidental Project Managers’ into knowledgeable and consequently skilled Project Managers. It is a core offering for business across key sectors of the economy and is important for managers in developing skills to effectively manage projects within an organisation.

Advanced Project Management is aimed at corporate and public sector clients who will be considering or would be involved in managing projects in the future.

Duration

Six months (12 contact days – block sessions)

Contact:

For more information please contact Adiela Raiman: 
T: +27 31 260 4665
E: raiman@ukzn.ac.za