Featured Articles

Indian pharmaceutical firm Ranbaxy Laboratories has opened a US$30-million (about R215-million) state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, the Be-Tabs Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Plant, in Roodeport to the west of Johannesburg.

The facility, which is Ranbaxy's second in SA and third in Africa, will manufacture analgesics, cold, cough and flu preparations, as well as a comprehensive range of over-the-counter medication.

The facility was opened this week by Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Indian High Commissioner to SA Virendra Gupta and representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry.

"Ranbaxy has a long-standing relationship with Africa. We were the first Indian pharmaceutical company to set up a manufacturing facility in Nigeria, in the late 70s. Over the years, we have established a strong presence in 43 of the 54 African countries with the aim of providing quality medicines and improving access," said Ranbaxy MD Arun Sawhney at the launch.

"The opening of this new manufacturing facility further emphasizes our commitment towards the African continent and South Africa in particular."

Future expansion possible

The new facility in South Africa is equipped with the latest technology and meets international specifications. It is designed to meet local regulatory requirements and also World Health Organisation standards.

The design of the new facility is determined by the current tablet and capsule production requirements and the plant is capable of producing approximately 1.75 billion units and packaging of two billion units, annually. Possible expansion could bring about the addition of new products.

"The capacity to manufacture locally will meet the South African government's intention to strengthen the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and is expected to further the company's aim of becoming a more significant provider of pharmaceuticals to the state," said Ranbaxy South Africa CEO Dr Saxen van Coller.

Affordable generic medicines

Ranbaxy South Africa, headquartered in Centurion, is engaged in the sale and distribution of generic prescription products in the South African healthcare system.

Additionally, the company also offers high quality, affordable, generic anti-retroviral medicines to the needy patients in Africa, supporting African governments in their efforts to control the Aids epidemic.

Ranbaxy Laboratories is India's largest pharmaceutical company, and is majority owned by Japanese global pharmaceutical major Daiichi Sankyo Group.

SAinfo reporter

News on South Africa's foreign relations.

Clean Coal Technology South Africa, a joint venture between Chinese and South African expertise, has shown considerable progress internationally since its establishment 18 months ago.

The company, headquartered in Midrand, Johannesburg, has the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize its gas-to-liquid, coal-to-liquid and a new combined feed process technology, developed by engineers at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The technology uses a novel Fischer Tropsch process which the company believes is cheaper, with similar or lower Capex and operating costs, than conventional Fischer Tropsch technology.

"It has been described by a panel of internationally renowned experts as having the potential to outperform other available technologies in the same sector," Clean Coal Technology South Africa (CCTSA) said in a recent statement.

South African project facilitator

CCTSA acts as the project facilitator which sells this cleaner coal-to-liquid fuel technology and also offers turnkey services.

"We believe our process is at the forefront of producing viable environmentally greener coal-to-liquid fuel," executive director Lin Tu said in the statement.

"The solid base of the CCTSA technology is being increasingly recognized amongst international experts and organizations, and was recently successfully reviewed by the Science and Technology Department of China and endorsed by the Chinese Science and Technology Council."

The company launched the commercialization of its coal-to-liquid/gas-to-liquid technology after the operation of its pilot plant, which the company established in China's Shaanxi province, yielded positive results.

International projects

One positive result, the company said, was the recent decision by the China National Petroleum Corporation to apply the CCT technology to construct a commercial Fischer Tropsch plant, which uses coking oven gas as the feedstock, in the Chinese Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. This was due to be commissioned by 2013.

"CCTSA foresees that a few international projects could enter into pre-feasibility study stage during the next six months."

Over the last year, the company had also signed memorandums of understanding and co-operation agreements with a number of leading international firms, including MAN Diesel & Turbo SE and SNC-Lavalin Engineers and Constructors Inc, a subsidiary of one of the world's top international engineering and construction groups.

Three of CCTSA's representatives were in attendance at the World CTL 2010 conference in Beijing, Tu said, where senior consultant Ray Swanepoel delivered a technical paper "which was very well received, and fruitful discussions were conducted with delegates from South Africa, Canada, France, Israel and Turkey."

SAinfo reporter

SA is becoming known for smart thinking. Find out how we're pushing thinking further out of the box.

SA companies, products and innovations are making their mark internationally.

Nicky Rehbock

I've always been fascinated by state hospitals in South Africa – those not-so-glamorous places where not-so-well-paid doctors, nurses and support staff work tirelessly to treat the millions who cannot afford private healthcare.

These places are a sort of microcosm of the country: dedication and altruism existing alongside poverty, desperation and inequality. But in between all this, most of the time, the system chugs along.

It's not ideal, and we still have a long way to go, but what must be acknowledged is that South Africa is still very much an evolving democracy and it might take a generation or two for the wrongs of the prejudiced apartheid system to be fully corrected. Quality, affordable healthcare for all is but one of the priorities.

So when I heard about how the nationwide public sector strike, which began in mid-August 2010, was crippling state hospitals, and how the absence of nurses, cleaners, cooks and admin staff had brought the system to a halt, I decided to step in and do what little I could to get Johannesburg's Edenvale Hospital chugging along again.

This was after the government called for volunteers to help out at those facilities worst hit by the strike. Local radio stations and online news publications gave out the relevant details, and it didn't seem very complicated: simply show up when you could and do your bit.

I had visions of myself feeding hungry babies, changing nappies, checking drips, making beds, giving out medicine and soothing the sick and dying. That would be really altruistic, I thought – almost as impressive as being a state doctor or nurse myself!

But it didn't happen. Instead, I was dispatched to the hospital laundry, far, far away from the dramatic scenes I had in mind. I was so disappointed and almost felt let down by those who issued the call for help in the first place. I mean, a laundry of all things! If I had wanted to do washing I would have just stayed at home!

But I couldn't exactly show up to help and then refuse to do the job that needed to be done, so I trudged along to the washing room – a noisy, rather depressing-looking place with monstrous, groaning machines and a steaming press that looked like it came out of the Industrial Revolution.

First, I was asked to fold vast piles of scratchy, moth-eaten blankets. Then I was sent to the dryers to take out the hundreds of sheets, which needed to be spread out on a table so they could be fed into the giant press. Next, I whipped around to the other end to catch and re-fold the steaming linen that had been squeezed through the rollers.

What I later found out is that this laundry services at least four other state hospitals in Gauteng, so that's why there were so many intimidating heaps scattered about. Under normal circumstances it has 30 staff members, but 27 of these seemed to be part of the stay-away. Our team was made up of three full-time employees and a handful of volunteers.

The helpers didn't fit any particular stereotype: women and men, middle-aged and in their teens, wealthy and not so wealthy, black and white. I was really struck by this – such a spread of South Africans who threw themselves into the kind of job that has no status, no glamour, no payback.

And they did it with such energy, commitment and determination – I learnt a valuable lesson from this. As I sorted and folded and tugged and stacked, I also developed deep respect for the individuals who usually have to do this kind of thankless, back-breaking work every day of their lives.

Often, as a society, we moan and grumble about all that is wrong and unjust on the outside, but hidden, in the most unlikely places, is a wealth of goodness – and that is what makes this country the special place it is.

First published by MediaClubSouthAfrica.com – get free high-resolution photos and professional feature articles from Brand South Africa's media service.

Government, business & civil society initiatives to improve South Africans' lives.

South Africa is confident that it could become the newest member of BRIC, a powerful economic coalition of the four fastest-growing developing countries in the world – Brazil, Russia, India and China.

This is according to International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who was briefing the media in Pretoria on Thursday following last week's state visit to China, which formed part of government's worldwide tour to expand ties with fast-growing emerging economies.

"We think we have done our best to and we think we have made a positive impression on all the BRIC members," Nkoana-Mashabane said, adding that now all they could do was wait for a decision to be made.

The BRIC nations work to boost trade among themselves, and South Africa is looking to expanded trade with the world to help it meet its development needs, especially by improving infrastructure and livelihoods in the country.

Nkoana-Mashabane said President Jacob Zuma's state visit to China was a success.

Zuma visited China with 13 cabinet ministers and a 370-strong business delegation to strengthen ties between South Africa and what has become the world's second-largest economy.

Several new deals were struck during the visit, including a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement as well as eight memoranda of understanding on co-operation focusing on infrastructure construction projects such as roads, railways, ports, power generation, airports and housing.

The business delegation also signed more than a dozen agreements involving investments in railways, power transmission, construction, mining, insurance, telecoms and nuclear power.

Nkoana-Mashabane said the comprehensive strategic partnership declaration would guide South Africa's overall interaction with China over the next 10 to 15 years.

A key element of the partnership agreement was growth and development, focusing on beneficiation and the adding of value to resources, infrastructure, market access and trade in the southern African region and on the continent.

Both governments would work closely "to map out action plans in various areas, so as to implement the consensus reached by the state leaders".

Source: BuaNews

The government has once again called on negotiators to find a "win-win" solution to end the strike that has halted public schooling and hospital services across South Africa for over two weeks.

Speaking in Pretoria after Thursday's Cabinet meeting, government spokesman Themba Maseko said the government remained optimistic that a solution would soon be reached to end the strike, that has now entered its third week.

"Cabinet urged the negotiators to find an amicable win-win solution sooner so that life can return to normal for the thousands of South Africans who are unable to access essential services such as medical care and preparations for the end of the year examinations," Maseko said.

He said the government was particularly concerned about the disruption of services in hospitals and schools.

"No nation can allow the sick to die because health care workers are on strike. No nation can prevent families from burying their dead. No nation can afford to put the future of thousands of young people on hold because of strike action."

More than a million public servants downed tools 15 days ago demanding an 8.6 percent wage increase and R1 000 housing allowance. The government's offer initially stood at 6.5 percent and a R620 housing allowance, but after intense negotiations an offer of 7.5 percent and R800 housing allowance was put on the table.

Several unions were still mulling over the new offer on Thursday, while others had rejected it.

Maseko said the offer of 7.5 percent and R800 housing allowance would cost the state about R6.5-billion.

"Government will continue to do all it can to bring an end to the strike. While the worker's demands are fully understandable, this does not take away the fact that the state can only agree to a wage settlement that it can afford," he said, adding that the money would have to be taken from elsewhere.

"Simply put, there is no money available. The resources to cover the draft agreement proposal will have to come from reducing expenditure in other areas of the budget."

Maseko said the government had a mandate to deliver a variety of services to communities, including building more houses, roads and clinics, employing more teachers and nurses, supplying books and other learner support materials, supplying equipment and medicines to hospitals, and continuing with infrastructure development programmes to grow the economy.

Salaries already consumed 40 percent of all revenue collected, and increasing the salary bill would have negative on the delivery of other services. Maseko said Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan would provide more details on the source of funding and the financial implications.

"This does not suggest that government does not acknowledge the need to improve the salaries of state employees. While we understand the economic hardship facing state employees and the rest of the population, it is important for everyone to understand the negative effect of higher salaries on other services," he said.

He did not rule out the possibility of freezing thousands of vacant posts in the public sector as a result of the salary increases.

"What this means is that because of this offer, which is now 7.5 percent, there will be a need to cut on other essential services, and this could include teachers ending up with less textbooks to at schools and the freezing of existing vacant posts."

Maseko said analysts had placed the cost of the strike to the country's economy at R1-billion a day

Source: BuaNews

Government, business & civil society initiatives to improve South Africans' lives.

South African new car sales were at the higher end of expectations in August, with a substantial "buy-ahead" by consumers seeking to avoid the new car emissions tax, which came into effect on 1 September.

The increase in car prices resulting from the emissions tax will average between two percent and three percent, Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance said on Thursday.

Earlier, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) said that August 2010 new car sales, at 33 541 units, reflected an improvement of 11 128 cars or 49.6% compared to the 22 413 new cars sold by the industry during August 2009.

Absa managing executive Sydney Soundy said the commercial bank had received 9.4% more applications in August than in July.

Customers applying for finance

The number of vehicles Absa financed in August was the same as in July, however this was 54% higher when compared to August 2009.

Soundy said the quality of customers applying for finance had remained at similar levels to those of the previous month.

The average length of contracts applied for was 60 months, from 56 months a year ago, while 48% of applications received were for contract terms of over 60 months.

"The applications for longer term contracts may be indicative of the customers' need to finance higher ticket values than they would otherwise afford under shorter contract periods."

He said the average length that an account remained in Absa's books had also increased from 40 months last year to the current average of 45 months.

Applications without deposit

Applications without deposit were just over 50% of all applications received.

"The average financed value per vehicle has increased to around R207 000, representing an increase of approximately 28% from the same time last year."

Soundy said this was a result of vehicle price inflation, lesser deposits paid on financed deals, and customers opting for longer contract periods as a way to improve affordability of instalments on bigger ticket values.

"The shift from new vehicles to good quality pre-owned vehicles continues to reverse from the ratio experienced at the beginning of this year.

"Then, the ratio of used to new vehicles was at 2.14 to 1."

Soundy said that, as at the end of August 2010, this ratio had changed to 1.54 to 1.

The reason for this could be attributed to a reduction in the price gap between good quality used cars compared with new vehicle prices as used car prices had increased.

"In this regard, we experienced an increase of three percent on the average ticket value of the financed amounts on used cars and we are also seeing signs that the stock levels on used cars are improving."

Sapa

Opportunities, incentives, regulations, assistance.

World champion Max Hoff of Germany has confirmed his entry for South Africa's 2010 Fish River Canoe Marathon. Hoff and teammate Stefan Stiefenhoefer will be bidding to become the first international paddlers to win the famously gruelling two-day race.

Hoff is the toast of the canoeing world this month, after retaining his 1 000 metres K1 world title at the Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland in rampant fashion to cement his reputation as one of the best paddlers in the world.

The cheerful Cologne native is a former wild water world champion and has won many tough river marathons, including the prestigious Ardeche Marathon several times.

Third time lucky?

Moff and Stiefenhoefer will be contesting their third Hansa Powerade Fish, which starts in Cradock in the Eastern Cape on 1 October, and they're strongly fancied to go one better than the fast-finishing second they achieved together in 2006. But the likeable Hoff is not talking up their chances.

"For the Hansa Powerade Fish 2010, I hope Stephan and I will be the fastest international crew, and hopefully race like we did in 2006," said Hoff from his hometown where he was celebrating retaining his 1 000 metres world title.

"I raced well in the K1 race last year (when he finished second to winner Len Jenkins), so I hope I can do it again," he added.

Hoff and Stiefenhoefer will also be out to erase the nightmare of their race in 2008, when they were controversially eliminated after just 10 kilometres following a collision in the monster rapid known as Keith's Flyover.

Taking a fast and direct line, they ended up sliding beneath the kayak of race leaders Hank McGregor and Grant van der Walt and capsized.

After initially slating the eventual race winners for their sluggish paddling in the big rapid, they swallowed their pride and remained diplomatic and enthusiastic supporters for the rest of the race.

'I really like this race'

"I really like this race," said Hoff. "It's such a pleasure for me to come to Cradock.

"The Fish is one of the best races I know. Everybody is so friendly and helpful to us and try to help us with every of our wishes."

Hoff and Stiefenhoefer will be jetting into the Eastern Cape on the Tuesday before the race, roughly a week after the rest of the international contingent, but they're confident they will be able to acclimatise and shake off the effect of their travel from Germany in time for the start of the race.

Hoff and Stiefenhoefer will arrive in the country at the same time as the top South African crews who are taking part in the World Marathon Championships in Spain the weekend before the Hansa Powerade Fish.

Rested and full recovered

The big difference for Hoff, however, is that he will be rested and fully recovered from his sprint racing season.

His participation in the annual Hansa Powerade Fish has been a talking point since he was headhunted from the German wild water team to join the Olympic sprint team in 2007.

Against the norms for his national Olympic coaches, Hoff and his coach Stiefenhoefer are not barred from taking part in other paddling disciplines in his off-season, and he been able to combine his passion for river races like the Hansa Powerade Fish with his continuing success as a flatwater sprinter.

Hoff has tasted victory in South Africa before, sensationally winning the annual Global Trader Drak Challenge in the Southern Drakensberg in 2007 to also claim the South African K1 title in the process.

SAinfo reporter

Our track record for hosting major international sporting events speaks for itself.

Travel experiences

We've got it all - wildlife, exciting cities, year-round sunshine, rainbow cultures and more.

With no end in sight to the crippling public sector strike involving teachers, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has made a desperate appeal to members of the public to volunteer their time and help matric learners prepare for their final examinations, which start in the middle of October.

The strike has brought education across the country to a halt and has forced several provincial education departments to postpone preliminary matric examinations. Preliminary examinations are considered to be crucial dry-runs for the final examinations.

The department is setting up learning centres for grade 12 learners to complete the syllabus and also start revision work.

Motshekga's call is directed mainly at those who have expertise in all subjects offered to matric learners. She said the department would provide the necessary learning materials to the designated centres across the country.

The department has also roped in other partners, such as SABC Education and the International Marketing Council, to make available both study and revision materials for grade 12s and learning materials for younger learners.

Motshekga said that by mobilising qualified professionals and subject experts, the department was strengthening the efforts of grade 12 learners who have formed their own study groups during the strike. "It is important that grade 12s remain focused during this time," Motshekga said.

Grade 12 learners are also encouraged to listen to daily broadcasts on the SABC Education radio stations and television channels. They can also access past examination papers and study guides from the department's website.

She also called for parents, communities, retired and student teachers to volunteer and find creative ways of keeping younger learners occupied through various learning and enrichment programmes.

Learner support materials are available on the department's website, www.education.gov.za and the Thutong portal.

People wishing to volunteer their services may contact the department's Call Centre on 0800 202 933 or e-mail classof2010@dbe.gov.za and submit their details. The public is also encouraged to visit the Department's Facebook page at www.groups.to/dbevolunteers.

Source: Brand South Africa

Brad Morgan

Bafana Bafana's quest to qualify for the 2012 African Nations Cup, which takes place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, begins when they take on Niger at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday night.

Not much is known about the west Africans, as Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane admitted to Sapa: "I am still in the dark about what to expect from Niger," he said, "but it is a win at all costs game for us.

"It would be nice if they came and attacked us, but I expect they will sit back and make us do the running. We are, however, prepared for anything," Mosimane said, adding: "I do not care how we win, as long as we get three points."

Victory vital

The general consensus after the 2010 Fifa World Cup was that the South African national side put up a good showing, despite failing to progress beyond the group stage. They beat France, drew with Mexico, and lost to eventual semi-finalists Uruguay.

Following the completion of the World Cup, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira stepped down and was replaced by Mosimane, his former assistant.

In Mosimane's first game in charge, Bafana beat World Cup quarterfinalists Ghana in a friendly. Expectations of the South African team have risen – as has its Fifa World Ranking, up to 66th from 83rd before the World Cup.

Egypt in the same group

Crucially, South Africa needs to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations finals, to continue the good work of the World Cup, and to show progress after missing out on the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.

Joining South Africa and Niger in Group G are Sierra Leone and defending champions Egypt, who have won the title three times in succession and a record seven times in all.

Sierra Leone is ranked only 137th by Fifa, but they were part of South Africa's qualifying group for Angola 2010 and drew with Bafana before beating them in Freetown.

The presence of the Egyptians in the line-up makes it all the more important that Bafana Bafana pick up maximum points outside of their clashes with the Pharaohs.

The group winners plus the two host countries qualify for the finals. They'll be joined by the three best second-place finishers. With the three-time defending champions in their group, South Africa will understand how vital every goal and every point is.

Bafana squad

Out of the 25 players in the Bafana Bafana squad to face Niger, only Siboniso Gaxa, who recently joined Belgian club Lierse, arrived late for training, so preparations for the contest have been good.

Once again, like during the World Cup, the squad is dominated by locally based players, with 17 coming from the PSL and eight from abroad. And despite speculation that his international career might be over, central defender Aaron Mokoena remains a part of the coach's plans. He turned out against Ghana, and he's in the squad to face Niger.

A good number of players who weren't part of the World Cup squad are members of the squad for Saturday's clash. They include defenders Morgan Gould, Happy Jele, Innocent Mdledle and Keegan Ritchie; midfielders Daylon Claasen, Andile Jali and Daine Klate; and forwards Kermit Erasmus and Sthembiso Ngcobo.

The World Cup squad players that missed out were Shu-Aib Walters, Lance Davids, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Matthew Booth, Lucas Thwala, Siyabonga Nomvethe, and Surprise Moriri.

It's the first small step taken by Mosimane to put his own imprint on Bafana Bafana, and it indicates that he is looking for some younger talent, considering that those omitted include Moriri, who is 30, Nomvethe, who is 32, and Booth, who is 33.

Niger

Niger is ranked 145th in the Fifa world rankings and is regarded as the weakest of the teams in the group.

Their last two internationals were in July against 124th ranked Chad, a match that ended in a goalless draw, and, most recently, on 11 August against Benin, ranked 61st by Fifa, which finished in a 1-1 draw.

Niger has never qualified for the African Nations Cup or the Fifa World Cup.

Who's the most economical bowler in cricket history? Who's kicked the most drop-goals in a rugby test? What's the world's biggest open water swimming event? Take a spin through our assortment of SA sports trivia.

South Africa is a culturally diverse country, one nation made up of many peoples.

Black investors currently own 18% of the available share capital in the top 100 companies listed on South Africa's stock exchange, according to an independent study commissioned by the JSE.

"There has been much debate about black ownership on the JSE," CEO Russell Loubser said on Wednesday. "Various and quite divergent numbers have been mentioned."

Loubser said the JSE's top 100 companies by market capitalisation were taken as the "study universe". This represented 85% of the total market capitalisation of the exchange.

Audited, verified information

The study was conducted by independent research house Trevor Chandler and Associates.

Chandler said shareholder data had been obtained from the JSE, and the top 100 companies were requested to provide input to the study: "We asked for audited or verified information, and we even looked at some companies' annual reports."

Loubser said those who had previously supplied numbers where black ownership on the JSE was concerned, had probably "got it wrong."

Codes of practice

Chandler said the study's methodology had its foundations in South African regulations, and the Department of Trade and Industry's codes of practice had been used.

The department's codes required that a company's BEE economic interest be calculated by taking the total share capital and excluding mandated investments (pension funds), investments held by the state, treasury shares (which a company owns in itself) and foreign operations (corporations owned by the company outside of SA).

"In addition, crossholdings between entities, for example, Anglo American's shares in Kumba Iron Ore, listed in the top 100 were identified and removed where necessary to eliminate the capital that is effectively duplicated on the exchange," Chandler said.

Foreign ownership

Taking account these exclusions in each top 100 company, the pool of available share capital for investment equated to 44% of the total market capitalisation.

"Of this available pool, the study found that 18% is owned by black shareholders," Chandler said.

However, Loubser said that as per the department codes, foreign ownership (JSE-listed shares owned by foreign investors) was included in the study.

"If you take this calculation one step further by removing foreign ownership, which by definition excludes all South Africans, we estimate that 36% of available share capital is held by black shareholders."

Sapa

Opportunities, incentives, regulations, assistance.