BOC Publications

Old Mutual Property is redeveloping and refurbishing several malls in previously disadvantaged areas as part of its contribution to sustainable community development and township upliftment in South Africa.

One such investment is the Kagiso Mall, which was demolished and is being redeveloped at a cost R123.5-million, with the mall due to reopen in April this year. Kagiso is a township located to the west of Johannesburg, near Krugersdorp.

Old Mutual fund manager Hein Smit in a statement this week that the new Kagiso Mall would make "a valuable enhancement to this community's shopping and social experience."

Kagiso Mall was originally developed in the 1980s and had become desperately outdated and run-down, with low occupancy rates. The newly developed mall will be 11 700m², with 9 200m² of new-line shops that will house a retail mix of 50 shops. Fast food tenants will be facing the main parking area to enable extended trading hours.

Project architects KMH were instructed specifically to address the sustainable aspects of the project, which include rainwater harvesting, low energy lighting and improved insulation specifications.

They also used local skills and expertise in the development phase.

Ensuring community involvement

"We will continue finding ways to contribute to social development projects that benefit the community and townships and we are proud of our contribution to the development of the Kagiso area," said Old Mutual Property MD Peter Levett.

Community involvement in the project has been considered through each stage of the project, which is one of the distinguishing factors of the mall. The final design finishes propose to include numerous artworks and contributions from the community to depict images relevant to the local community.

"We look forward to the successful conclusion of this project and the grand opening next year," he said.

Old Mutual Property has carried out other projects to improve retail centres in previously disadvantaged communities before.

Old Mutual acquired Phanghami Mall, situated in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province, which boasts a 7 834m² shopping centre complex with an investment amount of R75-million. It opened for business at the end of October 2009.

In addition, Phumlani Mall in Tembisa on the East Rand in Gauteng, was acquired for R175-million The modern shopping centre was completed in July 2009 and is fully operational.

SAinfo reporter

Brad Morgan

The South African Football Association is to implement an ambitious plan aimed at lifting the country's national teams into the top three on the African continent and the top 20 in the world by 2020.

Safa on Thursday outlined its plans to turn around disappointing results that have included Bafana Bafana missing out on the African Nations Cup finals twice in succession, the national under-20 team failing to impress in Cosafa competition, and the under-23 team falling short in their 2012 Olympic qualifiers.

South Africa's highest world ranking was 16th after the 1996 African Cup of Nations, which the country hosted. The opportunity to host the 2013 Nations Cup finals is another chance for Bafana Bafana to climb the rankings, and it comes not a moment too soon.

'We went to be number one'

Safa Acting President Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana said success in the 2013 tournament was a critical part of the organisation's plans for the future success of Bafana Bafana. "We want to reclaim our rightful position, to be number one in Africa," he said, adding that a top three position is the minimum requirement.

He then heaped pressure on Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane by saying: "When you host in the country, you must go to the final, so you can be number one. If we are booted out in the first round, it will be a serious indictment, and heads will have to roll.

"But key to that is to give our coach every support, from finances to administration, so he can have no excuses," Nonkonyana said.

Slipping

Since mid-2011, South Africa has slipped from 38th in the Fifa world rankings to 56th place currently. Not bad when one considers that the country was in 90th place in April 2011, but not good enough for country that invests so much money in football.

That disappointment led to Safa recognising that the country's generally downward trajectory in the rankings since 1996 needs changing and so this week's meeting became the first step taken in turning around South Africa's footballing fortunes.

The Safa gathering brought together over 200 delegates, including current and former national coaches, all Safa Level 3 coaches, coaches from PSL and National First Division clubs, former national team players, development coachs, sports scientists, leading international football technology specialists, and international talent identification systems specialists.

'Seven streams of success'

After two days, a three-phase approach was agreed upon that will run through to July of this year. Members signed up to technical sub-groups to focus on seven "streams of success" that are to form the framework of the strategy and action plans.

These are: developing and aligning SA's national football philosophy; creating a talent identification and development pipeline; entrenching a dynamic coaching education and deployment system; establishing the necessary national tournament and competitions framework; building the optimal football infrastructure and administration; harnessing the power of technology; and leveraging the expertise of sports science.

A technical working group, under the direction of Safa's technical committee, will coordinate the inputs from each of the work-streams to create an integrated technical development plan, which will be presented to the final Symposium in July.

Working with the media

Safa CEO Robin Petersen said the body viewed the Thursday's media conference as a "unique opportunity for Safa to develop a partnership with the media as we work towards the finalisation of the technical strategy for the South African football development."

He explained that Safa hoped to become more connected to South African football fans through the media, saying: "The media is our connection to the millions of South African football fans whose hopes and dreams ride on the performance of our National teams.

"We will provide space for input from the media as we develop our plans, and in turn need the media to convey an optimism that will help generate a groundswell of support that will get the nation wearing the Bafana Bafana shirt with pride every Friday and every match day as we begin our qualification programme for Brazil 2014 in June."

South Africa remains a net a food exporter, selling 30% more agricultural goods abroad than it imported in 2010, according to the latest South Africa Survey, published last month by the SA Institute of Race Relations.

According to the survey by the Johannesburg-based institute, South Africa's agricultural exports grew by 10% between 2008 and 2010, with total agricultural exports amounting to US$6.8-billion in 2010. During the same period, agricultural imports increased by just less than 1% and amounted to $5.2-billion.

Agricultural exports stood at 5% of South Africa's total exports in 2010, with agricultural imports accounting for 2% of total imports.

The institute's analysis was based on data supplied by the Foreign Agricultural Service at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Netherlands SA's biggest export destination

The data revealed that the Netherlands was South Africa's largest agricultural export destination, accounting for a little over 10% of South Africa's total such exports in 2010, worth $700-million.

Between 2008 and 2010, the demand for South African agricultural exports grew in Asia and Africa, while the proportion of such exports going to European countries declined.

Argentina has remained South Africa's largest source of agricultural imports since 2008, the survey found. However, the proportion of such imports from Argentina has fallen, from 17% in 2008 to 12% in 2010, when they were worth $628-million.

Demand for SA produce 'growing'

The ratio of South Africa's agricultural imports to exports has increased since the mid-1960s, when the ratio of imports to exports stood at 1 to 5. In the decade between 1995 and 2005, the ratio of agricultural imports to exports stood at 2 to 3.

In 2007, agricultural imports temporarily exceeded agricultural exports by a ratio of 11 to 10.

"Recent data indicates that demand for South African agricultural products is not only holding steady, but is in fact growing," Jonathan Snyman, a researcher at the institute, said in a statement.

"Food security is an especially precarious state of affairs in sub-Saharan Africa, so it is a positive development that South Africa has maintained its status as a net agricultural exporter."

SAinfo reporter

Step out of the urban centres and discover an unexplored country of contrasts.

The proportion of adults with the lowest living standards has decreased by 77% over the last 10 years, according to the latest South Africa Survey, published last month by the South African Institute of Race Relations.

Using Living Standards Measures (LSMs), a marketing tool developed by the South African Advertising Research Foundation, the survey shows that in 2001, one in 10 (11%) adults were in LSM 1, the lowest living standard category. By 2010 this had fallen to only 2%.

Over the same period, the proportion of adults in the top three LSM categories, LSMs 8 to 10, has increased by 25%. In 2001, 16% of adults were in LSMs 8 to 10, while by 2010 this had increased to 20%, or one in five adults.

LSMs use criteria such as whether people are urbanised or whether they own motor vehicles and major appliances to determine standards of living. Income is not used to determine a person's LSM.

The research manager at the Johannesburg-based institute, Lucy Holborn, said that despite high unemployment and shortcomings in service delivery, South African living standards have actually improved significantly over the past decade.

"There are, however, still notable racial discrepancies," Holborn said. "In 2001, Africans made up 99.7% of those in LSM 1, but only 3% of those in LSM 10. In 2010 Africans made up 98% of those in LSM 1, and 19% in LSM 10. Of adults in LSM 10, 65% were white.

"The data shows that the racial differences have narrowed slightly, with more representation of Africans in the top LSM groups than 10 years ago, demonstrating a growing African middle class."

83% of households do not qualify for mortgages

At the same, the institute's survey indicates how far South Africa still has to go in overcoming the social legacies of apartheid. It finds, for instance, that some 83% of the nearly 14-million households in the country do not earn enough to qualify for bank housing loans.

Sourcing information from a 2011 report by the Financial and Fiscal Commission, the survey found that, in 2009, some 60% of households earned R3 500 or less a month, thus qualifying for full state housing grants, while 16% of households had to make their own contributions to state-subsidised houses based on their income (R3 500 to R7 000).

Some 7% of households earned between R7 000 and R10 500 - enough to disqualify them from state housing programmes, but not enough to get a bank mortgage.

Some 5% (700 000 households) fell in an income bracket high enough to qualify them for bank finance in the affordable housing sector. The government provides a guarantee fund and acts as surety for applicants in this sector.

Only 12% (1.6-million households) earned enough to qualify unassisted for a bank mortgage.

The survey also shows that the number of informal backyard dwellings in South Africa rose by 83% between 1996 and 2010.

The publication notes that people who are on the waiting list for state housing programmes, and the majority of those that do not qualify for such programmes, often migrate to backyard dwellings that offered cheaper rentals.

"The income figures demonstrate the pressure on the state's housing delivery programmes, with 60% of all households eligible for government-subsidised housing," said Kerwin Lebone of the institute's research department.

SAinfo reporter

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's upcoming Budget speech needs to boost business confidence, while designating 2012 as a year of implementation, says Business Unity South Africa (Busa).

Gordhan will present the national Budget to Parliament in Cape Town on 22 February.

Parsons said this week that South Africa's the economic and business outlook for 2012 remained positive but modest. This comes as South Africa's economy and the global economy have felt the impact of the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

Busa trimmed its growth forecast for 2012 to 2.7% from 3%, with the economy expected to create about 200 000 jobs per annum in the formal sector.

This was not enough to meet the country's socio-economic challenges, Busa said, with South Africa needing to generate better economic performance in the coming years.

Busa also said that the country's competitiveness had declined due to issues around the ease of doing business. The country also needed to boost small and medium enterprises in order to boost job creation.

Parsons said that tax shocks should be avoided in the 2012 Budget.

"We don't think it's time to increase taxes," he said, adding that business also wanted reaffirmation of the government's commitment to predictability and certainty in policy, especially through programmes like the New Growth Path and the National Development Plan.

These were good programmes, but Parsons said the country should work on implementation. "South Africa needs to make 2012 a game-changing year for implementation."

According to Busa, the country needs to focus on structural factors to promote growth and employment and to strengthen investor confidence.

Busa also expressed concern at the rise of administered prices.

"Business supports the need for better infrastructure, [but] the bunching up and cumulative effect of excessive rises in administered prices is currently having a negative impact on our economic performance.

"There needs to be a better planned and coordinated approach to the issues of affordability in decisions around administered prices and their effect on the cost of doing business in South Africa."

Source: BuaNews

Opportunities, incentives, regulations, assistance.

South African Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has welcomed the 25-year sentences handed down to three Mozambicans this week, as the country steps up its efforts to combat rhino poaching.

The poachers were sentenced by the Phalaborwa Regional Court on Tuesday for illegally hunting rhinos in South Africa's Kruger National Park in 2010.

Aselmo Baloyi, Jawaki Nkuna and Ismael Baloyi were found guilty on four counts including illegal hunting of rhino, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

Molewa said the sentence would send a strong message to poachers. She was optimistic that the sentence, coupled with increasing anti-poaching measures by the country's law enforcement agencies, would serve as a deterrent.

Increased anti-poaching measures

These measures include the South African National Defence Force returning to monitor the 350km of national border in Kruger National Park and other country borders, as well as the deployment of conservation specialists at ports through which the trade in endangered species can be exported and imported.

The Department of Water and Environmental and South African National Parks are also in the process of beefing up patrols in the Kruger National Park with the deployment of an additional 150 rangers.

Bilateral engagements between South Africa and Mozambique to deal with cross-border law enforcement are also ongoing, while South Africans have been urged to report any illegal rhino activities by calling the dedicated line 0800 205 005.

232 suspects arrested in 2011

The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs said last week that 232 suspects were arrested in connection with rhino poaching in South Africa last year. These included 194 rhino poachers, 24 receivers of rhino horns, 12 couriers and two exporters. No buyers were arrested.

Briefing parliamentarians in Cape Town, the department's deputy director-general on biodiversity and conservation, Fundisile Mketeni, said the crime was grossing about R160-billion annually worldwide.

Mketeni said that 122 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2009, rising to 333 in 2010 and to 448 in 2011. He projected that about 300 rhinos were likely to be poached in the country this year.

He added that the North West and Limpopo provinces had the highest numbers of poached rhinos.

Mketeni was speaking during a briefing to Parliament's portfolio committee on water and environmental affairs by over a dozen concerned organisations and individuals.

Mketeni said that most of the poached rhino horns were destined for Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and China.

He indicated that South Africa was at various stages of signing bilateral agreements with these countries to help combat the crime.

More co-ordination needed

Mtekeni complained about a lack of coordination between his department and its provincial counterparts as well as other related departments in dealing with problem, and called for his department to be given centralized powers to allow them to decisively deal with the matter.

Mtekeni said that the department should have its own officers trained along the lines of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

"We want to have our own intelligence and use it the way we want," he said, indicating that these would be able to directly pursue rhino poaching syndicates outside the country.

He said they planned to deploy their own officials at ports of entry as well as to train customs officials to help detect suspects about to leave the country.

He called for the Department of Public Works to fix, electrify and insert an electrical detection system on the fence between the Kruger National Park and Mozambique, where rhino poaching activities were frequent.

Source: BuaNews

Wildlife

The famous Big Five - elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo - and more.

South Africa's Standard Bank Group is ranked the most valuable banking brand in Africa in the 2012 global Top 500 Banking Brands report - the second year in a row it has received the accolade.

The definitive report is published in the leading global banking journal The Banker and compiled by valuation consultancy and asset management company Brand Finance.

"We are delighted to receive this recognition, which adds to a growing list of prestigious awards in recognition of building a successful brand on the African continent," Standard Bank Group deputy CEO Ben Kruger said in a statement this week.

"Standard Bank acknowledges the relationship between brand equity and the key value drivers in the business, and we view brand management as a key element to enhance value for all stakeholders."

Jump in brand value

According to the report, the Standard Bank brand alone is worth US$2.17-billion, helping the bank to maintain its position as the highest ranked banking brand on the continent, as well as a jump up in world rankings by three places from 76th in 2011 to 73rd.

Brand Finance calculates the value of brands by using a "royalty relief method" that estimates the notional price a company would have to pay for the brand.

The methodology employed uses a discounted cash flow technique to discount estimated future royalties at an appropriate discount rate to arrive at a net present value of the trademark and associated intellectual property: the brand value.

"This ranking is a reflection of the value created through the focus and dedication of our people in delivering what is important to our customers in different segments and markets, as we strongly believe that is what ultimately differentiates banks and builds value in a brand," said Kruger.

Strong commitment to Africa

As a South African headquartered bank with subsidiaries in 17 African countries, Standard Bank Group is uniquely positioned to service clients doing business on the continent.

"The benefit of our strong commitment to Africa is increasingly evident and injects extra value into our relationship with customers," said Kruger. "This enhances brand value, a measure of commitment and loyalty to Standard Bank.

"Whatever we do should help the customer advance in some way. Merely completing a routine activity or facilitating a complex transaction is only really worth something if we are assisting our customers and clients in their needs and delivering on their expectations."

Brand Finance's Top Banking 500 directly compares the values of the world's banking brands, making it the only direct comparison of brand value in the banking industry.

The consultancy produces a study that illustrates how the methodology, findings and value-based marketing techniques can be used for decision-making and to determine the impact of brand equity on business performance.

SAinfo reporter

South Africa will showcase its abundant artistic talent to the people of Palestine during South African Week later this year, following the signing of a cultural agreement between the two countries in Pretoria on Wednesday.

"We welcome with both hands the opportunity to visit Palestine later this year to be part of the South African Week celebrations," Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile said after signing the agreement with Palestinian Minister of Culture Siham Mohammad Abdel Salam.

"Our ultimate objective of participating in South African Week is to further strengthen people-to-people contact and to build new bridges of friendship and solidarity with the people of Palestine."

Mashatile said the government would continue to make arts, culture and heritage important tools of bringing people together and working towards a shared future.

The signed agreement would promote mutual understanding of the two countries' diverse cultures, create opportunities to access cultural markets in both South Africa and Palestine, and facilitate training and development in areas of common interests.

"Our cooperation will also cover areas such as languages development, heritage preservation, exchanges of literature as well as exhibitions to showcase both our countries' artistic talent."

Mashatile said South Africa counted the people of Palestine among those patriots who stood with the masses in the struggle for national liberation. "For that, we are indebted to you."

In line with the Non-Aligned Movement and the international community in general, he said, South Africa would continue to support efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"In our view, the best option for the resolution of the Palestine-Israeli conflict is premised on a two-state solution, with Palestine and Israel existing peacefully side-by-side as two independent states."

Source: BuaNews

Art

Diverse contemporary artists producing new and important work.

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says he is happy that South African national team captain Steven Pienaar has secured a loan move to his former club, Everton, where he will almost be assured of regular game time.

Mosimane said it was at Everton that Pienaar played some of the best football of his career, and he was confident the move back to the club was the tonic his skipper needed to revive his fortunes.

"It is a good and wise move for his career," said Mosimane.

"The Everton coach [David Moyes] loves him and the fans in Liverpool adore him. Don't forget it is at Everton where 'Schillo' played the best soccer of his career, and I have no doubt this move is what we all wanted."

Unfortunate

The Bafana Bafana mentor said it was unfortunate that Pienaar's stay at Tottenham Hotspur was blighted by injuries. As a result, he was unable to command regular first team football and that, in turn, led to the player's frustrations on the sidelines.

"His injuries were not only a blow to Spurs, but to the whole Bafana Bafana campaign, because whenever he dons the national team jersey he is one player who gives his all. He is a true leader," reckoned Mosimane.

Mosimane also said he was that delighted Pienaar's deputy, Siphiwe "Shabba" Tshabalala, had signed a three-year contract extension with Kaizer Chiefs after taking a long time to decide on a whether or not to remain with the PSL club.

A good week

"It has been a good week for Bafana Bafana. These are two influential players for the national team and you want your key players to be settled and play regularly.

"I just hope that Bongani Khumalo also starts playing, as he has returned to Spurs," added Mosimane. "This has not been a good period for him, but I am almost certain something will soon happen because he is a good player."

Bafana Bafana will next be in action against Senegal in an international friendly on 29 February. The agreement between the South African Football Association (Safa) and their counterparts from Senegal is that the Teranga Lions will bring all their big name players.

South Africa had been scheduled to face Nigeria, but the date clashed with 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. Safa has said it would try to arrange another game against the Super Eagles at a later date.

SAinfo reporter

2 February 2012

South Africa's Midmar Mile is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest open water swimming event, and organiser Wayne Riddin is adamant that it's thanks to one man: Mike Arbuthnot, one of the race's founders and the man who drove it and ensured its survival in the early days.

The 39th annual aQuelle Midmar Mile takes place over the weekend of 11 and 12 February, and Riddin believes a record entry could be achieved, but he's aiming even higher for next year's 40th anniversary of the event.

Judging by the number of swimmers that participated in seeding events, and comparing numbers to previous years at the same time, a field of 17 000 competitors is a distinct possibility this year.

20 000 swimmers

This time around, Riddin, who has organised the Midmar Mile for the past 21 years, has taken a step back from some of the organisation and has delegated tasks to other people, all with the idea that it will allow him to work on achieving a record entry of at least 20 000 swimmers next year.

He sees the 2012 event as a vital stepping stone towards 2013's 40th anniversary event. "The 40th is for 'Buthy'," he said at the official press launch of the Midmar Mile in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.

Mike Arbuthnot, now 79 years of age, is the only swimmer to have officially swum in each and every Midmar Mile.

74 miles

Nowadays swimmers are able to swim in up to eight races on a Midmar Mile weekend as part of the Eight-Mile Club, which swims for charity. Arbuthnot has been a part of the Club in the past. He's also swum in age group events, company and non-company events, family events, and even women's events. Altogether he has swum the Midmar Mile 74 times.

He aims to swim another four Miles this year and then two more in 2013 to make it 80 Midmar Miles at the age of 80.

Asked whether he felt pressure to maintain his record as the only man to have swum in every Midmar Mile, Arbuthnot brushed the question aside, saying quietly that the Midmar Mile would continue without him.

A family event

He is particularly happy that the event is so family-oriented, able to reach across generations; the youngest finisher ever was aged five, the oldest aged 89.

Martin Godfrey, one of only a handful of swimmers to have missed only one edition of the world-famous swim, has a personal goal of swimming 50 Midmar Miles. He said he keeps coming back to swim in it, not for personal glory, but for the joy of the event itself and for Arbuthnot.

"It's for Buthy," he said. "The Midmar Mile would not exist if it wasn't for him."

Arbuthnot will be swimming in a newly introduced age group this year, which is testament to the wide reach of the Midmar Mile: 71 years and over!

Oldest entrant

Lorna Cochran, aged 88, is the oldest entrant. To accommodate entrants like Cochran, who are expected to take more than an hour to complete their swim, the organisers have moved them to the first event on Saturday, thus taking pressure off of them to make the cut-off times in the other events.

Cochran is far from done with the Midmar Mile, and her aim in future is to be better Colin Cable's record as the oldest ever finisher at 89 years of age.

Roy Rees, who swam in 2011, was the same age as Cochran, but has since passed away. His daughter will swim this year and accept a 10-year badge on his behalf.

Eight Mile Club

The Eight Mile Club, of which Arbuthnot has been a part, is limited to 50 swimmers only and has a waiting list, despite the swimmers being required to swim all eight events over the weekend, and raise a minimum of R10 000 each for charity.

In 2011, the money raised reached R1.5-million. That figure was boosted by almost R600 000 raised for the Special Olympics by Charlene Wittstock, who later in the year became the Princess of Monaco. She couldn't take part in the Midmar Mile this year because of a packed programme, said Riddin, but he expects that she will return in future.

The aQuelle Midmar Mile is sure to reach more people than ever before this year, added Riddin, because heavyweight sports broadcaster ESPN is set to cover the event, thus taking it to a worldwide audience.

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