By Ashleigh Furlong

On Tuesday, dismissed University of the Western Cape (UWC) security guards demonstrated outside the university, calling for their employer Securitas to reinstate them. The 144 workers were dismissed by Securitas following the student protests last year.

Dismissed worker Sithembele Falteni said that he had worked at the university for six years. He has been without a job since October. His wife is unemployed. He said the family had struggled to pay for school registration, uniforms and books for his six-year-old.

“We didn’t enjoy Christmas. We were just looking at other people having fun,” he said.

On 13 January, Securitas dismissed the workers on charges of being absent from work without permission, “hostage” and “assault and robbery”. The workers admit that they weren’t at work but say they were forced to leave as students had shutdown the university.

“On 17 October, we were at work when the students came and removed us,” said dismissed worker Vusumzi Gononda. He said the protesting students shut down the campus and told everyone to leave. “And then they informed our line manager that we were not going to work,” he said.

When they returned once the shutdown was over, Securitas tried to interdict them, he said, but the court denied the urgent interdict.

Mark Sangster, the director of corporate governance at Securitas, said that they “have video footage of both the assault and hostage / holding managers against their free will, incidents and were therefore able to identify the staff who were implicated”.

“Staff absented themselves from the university during a period of student protest – this without our (the employer) permission. We requested them to return to work and also offered to redeploy them to another site if necessary. They did not return to work nor did they respond to our offer of redeployment, so we believed that we had no alternative but to proceed with the charges of absenteeism,” he said.

Gononda denied that the workers took anyone hostage, saying that the incident referred to was when the workers were demanding answers from management. He confirmed Sangster’s offer of redeployment but said workers didn’t want to accept this because they would lose the R2,000 top-up payment that UWC management was giving all outsourced workers, and would not receive a study rebate.

He said that during the “hostage” incident there were student and police on the campus.

Like Falteni, Gononda has also been unemployed since they were dismissed. “I’m still suffering,” he said, explaining that his two brothers are unemployed. He is also unable to pay for his sister’s registration fees at the University of Walter Sisulu.

He said Securitas had offered to re-employ some workers but only after 24 months and not at UWC.

Falteni said that he felt criminalised by the current security guards at the university. “They treat us [dismissed workers] like criminals, the security and the police that stop us from entering the UWC premises.” He said that when they want to visit friends at the university they are blocked from entering. “I’ve been working here for six years at UWC. I never stole anything. I never burnt anything,” he said.

UWC spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo told GroundUp that the matter was between the workers and their employer.

Leading investors, business executives, entrepreneurs and policymakers in Africa gathered in London at the Dow Jones News Building on March 7, 2017, for The Wall Street Journal’s one-day “Investing in Africa” conference to discuss technology, infrastructure, policy development and the growing private-sector role in the transformation of the continent.

African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina, was in the thick of the action, meeting several top investors and entrepreneurs, as well as greeting friends old and new from international capitals.

The evidence is that African investment is rising fast on the global financial agenda, as is the African Development Bank, which a majority of participants in an online poll agreed was likely to overtake the World Bank and the IMF in African investment deals within a decade.

President Adesina chaired a packed lunchtime session on Infrastructure Funding: Bridging the Gap, introducing and guiding a room of analysts, investors and entrepreneurs through the intricacies of infrastructure financing.

Adesina said there has never been a better time for Africa to attract capital investment for good bankable projects from sovereign funds, global pension plans and other available capital in the financial system.

No sooner had the session finished than President Adesina was being interviewed in open session by The Wall Street Journal’s Africa Business Correspondent, Matina Stevis, on the Bank’s vision for Africa.

Adesina summarized this with the Bank’s High 5s vision, supplemented by the targets of sufficient power generation, intelligent infrastructure, agro-aligned industrialization, balancing food trade, and vastly improved employment opportunities for Africa’s youth.

The President presented a robust view of how public and private sectors can work together even on the biggest deals, adding that reversing the infrastructure deficit is both a large and an urgent priority for African nations.

DAR ES SALAAM residents will soon breathe a sigh of relief over water shortages following completion of the construction of a 33KV power line that will enable pumping of 196 million litres of water from Upper Ruvu Water Treatment Plant to the city daily.

The 45-km power line was constructed from Chalinze sub-station to Mlandizi, where the newly built water treatment plant is located.

The major plant which is expected to address the long existed water woes among city residents was last year expanded to make it produce more water from 82 million litres to 196 million litres.

However, since completion of the construction project mid last year, the plant could not produce to its full potential due to insufficient electricity to pump water, until last weekend when the power line was put in place.

A statement released by the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA), yesterday, said that through its contractor WABAG of India which has sub-contracted a local firm, Ms Mollel Electrical, on Sunday completed the work at Mlandizi pumping station.

“The only work remaining now is to connect the new line to the plant so that all water pumps could function,” she said. DAWASA thanked the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) for according cooperation and consultancy that contributed to completion of the project.

Last year, Minister for Water and Irrigation, Eng Gerson Lwenge, said that with the completion of the project, a total of 586 million litres of water will be produced for the city since the Lower Ruvu Water Treatment Plant now produces 390 million litres.

This means the total production will now exceed the water needs for the city which currently stands at about 400 million litres per day.

“This is a big step ahead in ending water woes in the city,” Minister Lwenge said after visiting the project site, last year. He said that since more water is going to be pumped, thereafter the government will move to focusing on improving water supply network because a large amount of water has been lost due to poor water supply infrastructure.

• GE’s Hydro Solutions, a business of GE Renewable Energy, is one of the main sponsor of Hydro Africa 2017 in Marrakesh, Morocco
• The event is to take place from 14th to 16th March, 2017
• GE Renewable Energy has a hydro footprint of about 12 GW in Africa.

Paris, 14 March 2017 – GE Renewable Energy is attending Africa 2017 in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 14-16 March 2017 and will present its complete portfolio to the 600 attendees. Representatives the International Energy Agency and the World Bank will be amongst the attendees.

Today, GE Renewable Energy has the capability to address the entire value chain of hydro assets in Africa. From new equipment, Operation and Maintenance, to energy transmission solutions – thanks to the collaboration with GE Energy Connections – Services as well as brand-new digital solutions. During the three-day event, GE Renewable Energy will showcase the Digital Hydro Plant, an umbrella of digital solutions that brings more reliability, productivity and profitability for customers, suitable for existing and new hydropower plants.

GE’s Energy Financial Services has developed a long track record of investing and bringing third-party capital into renewable energy projects. Representatives will be attending Africa 2017 to present their portfolio of services to customers, alongside GE Renewable Energy.

Bill Armstrong, Regional Leader for GE’s Hydro Solutions in Europe, Middle East & Africa said “We have an extensive and complementary approach that brings value to our customers under the shape of global offerings that are optimized technically, digitally and financially”.

GE Renewable Energy has developed a deep understanding of the customer needs on the African continent. Currently, the group is working actively on projects that will have a tremendous impact on Africa’s hydro footprint. Grand Renaissance in Ethiopia will add 6 GW to the installed base. The ongoing retrofit of the Inga 2 and N’seke turbines and generators contribute to the stabilization of hydropower generation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent months, GE finalized the rehabilitation of Cahora Bassa’s spillway gates in Zambia – a country where the group contributes by employing and training local workforce on the refurbishment project of Kariba’s North Bank hydropower station.

GE Renewable Energy is launching a learning program in Africa to further develop local skills and create high quality jobs. The objective is to train and develop the future operators of hydropower plants that GE delivers. The first edition of this program took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in late February 2017.

About GE Renewable Energy
GE Renewable Energy is a 10-billion-dollar start-up that brings together one of the broadest product and service portfolios of the renewable energy industry. Combining onshore and offshore wind, hydro and innovative technologies such as concentrated solar power, GE Renewable Energy has installed more than 400+ gigawatts capacity globally to make the world work better and cleaner. With 13,000 employees present in more than 55 countries, GE Renewable Energy is backed by the resources of the world’s first digital industrial company. Our goal is to demonstrate to the rest of the world that nobody should ever have to choose between affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.

Residents of Berea in Durban, are furious that a crucial court case before the Supreme Court of Appeal involving the legality of an almost completed R61m high-rise apartment block on their doorsteps, has been stalled again.

And there appears to be complete confusion about why the matter – which was expected the finally determine the fate of the nine-story “monstrosity” at 317 Currie Road – was removed from the roll again.

The issue before the court is whether Durban High Court Judge Esther Steyn was correct in finding that neighbours were not given proper and lawful notice of an application by the developers, Serengeti Rise Industries, to rezone the land.

This rezoning entitled them to deviate from an initial plan to develop a four-storey building with the usual side space restrictions and submit fresh plans for a nine-storey building with a boundary-to-boundary footprint.

It was the first ever such rezoning granted for a property in Berea and completely blocked neighbours’ natural light and views.

Property prices

Judge Steyn ordered the partial demolition of the building. However, if the SCA upholds her order, it will mean the entire building will have to come down, a first for the city.

Serengeti wants the ruling overturned. It argues the eThekwini Municipality, in not ensuring that its notice laws were complied with, was at fault and it could not be blamed.

Residents, with neighbour and local senior advocate Tayob Aboobaker, SC, leading the charge, insist the order is correct and claim their property prices have plummeted, and continue to do so.

The matter was removed from the roll last November. It was then set down to be heard on Monday.

SCA registrar Paul Myburg did not respond to questions regarding the reason for this. A spokesperson for Norton Rose Fulbright, the attorneys acting for Serengeti, said it was not removed at their behest.

“It was the registrar’s perception that the date did not suit all of the parties, which left the Acting President of the Supreme Court with no option but to remove the matter from the roll, we understand.”

Aboobaker said he had not been consulted about the removal and did not know why.

“As I understand the position, matters cannot be removed from the roll without the permission of all the parties.”

Cheryl Johnson of Save Our Berea – a lobby group helping the residents – said it was an incredibly important case for the city’s ratepayers.

“Judge Steyn’s order was met with jubilation by most Berea residents who felt helpless in the face of a string of decisions around town planning and rezoning that made no sense, and had caused the derogation of values in what is normally the largest investment that will be made in their lifetime – the value of their residential homes.

“It was worrying that the appeal hearing date had been changed three times. This case had dragged on for too long,” she said.

She said Save Our Berea was aware of other properties where the same “mistakes” were made. The only reason why these cases never went to court was that the people affected were unable to afford the costs of legal action.

She said the case had highlighted how increasing development on a piece of land increased its value.

“When the developers bought 317, Currie Road, they paid R5.8m for a site zoned General Residential I. By the stroke of a pen, the planning committee, and the full council, 317 Currie Road was rezoned General Residential 5 – a zoning never used outside the CBD and the beachfront.

“So the developer who paid a market price for the land was basically enriched by approximately R25m before he laid the first brick. Why would the city do this for a single developer at the expense of all the surrounding citizens who own property and have seen their property values go down?”

Source: News24

By Daniel Nemukuyu

Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) can now go ahead with the bulk prepaid water metering system in Beitbridge, after the High Court this week threw out an urgent interdict application by the border town.

The new system is part of Zinwa’s wider strategy to enforce payment by water users, among them local authorities who owe the parastatal in excess of $140 million.

Zinwa installed bulk water meters on points where Beitbridge Town Council draws water for distribution to the residents. It gave notice to council that the prepaid meter system would start on March 1 this year.

However, the local authority sought to stop the process through an urgent interdict pending the installation of corresponding meters at all houses in the town.

Council argued that it was unfair for Zinwa to implement the new system when individual households had no prepaid meters. High Court judge Justice Clement Phiri last week dismissed the application for lack of urgency.

“Whereupon after reading documents filed of record and hearing counsel, it is ordered that this matter is held not to be urgent.

“The applicant shall bear the costs on the ordinary scale,” ruled Justice Phiri.

In a founding affidavit by Beitbridge town secretary Mr Loud Ramakgapola, it was stated that council and Zinwa had an agreement in which the latter treats water and supplies it to the town in bulk.

Council then distributes the water to residents from whom it must collect money.

It was agreed that 40 percent of the money is handed over to Zinwa.

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has defended her choice of Prasa interim board members, saying that the individuals had a wide range of expertise.

Peters named the interim board members on Monday, with notable names such as former CEO of Sanral Nazir Alli and her former spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso.

She praised Ali for his work at Sanral, saying that he had done an excellent job and improved conditions at the road agency.

“We have put these names on the basis of their expertise and knowledge that they have. I don’t know why it should be an issue. Ali was the CEO of Sanral, being an executive board members at Sanral, and did a good job to an extent were Sanral is now. He is on the board because of technical expertise.”

She added that the department was busy with a process of establishing a permanent board. She said Rikhotso had expertise in public relations and he would add value to the board in that regard.

Other interim board members are former NUM secretary general Frans Baleni, Ronny Mkhwanazi, Natalie Skeepers, Constance Mahelo, Xolile George, and a representative from national Treasury.

George would retain his seat on the board, while the unnamed Treasury representative would replace Landon McMillan, she said.

Minister denies protecting Letsaolo

Peters dissolved the Prasa board last week following what she said were public spats between the board and former acting group CEO Collins Letsaolo.

“Continuing public spats between the board and Lestaolo, I resolved to dissolve the board.”

She noted, “among others, the declining performance, lack of good governance, lack of financial prudence and the ever deteriorating public confidence due to spates of infighting”.

Peters denied allegations that her decision to dissolve the board was to protect Letsaolo.

“If it was a matter of protecting Lestaolo, I would have said Lestoalo must remain and the board must go. Letsaolo reverted back to his position at the Department of Transport. He is a Chief Finance Officer at the department.”

Meanwhile, former Prasa chairperson Popo Molefe has filed an urgent application with the High Court in Johannesburg to have the decision to dissolve the board of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa by the Minister of Transport set aside.

Molefe, along with the other fired directors of Prasa, has approached the court to review or declare the board’s dissolution unlawful; to reinstate them to their former positions, and prevent an interim board from being appointed.

According to Molefe’s founding affidavit, filed on Saturday, the decision to remove the board members and the notices of removal are “plainly unlawful and must be set aside” to prevent irremediable damage, uphold legality and vindicate public interest.

Source: News24

Banks are seeking customers to buy surplus foreign currencies they hold following the flooding of the banks with dollars by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

In an effort to support and shore-up the value of Naira, CBN resolved to flood commercial banks with dollars.

The banks are reported to be holding excess forex and were seeking customers to buy the foreign currencies.

The banks have cleared the backlog of requests for foreign currencies for basic travel allowance, school fees and medicals.

A banker said that his bank had so much dollars that its marketers were asked to encourage customers to request for the greenback.

The source said that the bank wanted to avoid a situation where it would be forced to return excess Forex to the CBN.

Doing so would force the CBN to reduce the quantity of Forex sold to the bank.

Another source from First Bank said following the CBN intervention, the bank had succeeded in clearing all pending requests for Forex as far back as September, 2016.

Also, a source in Guaranty Trust Bank commended the decision of the CBN to flood the market with Forex, thereby allowing the banks to meet legitimate requests from its customers.

It was also gathered from Heritage Bank that prior to now, the bank published the names of individuals and companies it disbursed forex in the newspaper.

“Right now, we take two or three pages in the newspaper to publish names of legitimate individuals and companies that we disbursed forex to.

“We have more than enough foreign exchange to meet the request of our customers for school fees and others.”

In a data released by the CBN, the apex bank, within three weeks, injected more than 1.4 billion dollars for both wholesale and retail intervention into the interbank Forex market.

Mr Ayo Teriba, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Associates, is optimistic that the CBN would be able to sustain its intervention on the forex market.

Teriba said that increase in oil production and high oil prices had increased the foreign reserve base of the country.

“We are back to a situation where the forex at the disposal of the CBN is likely to go up.

“The CBN could not intervene in the forex market in 2016 because of low oil production, prices and because foreign reserves were also low.

“Today, oil price is up, reserves have also gone up, the outlook of the oil prices is stable and production in Nigeria is going back to capacity; so it has the capacity to intervene.

“In a couple of months, the apex bank should be able to meet all of the demands and all the multiple exchange rates will converge.”

By Tendai Mugabe

Government plans to soon reduce huge farms to reasonably small pieces of land to meet demand from more land-hungry Zimbabweans before bringing closure to the land redistribution chapter, a Cabinet minister has revealed.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa said Government was working to ensure that beneficiaries of the land reform received proper legal documents to secure their tenure and enable them to access bank loans.

Government has compulsorily acquired over 12 million hectares of arable land previously occupied by white farmers. Some black beneficiaries got vast swathes of land they can’t put to effective use.

Addressing students of the Joint Command and Staff Course Number 30 in Harare on Thursday, Minister Chinamasa said current offer letters were not sufficient security as they could be withdrawn by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement.

Minister Chinamasa said after demaracting new boundaries, Government would work on 99-year leases that could be used as collateral.

“We are doing this through the 99-year leases and to do the 99-year lease, we need a resurvey of the land for the new boundaries. As you know, the 11 million or 12 million hectares were acquired compulsorily. We need to cut it up into small pieces. We now must establish the new boundaries as a prerequisite to granting 99-year leases,” said Minister Chinamasa.

“We also need to bring finality to that issue (land reform) and we are saying all those who benefited under the land reform programme must have proper legal instruments to secure their tenure so as to encourage them to make investments on the pieces of land given to them,” he said.

“We also need to carry out assessment of compensation for improvements where the Constitution requires us to have paid for improvements and also the land where, as in BIPPA, we are required to pay compensation for both land and improvements,” he said.

The minister added: “There will be lot of surveys both for A1 and A2 so that we know where the boundaries are. It’s only after your 99-year lease that you can be secure. Those of you who have got land you will see at the bottom of your offer letter that the offer letter can be withdrawn by the Ministry of Lands any time. That’s no good security.

“It’s very important that we expedite the issuance of security documents so as to encourage more investments on our land. The implementation of these measures, we think, will help to boost agricultural productivity through enhanced access to finance.”

Minister Chinamasa said Government had also come up with a number of initiatives to unlock funding opportunities for small businesses.

He said this was largely due to the fact that the economy had been informalised.

“We are also promoting what I call anchor financing models,” he said.

“These are basically to build linkages between big businesses and small businesses. As all of us are aware, our economy is now largely informalised and there are challenges with the SMEs – challenges with access to capital, access to skills, access to suitable and appropriate accommodation, whether they are factories, whether they are retail enterprises,” said the Minister.

“We essentially need to build linkages to ensure that we see growth in the SMEs to a level where we can say they are now big players. To do so we have encouraged the setting up of macro-finance institutions. We have capitalised the Women’s Bank, $10 million, micro-finance bank,” he said.

“We have also set aside money for the Youth Bank, which they call Empower Bank, another $10 million. In the private sector, there are about 150 or so macro-finance institutions – some more successful than others and this is basically to encourage access by SMEs to capital, which they badly need.”