THURSDAY, 10.00AM:
THE Department of Public Works announced yesterday that it was to be streamlined to less than half its size over the next five years. However, its community-based public works programme would be extended for at least 15 years.
At the launch of a white paper on public works, Minister Jeff Radebe said that those made redundant would not be left on the streets, but encouraged “to form small businesses and tender for work offered by the department”.
Radebe said the community-based public works programme, launched in 1994 to alleviate poverty through job creation, had played a successful role in the delivery of infrastructure. So far, R350-million had been spent on projects including water provision, access roads, sanitation, clinics and schools. The department had asked government to allocate a further R1-billion to the programme in the next financial year.
HELMS OKAYS TAX DEAL The stalled South African treaty on double taxation has finally got past foreign relations chair Senator Jesse Helms, who stalled it after lobbying by the US drugs industry. The industry wanted Helms to stop the treaty until South Africa withdrew new medicines legislation which allows for “parallel importing” of cheaper drugs. Helms allowed the treaty through after the US treasury assured him that it was considering making a complaint to the World Trade Organisation.
Drugs bill passed (22 Oct)
US drugs firm warns health minister (7 Oct)
Full text of bill (Adobe Acrobat)
BRISK OCTOBER FOR FUTURES OCTOBER was the best-ever month for the SA Futures Exchange, beating February’s record. Some 1,42 million contracts worth R53 billion were traded, a third up on September. The exchange remains confident in the face of last week’s stock market crash: “These markets are designed for volatility,” said a spokesman.
VW MEN STILL AT WORK IT would appear to be business as usual for the three top directors of Volkswagen SA who were reportedly fired by the group’s parent company. Financial director Wilhelm Kirchberger and technical director Burkhard Welkener reported for work yesterday, and MD Heinrich Holtmann was said to be in Germany on “routine business”.
A spokesman for Volkswagen SA, which is suffering poor sales and labour problems, said he did not know whether the directors’ services had been terminated. A statement clarifying their fate would be issued in due course.
EMPLOYMENT BILL PROGRESSES THE Basic Conditions of Employment Bill was approved by parliament’s labour portfolio committee on Monday, despite continued objections from Business SA and the Congress of SA Trade Unions. The committee did however find several issues in the Bill that it said would need further investigation. It accepted the labour department and Cosatu’s proposal that the 45-hour week be entrenched as a non-negotiable right, and rejected proposals that small businesses be exempted from the bulk of the Bill’s provisions.
MPUMALANGA TWINS MPUMALANGA linked up with Austrian province Carintia on Monday, by signing a 12-point twinning agreement to co-operate on environmental planning and technology, Carinthia will also host a Maputo Corridor investment seminar in Klagenfurt early next year..