Clothing workers have hailed an understanding reached between South Africa and China on textile imports as a chance to rebuild the local industry. Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed on Wednesday his country’s willingness to restrict textile exports to South Africa.
China expressed willingness on Wednesday to restrict its textile exports to South Africa, but no firm deal was on the table at the conclusion of talks between Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and President Thabo Mbeki. The two leaders agreed that concerns over the alleged flooding of the local clothing and textile market would not derail otherwise strong ties, Wen told reporters in Cape Town.
Creating a seventh electricity distributor to service smaller municipalities will help save the country’s ailing network from imminent failure, Eskom said on Wednesday. ”The difficulty one will face in time to come is that we may very well have the capacity being generated, but find that there is no capacity locally to distribute,” Eskom CEO Thulani Gcabashe said.
MPs roasted the Department of Housing on Wednesday for lacking control over its subsidy system, resulting in irregular awards exceeding R300-million to government employees. Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts expressed dismay at the vagueness of answers from director general Itumeleng Kotsoane regarding systemic loopholes.
The government hopes to draw about 100 000 small businesses into the tax net through a new amnesty that opens in August, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel said on Tuesday. The minister was to table legislation that makes provision for the amnesty in the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.
South Africa had an obligation to oversee and regulate the thousands of militarily-qualified citizens selling their skills abroad, Parliament’s Defence Portfolio Committee heard on Tuesday. ”If you keep dangerous animals in your yard, you have responsibility to ensure they don’t get out and harm people,” Defence Department official Siviwe Njikela told committee members.
State-owned arms manufacturer Denel expects to know by July whether Turkey is to place an order for its Rooivalk attack helicopters in a deal expected to total R12-billion to R15-billion. ”Technically, we’re looking very good,” Denel chief executive Shaun Liebenberg told Parliament’s public enterprises portfolio committee on Wednesday.
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Reiterating claims of a political conspiracy, Jacob Zuma’s lawyer argued in an affidavit on Friday for his client’s corruption trial to be concluded speedily to avoid harming his political aspirations. The affidavit was filed in support of an application by arms company Thint for particulars on corruption charges it is to face alongside Zuma.
The media might have fabricated fears reportedly expressed by judges about pending constitutional amendments affecting the court system, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Johnny de Lange intimated on Tuesday. ”I don’t trust the media,” he told Parliament’s security and constitutional affairs select committee.
President Thabo Mbeki was silent on the topic of HIV/Aids on Monday though it was highlighted by his co-speakers at a Workers’ Day rally as a key challenge facing workers today. Meanwhile, trade unions should be held responsible for ”unlawful and criminal actions” of their members, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Monday.