Table of contents for 05 July 2019 in Farmer's Weekly

I have no problem with dreaming big. In fact, I believe it is important that we are able to envision for ourselves the goals that we want to achieve and the type of life we want to live. On a societal level, communities and entire generations should have a vision of how they want the world to look in decades and centuries to come. Similarly, in agriculture, when we think about the future, we shouldn’t let how we imagine things could be, be too constrained by the challenges that might make these ideals seem unattainable in the short term. Dreaming becomes a problem, however, when we start escaping into our fantasies, and when it becomes little more than a type of procrastination. We all know this; dreaming is the easy…

Investing in the future of SA’s cotton industry Edcon recently invited Farmer’s Weekly and other media outlets on a tour of two cotton farms and a gin in Marble Hall, Limpopo, to demonstrate the benefits of the Sustainable Cotton Cluster (SCC). In 2016, Edcon committed to the SCC, a localised cotton initiative that encourages retailers and other players in the cotton value chain to buy locally produced products. In the first year, Edcon committed to purchasing 600t of cotton lint from South African farmers. It has committed to buying 2 200t of cotton lint in 2019/2020. The SCC aims to revive the textile and garment manufacturing sector by helping grow local jobs, thus improving the lives of the people employed in the sector. Through job creation, the SCC’s ultimate goal…

This is a tough year for South Africa’s agricultural community and consumers, especially when it comes to staple food supplies. The subject of maize needs will soon dominate the headlines in Zimbabwe and, to a certain extent, Mozambique. These two countries are set to record poor maize harvests due to drought, which delayed plantings at the start of the 2019 season. When it finally rained, it was excessive, as was witnessed during Cyclone Idai at the start of the year. The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) forecast for Zimbabwe’s 2019 maize production is 800 000t, which was 53% down from the previous year. This is not even half of the approximately two million tons that Zimbabweans consume every year. Large volumes will therefore have to be imported throughout the 2019/2020…

Omnia shareholders have been asked to contribute to strengthening the company’s financial position by taking up shares in a R2 billion rights offer, after the company posted a loss of R407 million in June, down from a R664 million profit the year before. The company issued a statement in which it blamed drought, late rainfall, a material slowdown in the local and international mining industry and difficult trading conditions, together with a substantial increase in debt levels, for its poor financial performance. This in turn resulted in the company not being able to meet debt providers’ expectations. The company had since been able to waive all potential penalties on loan defaults and secured R6,5 billion in bridging debt from its principal debt providers. This would allow the company to settle…

Transformation in the agriculture sector makes better progress when industry bodies are involved. This was according to Dr Mmantoa Kgaphola, provincial coordinator of the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, and her counterpart in Limpopo, Namadzavho Sikhipha. Speaking at the South African Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop) Transformation Summit in White River recently, they said that getting emerging farmers to a commercial stage was a challenge, but since the departments had started working with industry bodies such as Subtrop, the success rate had been far higher, and transformation was progressing. “In the past, we wanted to do everything on our own, but we’ve now realised that the industry is a global one and we need to partner with many industries and stakeholders to get our farmers onto…

UNITED STATES The advantages of using ‘high tunnels’ (unheated greenhouses) for speciality crops outweigh the downside for farmers, according to a study by Indiana and Purdue universities in the US. It was found that the labour and time requirements of high-tunnel production were among the greatest challenges facing farmers. The opportunities, however, included improved quality and shelf life of produce, premium prices, income during the off-season, and producing complementary crops. EUROPEAN UNION Farmers and government leaders in the EU are united in their opposition to a proposed trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc. The leaders of Ireland, France, Poland and Belgium have written a joint letter to EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, expressing deep concern about its potential effect on the agricultural industries in their countries. They called on…

There is cautious optimism that a government-subsidised crop insurance scheme will materialise in the near future, according to Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA. De Villiers said that the South African Insurance Association, the representative body of the short-term insurance industry, had already provided Treasury with a comprehensive plan for subsidised crop insurance. “We’re now waiting on Treasury [to hear what] the amount [is] that will be budgeted, should the plan be accepted. It’s [vital] that the subsidisation is market-related in order to make it possible for farmers to obtain insurance in times of need, such as drought,” he said. The idea of a state-subsidised insurance scheme had so far been widely accepted by all role players in the agricultural value chain, as well as government, he said. “It’s…

The escalating crime wave in North West is greatly compromising the safety and security of residents in rural areas. This was according to Boeta du Toit, CEO of Agri North West, who said the crimes included stock theft, illegal grazing, trespassing, and unlawful occupation of private land. Du Toit said the matter was being exacerbated by the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) apparent lack of interest in addressing the problem. “Agri North West members recently fell victim to illegal land occupiers in the districts of Brits, Rustenburg and Tlakgameng. Our members are also increasingly faced with occupiers illicitly grazing livestock on privately owned land,” he said. Sarel Pretorius, chairperson of the Agri North West rural safety committee, said that the seeming lack of interest from the SAPS made it very…

Various difficulties faced by the agriculture sector have placed some farmers’ organisations under financial strain. Free State Agriculture, in particular, have been under increasing pressure as a result of the prolonged drought in the province, with the organisation forced to cut back on two posts, including that of the CEO, according to the association’s president, Francois Wilken. “Membership numbers went down during the drought, as farmers couldn’t afford to pay their subscriptions and some had stopped farming. But towards the end of 2018 we had more farmers coming back; this could have been because they were able to plant after the drought,” Wilken said. Omri van Zyl, executive director of Agri SA, said a number of financial constraints placed on farmers due to the drought and the financial viability of…

When under fire, soldiers in an infantry unit generally avoid walking or running in a bunch. They spread out to decrease the catastrophic effect of a direct hit. In business, the same principle applies; it makes sense to spread risk. If all of your assets are in one ‘box’, whether a company or even a trust, then a severe blow to that entity could hurt you badly. Every business person should therefore structure his or her affairs strategically. ‘BREAKING UP’ THE ENTERPRISE Each business ‘structure’ has attributes that makes it suitable for a certain task. In the same way, the tax and protection aspects of each type of structure differ. Take the example of a husband-and-wife team, with two separate fast-food stores, in two towns. The threat they face is…

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? I was educated as an agronomist and completed a BSc at the University of Zambia in Lusaka. After graduating, I worked in industry, marketing agricultural chemicals for a company named Roth, and I was also involved in programmes sponsored by the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ). I joined Taung College of Agriculture at Vaalharts in 1998 and was then transferred to Glen College in 2001 to bolster agronomy activities here. I was serving as vice-principal when I left in about 2010. I was then employed by GTZ on a programme looking at improving practical offerings at tertiary institutions, which revealed challenges that Unisa faced with infusing practical training into a distance-learning programme. I joined Unisa permanently to focus on this for the next seven years. I…

Google ‘the cutest sheep in the world’ and you will find countless images of fluffy, black-faced sheep that look as if they belong in a toy store rather than on a farm. This ‘cuteness factor’ was the reason Andrew and Leigh-Anne Peake, of Rose Creek Valais Black Nose in Cambridge, New Zealand, wanted to keep a few of these Swiss sheep as pets. After exhausting efforts to import their first sheep, and the subsequent realisation that Valais Black Nose not only make great pets but are also hardy and have good meat traits, the Peakes decided to establish New Zealand’s first Valais Black Nose stud. VALAIS BLACK NOSE The Valais Black Nose originates in the Valais region of Switzerland. The lower valleys are dry, but considerable rain and snow fall…

Contacts: Gert Malherbe 083 410 9035 | Carel Greyling 082 783 7854 | Derik Strauss 082 944 0360…

I won’t insult your intelligence by giving you a dictionary definition of ‘sustainability’. It is without doubt one of today’s most popular buzz words in farming and business. What I want to know today is whether every supplier of fresh produce can comfortably say that his or her operation is sustainable. There are many ways of being sustainable, and each undertaking has to choose those applicable to its specific circumstances. Overall, however, crop production needs to be sustainable economically, environmentally, and in terms of good farming practices. A farmer sensitive to these requirements must assess each step in the production process against criteria of sustainability. In the marketing of produce, too, a number of factors have to be taken into consideration; they include packaging, distribution (transport) and sales outlets. When…

To make this fiery prawn dish for four diners, you will need: 500g prawns, cleaned and shelled 45ml canola or sunflower oil 4 cloves of garlic 25mm fresh root ginger 25mm of a big red chilli 60ml water 30ml rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar 36g brown sugar 15ml dark soy sauce 5ml sesame oil 15ml peanut butter A couple of dashes of red Tabasco For the garnish: 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds 4 finely chopped spring onions (bulb and leaves) 25mm of a big red chilli We begin with the chillies. If you like your meal slightly less spicy, halve the quantity of chilli in the recipe, and eliminate all or most of the seeds. 1 Start with the garnish. Finely chop the chilli and spring onions, then…

Karabo Che Mokoape has already had several careers: development aid worker, conflict journalist, IT entrepreneur and now motivational speaker. His experience knits together well in his inspiring handbook, THE 7 THINGS EVERY YOUNG BLACK ENTREPRENEUR SHOULD KNOW (Zebra, R190). Like many South Africans, Mokoape is concerned about the weight of expectation to stimulate economic growth that is loaded on the fragile black entrepreneur sector. Here are his key words of advice to those keen to start up an enterprise: 1. Temperament Successful entrepreneurs need more than skills and financial resources. Look deeply within yourself to be sure you have the emotional agility and stamina needed to survive and thrive. 2. Failure Every entrepreneur confronts uncertainty. You must be able to look failure in the face and get back in the…

Many fishermen today use a drone to carry (cast) their bait to a precise position before releasing it. (Visit bit.ly/djituna for a video of how a tuna is caught using this method.) It doesn’t stop there, though. Fishermen and scientists now employ tethered, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), which are basically submersible drones, to explore marine environments. HIGHLY CAPABLE DEVICES A ROV can cope with underwater currents, thanks to one or more propellers. It is usually equipped with cameras, obstacle-avoidance sensors and powerful lighting to record good-quality footage, even in dark underwater environments. A cable carries the video footage to the operator. The Nemo drone, manufactured by China-based Aquarobotman and released in 2018, ranks high on product review website aniwaa.com’s top 12 underwater drones. It sells for about R20 000 and…

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), nearly half of the world’s crop harvest is required to feed a livestock population of 1,4 billion cattle, one billion pigs, 20 billion chickens, and 1,9 billion sheep and goats. Agricultural production directly for human consumption accounts for just 37% of the total harvest (ahead of biofuel, industrial production and others). Solutions for increasing the efficiency of conventional meat production to meet growing meat demand have been almost exhausted. Arable land is shrinking due to global warming and sprawling cities, and can only be expanded at the cost of losing valuable natural habitats such as rainforests. The availability of fresh water, particularly in drier areas, is also a problem. According to the FAO and Aquastat, global agriculture today…

The incorrect crossword board was published in the 28 June issue. Board 320 was published, instead of board 325. Farmer’s Weekly apologises for the inconvenience caused. In the article, ‘SA’s sugar industry is in a meltdown’ (FW, 21 June), KPMG was incorrectly named as the sole auditors for Tongaat Hulett, which recently suspended trading on the JSE following an accounting scandal that saw the company institute a forensic investigation into its operations and financials. KPMG is, in fact, an internal audit service provider for Tongaat Hulett, and as such supports the company in examining issues related to business practices and risks, while Deloitte acted as Tongaat Hulett’s external auditors responsible for financial audit procedures at the company. • Farmer’s Weekly has a high regard for factual accuracy and welcomes reader input.…

For the past couple of years, South Africans have all been looking for policy certainty, especially with regard to economic policy. According to James de Villiers of Business Insider South Africa, the 2019 State of the Nation Address offered important clues for the next five years. Firstly, the seven areas identified as priorities over the next five years are economic transformation and job creation; education, skills and health; consolidating social wages through reliable and quality basic services; spatial integration, human settlements and local government; social cohesion and safe communities; a capable, ethical and developmental state; and a better Africa and world. These offer numerous opportunities for agriculture, should government and other role players choose to unlock them; job and skills creation is one example. The rest of the speech gave…

During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the year in Parliament recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to “dream big”, despite the country’s economic and social problems. He set out ambitious goals for the next decade, including reducing violent crime by half, creating two million jobs for young people, and building a smart city and a bullet train. An increase in police visibility was mentioned as the first step to reducing violent crime. In response to the SONA, Louis Meintjes, president of TAU SA, said Ramaphosa had missed the opportunity to show his support for farmers and condemn farm murders. “We still believe that [government] somewhat condones it. The fact that police officers are being appointed has already been mentioned to us, but it isn’t implemented.…

With maize meal prices up more than 11% since January, cash-strapped consumers have been forced to spend more on staple foods and have therefore been unable to take advantage of lower meat prices, according to agricultural economist Dr Kobus Laubscher. He was responding to Statistics South Africa’s latest report on the consumer price index (CPI), which indicated that annual consumer inflation was 4,5% in May, up from 4,4% in April. According to the report, a “noticeable trend” was an uptick in the prices of certain basic foodstuffs during the course of this year. “Of the 34 products in the CPI basket that comprise the minimum food requirements for poverty analysis, 20 registered an annual increase above the 3,2% inflation rate recorded for food and nonalcoholic beverages in May.” The price…

Pork is trading at a price level that is considered stable and sustainable for consumers, retailers and producers alike. However, farmers are still in a period of recovery after having sold stock at prices below cost of production for long periods during the past year in an effort to regain market volumes. This was according to Johann Kotzé, CEO of the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation. Kotzé told Farmer’s Weekly that he was satisfied with current price levels, but more so with the volume growth that had been achieved during the past year. He said the industry had to overcome two major challenges. The first was the listeriosis outbreak, which had resulted in prices more than halving virtually overnight. The second was the export ban imposed in January as a…

South African milk producers are currently experiencing the worst cost pressure since 2012, which has resulted in the industry producing 1,75% less milk in the first four months of the year than in the same period last year. This was according to Bertus van Heerden, chief economist at the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), who added that international prices were on an upward trend due to strong export demand. Export availability from Oceania, which included Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, was, however, low and was further exacerbated by a seasonal decline in production. “Milk production in Europe and the US has stagnated in terms of growth, [which is] compounding [the] short supply. Adverse climate conditions are central to the slower supply [levels].” He added that the producer price in South Africa…

Urban farming could play a major role in the provision of healthy, affordable and accessible food to poor urban households in South Africa. This was according to Prof Juaneé Cilliers, chair of urban and regional planning at the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Cilliers said the challenge was to find ways to best utilise space, energy and logistics in order to sustain an increasing urban population. Recent data from Statistics South Africa suggested that 70% of urban households in South Africa lived in conditions of food insecurity. “We need to rethink our cities, but we also need to rethink traditional agricultural practices. Increasing populations and escalating poverty levels make a business-as-usual attitude impossible,” she added. According to Cilliers, the global population grew…

The polyphagous shot hole borer (Euwallacea fornicatus) is of major concern to South Africa’s agriculture sector, according to the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria. To date, FABI has confirmed the presence of the beetle in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces, and has cited as its main concern the fact that the beetle could infest many tree species. In March this year, the beetle was sighted in Somerset West, and the City of Cape Town’s Invasive Species Unit, in co-operation with the Recreation and Parks Department, brought in a number of experts to assist in removing trees infested with the pest to limit the spread. A total of 46 trees were removed. Due to the devastating nature of the beetle, the City of Cape…

Unlike ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats, pigs have a single stomach that can process many of the foods eaten by humans. However, just as with humans, they should never be given decaying or rotten food as this can cause scours (diarrhoea) and even result in the spread of contagious diseases dangerous to animals and humans. In the UK, laws specifically prohibit the feeding of supermarket swill (waste food) to pigs. FEEDING SWILL TO PIGS If you feed swill to your pigs, sort through the leftovers carefully and remove foods that contain excessive amounts of sugar or salt, such as processed meats, crisps or salted peanuts. Fed in excess, these can lead to salt toxicity and even cause obesity in the pigs, which can affect the growth rate, grading…

Walter Frey has set trends throughout his business career. In the late 1980s, after opening a butchery, Frey’s Meats at Cato Ridge near Durban, he discovered that there was a hierarchy at the Abakor abattoir, as government controlled and ran auctions. BUYERS AND SELLERS CAN SEE THE PRICES BEING REALISED “These auctions drew over 200 participants at a time, and I was made to understand that I was very low in the pecking order, so had to wait for my allocated turn before placing a bid,” he recalls. To overcome this problem, he started buying cattle on auction, and negotiated what became the first contract slaughter agreement signed with Abakor. “Up until the early 1990s, all carcasses were sold via auction, so you had to bid for carcasses even if…

Contacts: Joe Wilkinson 072 146 0467 | Hannes Kotzé 082 926 1179 Faan and Van Aardt Greyling 076 111 9575 | Piet Strydom 045 942 1022 | Loutjie Hanekom 081 049 9201…

Contacts: Johan Sauer 071 525 8018 Frans Slabbert 045 944 1014 Jannie de Villiers 082 417 9543 Pat Vorster 082 561 9842…

The choice of wine for this ‘fiery’ prawn dish depends entirely on the amount of chilli you use in the garnish and the sauce. The sticky prawns are a delightful combination of aromatic flavours and sweetness, added to the soy sauce’s savoury edge and the spice with its variable heat from the chillies. The rule of thumb is the more chilli on the plate, the more sugar in the glass. So, here are three options for the different heat levels. If you’re using just a hint of the big red chilli, try a fruity Viognier like the one from Excelsior; it’s peachy and citrusy with a touch of sugar, which softens the warmth. With a bit more chilli in the dish, try the Pongracz Noble Nectar Méthode Cap Classique with…

The standard medical therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD), levodopa, has unpleasant side effects, which encourages sufferers to search for alternatives. One such treatment is breathing in pure oxygen under high pressure in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which may help to reduce the behavioural and motor deficits caused by PD without producing side effects. Certain nutrients, such as acetyl-L-carnitine, an amino acid that enhances thinking ability, memory and muscle control, may also prove useful in easing the symptoms of PD. A dosage of 500mg should be taken daily on an empty stomach. Another nutrient that may help a PD patient’s brain to function better is N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). This boosts glutathione, a crucial self-produced antioxidant that decreases with age. Glutathione is essential for health as it neutralises ‘stored’ pesticides, toxins and…

A VIEW TO A KILT by Wendy Holden (Head of Zeus, R300) Laura Lake’s job as a magazine editor isn’t going well: someone is brought in over her head and she is demoted. Her relationship, too, is problematic, with her on-off boyfriend disappearing from time to time. The silver lining is her best friend, Russian socialite Lulu, who is married to an English rapper. Lulu drags her out of central London to help look for a huge Scottish castle to buy, while Laura researches an article on Scottish trends. To Laura’s disbelief, the mission turns lethal. Full of satire on fashionable pretensions, A View to a Kilt is a novel that will make you laugh out loud. A great way to warm up your winter. ‘BOOKS ARE THE…

10 JULY Agribusiness Africa Conference THE 2019 AGRIBUSINESS AFRICA CONFERENCE WILL BRING TOGETHER TOP SPEAKERS AND A RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE AGRICULTURE, AGRIBUSINESS AND TRADE SECTORS TO DELVE INTO THE DYNAMICS OF TRADE BETWEEN FARM GATE AND DOMESTIC, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & EXPOS 10 JULY Agribusiness Africa Conference, Premier Hotel OR Tambo, Kempton Park. Email Marianna du Plessis at africa@caxton.co.za. 30 TO 31 JULY Emerging Farmers and Agroprocessing Conference, CSIR Convention Centre, Pretoria.Email ryan@empiretraining.co.za. 30 TO 31 JULY PMA Fresh Connections Conference and Trade Show, Cape Town. Visit pma.com/events/ fresh-connections-southern-africa. 12 TO 16 AUGUST ALFA Expo, Afridome, Parys.Visit alfaexpo.com. 21 TO 22 AUGUST Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition, CSIR Convention Centre, Pretoria. Visit fertasa.co.za/fertasa-events/ symposium. 1 TO 3 OCTOBER Africa Fertilizer Agribusiness Conference, Cape Town International…

Traces of the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) can still be found in the sediment of lakes in the Canadian province of New Brunswick almost 50 years after spraying with the chemical ended. As a result, small animals and other organisms in those lakes were still being killed, researchers at New Brunswick’s Mount Allison University found. The problem dates back to between 1952 and 1968, when aircraft sprayed more than 6 280t of DDT onto forests in New Brunswick to control pest outbreaks. By 1970, growing awareness of the harmful effects of DDT on wildlife led to the use of the insecticide being curtailed in the area. After being applied aerially to forests, DDT entered lakes and rivers through atmospheric deposition and land run-off. The insecticide, now banned in most countries, and…

The Namibian Agricultural Employers’ Association (AEA) had proactively initiated measures to improve the living conditions of agricultural workers during the past year, according to Hellmut Förtsch, the chairperson of AEA. In his chairperson’s report, presented at the recent AEA congress in Windhoek, Förtsch said the upgrading of housing, economic prosperity and retirement plans for workers were the main priorities. There was no retirement provision for agricultural workers in Namibia at the moment, he said. “The private pension fund for farmworkers, NARF, had to be discontinued in 2016 due to skyrocketing administration costs and too few participants. This means that a large portion of the Namibian workforce, including farmworkers, was left without provision for retirement.” The AEA had provided training in labour management to 82 of its members during the past…

The leadership of organisations representing the interests of South Africa’s forestry and aquaculture sectors have expressed mixed feelings about now falling under the newly formed Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent restructuring of the Cabinet. Roger Krohne, chairperson of the Aquaculture Association of South Africa, said he “was incredibly fed up”, because the organisation and its affiliates had, for years, been unsuccessful in getting government to differentiate between aquaculture, which farmed aquatic and marine species, and fisheries, which harvested species from the wild. Krohne said the legislation that applied to fisheries did not apply to aquaculture, and aquaculture needed to be governed by legislation and processes applicable to South African agriculture. “We see this move as an opportunity to finally achieve this separation of aquaculture…

Much interest has been shown in the Herding for Health programme, which recruits professional herders from targeted communities for enrolment in a formal training programme. This was according to Dr Jacques van Rooyen, director of the programme, speaking at the South African Veterinary Council’s 2019 Indaba held in Irene recently. Van Rooyen said the Herding Academy had been established in 2017 to create a structured career path for local herders, and operated under the auspices of the South African College of Tourism in Graaff-Reinet. It offered a one-year national certificate course. The programme focused on implementing grazing plans for livestock; assisting with rangeland restoration through herding and kraaling; wildlife-livestock contact mitigation; managing primary animal health and production; and market access development. The Herding for Health programme was established in partnership…

Implementing increased tariffs on chicken imports may result in higher prices, negatively affecting consumers. This was according to Dawie Maree, head of agriculture information and marketing at FNB. The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) recently applied to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) to increase import tariffs on chicken to 82% from the current 35% level. Maree said that “the [producer] price of local chicken will [hopefully] be pulled up as a result [and] local chicken will then compete on a better level against imported chicken”. Local consumption of poultry products currently stood at almost 2,4 million tons, while local production for 2017/2018 was about 1,7 million tons. This resulted in 690 000t or 30% of total consumption needs being imported, according to figures from the Department…

Heineken South Africa recently announced its intention to reduce malt imports, stating that the barley required by the Heineken brewery south of Johannesburg will in future be produced locally. This will be done through the company’s Barley Emerging Farmers Economic Development project, which aims to promote the participation of commercial black farmers in the barley production supply chain in South Africa. Through the company Brewing a Better World, a commitment had been made to source 60% of the agricultural raw materials used for brewing beer in Africa from the continent, a company statement said. The project, launched in 2016 with five farmers, had since grown to 44 farmers growing barley on contract. Werner Vogt, head of procurement at Heineken South Africa, said the aim was to widen the participation of…

According to Statistics South Africa, the country’s GDP contracted by 3,2% from the last quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019 on an annualised basis. In the same week, the independence of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) came under attack again. After an ANC kgotla, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said the mandate of the SARB should be changed and there should be quantitative easing. Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni and others issued opposing statements. The confusion continued until President Cyril Ramaphosa said he did not foresee a change to the SARB’s mandate. However, he added that the ANC would address the ownership of the SARB in future. The confusion about the SARB’s position damaged investor confidence. As one columnist put it, if the government cannot resolve a…

Consultations between the employer and employees can be a powerful tool for establishing a productive workplace. To be effective, however, they need to be open and honest two-way discussions which demonstrate that the employer is willing to listen to constructive suggestions. Involving employees in decision-making also ensures that they have a better understanding of the employer’s operational requirements and how sustainability can affect their job security. Broadly, there are two types of consultations in the workplace: • Regular consultations with employees These sessions, which can involve individuals or a group, allow people to voice their ideas and opinions, as well as discuss any specific needs. The employer can also use these meetings to communicate his or her expectations, the standards required in the workplace, employees’ performance, and the impact that individual…

Riaan Eastus, who produces 100 to 120 pigs a week on his farm near Balfour in Mpumalanga, started selling his pigs on Trigga Trader a little over a year ago, when the listeria outbreak left him with no market. “Unlike sheep or cattle that can be left on the land for some time while waiting for the market to recover, pigs need to be sold when they’re market-ready, or the feeding costs will eat away your profits,” he says. Today Eastus sells almost all his pigs on the platform. The main advantage of Trigga Trader, as far as he is concerned, is the broad customer base: “The number of buyers in our region is highly limited, and they only take small volumes at a time, so Trigga Trader gives me…

Contacts: Hardus Botha 082 413 8426 | Gawie Naudé 082 775 7067…

To make gluten-free seeded bread, you will need: 190g whole flaxseeds or linseeds 60g ground almonds 3 extra-large eggs 30ml canola or olive oil, and extra for greasing 7,5ml bicarbonate of soda Juice of 1 lemon 7,5ml fennel or caraway seeds (optional) 85ml water 2,5ml fine salt 80ml sesame seeds 60ml sunflower seeds 270g baby marrow, finely grated 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced 1 large handful of chives, finely chopped 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 25cm x 11cm loaf tin and line its base and sides with baking paper. 2 Place the flaxseeds or linseeds in a blender and blitz for about one minute. Depending on the strength of your blender, the seeds may or may not become fine. Slightly chunky seeds work just as well.…

“In 1851, war had become inevitable … [Mantsopa], a woman till then unknown, informed the chief [Moshesh] that she had fallen into a trance, and that a being … had charged her to tell the whole tribe to stand upon the defensive, that the enemy would come, and would be almost destroyed in a contest so sharp, and of such short duration, that it would be called the Battle of Hail.’’ This is how Eugène Casalis from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, who had settled among the Basotho, described Mantsopa’s prediction of the battle of Viervoet near Ladybrand. The accuracy of her prophecy propelled her to fame among the Basotho and later in the African Independent Church movement. THE ROAD TO CONFLICT During the Difaqane of the early 1800s, a…

Zimbabwe-born and US-based journalist Douglas Rogers has written his account of Robert Mugabe’s ousting last year, TWO WEEKS IN NOVEMBER (Jonathan Ball, R260), with a gusto that has his publishers loading it with descriptions such as “thrilling”, “surreal” and “often very funny”. The disparate group of conspirators that Rogers spotlights achieved what many had tried before, and recast it as enacting the people’s will rather than staging a coup. Here is a fascinating behind-the-scenes read about what may well become a textbook case for military academies around the world.…