Opportunity Issue 103

Contents ISSUE

Contents ISSUE 103 | OCT / NOV / DEC 2022 08 10 12 14 16 32 36 40 44 48 52 54 58 60 SACCI FOREWORD Hope is the key into 2023 SACCI ANNUAL CONVENTION South African business calendar highlight UNIQUE OFFERINGS FROM SACCI ATA Carnet and Certificates of Origin are practical cogs in making business work better BUSINESS BODY ROLLS OUT NEW INITIATIVES SACCI has a suite of important interventions, certificates and handbooks to assist businesses of every size MINING COMPANIES ARE BECOMING POWER GENERATORS Supply constraints and the need to go green are driving innovation in powering mining operations. By John Young SHIFTING AFRICA’S CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTER-RISK ARCHITECTURE Developed countries must support in building Africa’s climate change resilience, argues African Risk Capacity, a specialised agency of the African Union INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE Danise Smit, Sales and Customer Services Director for RS Components South Africa, reports on the trends that were on display at South Africa’s biggest agricultural festival, NAMPO Harvest Day SMART LIVING ENABLED Marcel Bruyns, Sales Manager at Axis Communications, explains how the shift from 4G to 5G affects security and surveillance WHY ELEARNING IS CRUCIAL IN OUR BRAVE NEW WORLD How do L&D practitioners keep re-equipping professionals with the insights they need, asks Michael Hanly, Managing Director of New Leaf Technologies SAMSUNG RECOMMITS TO SCARCE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND JOB CREATION A recent visit to South Africa by senior executives put the spotlight on the Samsung’s impactful Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) INDEPENDENT PORTS AUTHORITY A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION There is a long way to go, writes Chris Hattingh, the Free Market Foundation’s Deputy Director, and the kind of reform that takes place will be vital NEW RAILWAY REGULATIONS HEIGHTEN SAFETY AND SECURITY OBLIGATIONS The latest set of rules that will govern railway operations is interrogated by Kate Collier, Partner at Webber Wentzel, and Candidate Attorney Minenhle Shabalala CUSTOMER FOCUS IS KEY TO REALIGNING SUPPLY CHAINS IN TIMES OF DISRUPTION Research findings by SYSPRO Africa point to the importance of future-proofing operations against unexpected events THERE IS HOPE FOR ENTREPRENEURS Experienced entrepreneur and new KwaZulu-Natal EO President Denzil Steyn has three key pieces of advice for business owners 36 40 58 4 | www.opportunityonline.co.za

Lessons from Uitenhage The men and women who make railway wagons at Transnet Engineering’s Uitenhage plant have good reason to be proud. They do excellent work and the plant itself is clean, efficient and productive. A visit to the plant some years ago left me hugely impressed by the commitment to quality of the workforce and the leadership. Apart from maintaining South Africa’s freight-wagon fleet, the plant manufactures new wagons and was responsible for the design, engineering and building of a new generation of car wagons to transport a wider variety of vehicles more safely. The launch in 2013 of those car wagons was supposed to mark the beginning of a major move of cargo from road to rail. Although there have been some baby-steps in that direction, the country’s roads continue to take a pounding from countless trucks roaring up and down the main national routes. The other main components in the freight equation – rail routes and ports – are performing poorly. The South African Association of Freight Forwarders says that 40 000 companies within South Africa import and export. In 2022 an announcement that certain rail routes would be offered to private operators was greeted with joy. A week later, once it became clear that the contracts would be for a two-year duration, that joy was replaced by disdain. What rail operator would accept a two-year contract underpinned by a multi-million-rand investment? Given that Transnet is still locked in negotiations about the ill-fated 1 064 locomotives ordered from China, the need to get freight moving on rail, through any entity, becomes more urgent. In 2021 the mining sector exported product worth R850-billion and by June 2021 a record trade surplus of R57.7-billion had been reported. And yet the country’s miners can’t export anything like what they want to export because of limited rail capacity. Port revival plans seem to be moving more smoothly. Transnet has signed 15-year concessions with the country’s biggest agricultural company, Afgri, to run the East London Grain Elevator in the Port of East London and the Durban Agri-Port at the Port of Durban. In February 2022 Transnet National Ports Authority announced that a subsidiary would be created to operate under a licensing agreement. This body would be in a position to more quickly sign up private partners, for example to upgrade the Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 and Ngqura Container Terminal in 25-year contracts. In response to this shift in the legislative environment, the Old Mutual Infrastructure Fund has bought The Logistics Group from Zeder Investments for R1.6-billion and Dubai-based DP World has made a bid for Imperial Logistics. The companies making those bids are betting on the people responsible for rail routes and ports taking some lessons from the proud wagon-makers of Uitenhage. Logistics focus This issue of Opportunity interrogates some of these themes through articles on the creation of an independent ports authority and the latest set of rail regulations related to safety and security are discussed. Research findings by SYSPRO Africa show the importance of future-proofing supply-chain operations against unexpected events. Innovation in agriculture is covered with a report on South Africa’s biggest agricultural festival, NAMPO Harvest Day. Innovation in mining is becoming key with power-supply constraints and the need to go green. Marcel Bruyns of Axis Communications explains how the shift from 4G to 5G affects security and surveillance. Another aspect of the digital world under the microscope is the need to continually keep learning. Michael Hanly suggests ways to ensure that learning stays up-to-date and relevant. For small-business owners, experienced entrepreneur and new KwaZulu-Natal EO President Denzil Steyn dispenses good advice. John Young, Editor www.opportunityonline.co.za Editor: John Young Publishing director: Chris Whales Managing director: Clive During Online editor: Christoff Scholtz Designer: Tyra Martin Production: Yonella Ngaba Ad sales: Shiko Diala Vanessa Wallace Venesia Fowler Gabriel Venter Tennyson Naidoo Tahlia Wyngaard Mandlenkosi Dlamini Gavin van der Merwe Administration & accounts: Charlene Steynberg Kathy Wootton Distribution and circulation manager: Edward MacDonald Printing: FA Print PUBLISHED BY Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd Company Registration No: 2004/004982/07 Directors: Clive During, Chris Whales Physical address: 28 Main Road, Rondebosch 7700 Postal address: PO Box 292, Newlands 7701 Tel: +27 21 657 6200 Email: info@gan.co.za Website: www.gan.co.za No portion of this book may be reproduced without written consent of the copyright owner. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Opportunity, nor the publisher, none of whom accept liability of any nature arising out of, or in connection with, the contents of this book. The publishers would like to express thanks to those who support this publication by their submission of articles and with their advertising. All rights reserved.