ANNEXURE

COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO BRING A BLANKET OF SNOW

A cold front is expected on Friday‚ which is going to bring much-needed rain relief in the Western Cape. The cold front is going to be caused by a strong mid-latitude cyclone which will sweep fronts into the south-western districts on Monday. This is going to result in maximum inland temperatures ranging from 2 to 10 degrees Celsius.

Heavy rainfall and snow are expected to come with these cold fronts. According to Snow Report South Africa‚ a community organisation based in KwaZulu-Natal‚ we should be expecting snow across the country as the cold front makes its way from the west coast to the east coast.

‘By Sunday evening‚ we should see some snowfall over the peaks of the majority of the Cape mountains‚’ says SRSA on their Facebook page. ‘We could also well see some snow pushing into KZN this time around‚ with [snowfall] predicted for Underberg‚ Mooi River‚ Rosetta and Impendle.’

Areas in the Northern Cape are also expected to receive snow and as the cold front moves to the east‚ the Eastern Cape should receive its own fair share of snowfall according to the report.

[Source: www.goexpress.co.za]

CORONAVIRUS REVEALS THE DOWNSIDE OF URBANISATION

The relentless march of urbanisation around the world, has been coming for a long time.The United Nations estimated that, in 2009, half the world’s population lived in urban areas for the first time in human history. Over 4 billion people live in cities today, six times more than in 1950. In 2000, there were 371 cities of a million or more people in the world; global trends go beyond what you would expect simply as the natural outcome of urban growth.
There are undoubted advantages to urban life. Concentrating large numbers of people in small areas means larger workforces with diverse skills, easier access to mass transport, public services and cultural institutions, such as museums and sports teams. Even the things that let us stay at home – from internet service to grocery and take-out delivery – are easier to get in cities. Those dynamics (process of change) explain much of why urbanisation is a longstanding global phenomenon.
But the dark side of urbanisation has always included infectious diseases. Humans did not evolve to live in such close proximity. Disease is far from the only risk of concentrating people and critical institutions in crowded spaces.

[Adapted from www.national review.com] 

[Source: enwikipedia.com]

Spiralling labour and energy costs are putting pressure on the financial performance of South African gold mines, but the solution could be found in adopting digital technologies.
Most of these new technology solutions revolve around automation, facilitated by the convergence of multiple technologies, from artificial intelligence to robotics.
By implementing automation, operators can remove underground workers out of harm’s way, and that is going to become an ever-bigger imperative if gold miners are to remain investable by international capital.
This increased emphasis on the safety of the workforce and mines is motivating the development of the mining automation market.
Earlier, old-style techniques of exploration and drilling compromised the security of mine labour force.

[Adapted from article in miningreview.com] 

MAJOR PALM OIL REFINERY SET TO GO

July 6, 2019

The Richards Bay Development Zone and the City of uMhlathuze have been commended for paving the way for the construction of a R1,3-billion palm oil refinery.

Involved is a major palm plantation company, which also has operations in Indonesia, East Malaysia and some parts of Africa.

‘We congratulate the Development Zone and the uMhlathuze Municipality for working together to make this project possible. This investment will greatly benefit local communities in terms of employment’, said Premier Zikalala.

Zikalala said with this and other projects in the pipeline, the Development Zone looks set to attract more than R11,5-billion in investments. The company has already recruited six chemical engineers from across the Province, including eSikhaleni, who are being trained on a two-year programme at their operational plants around the world.

‘Upon completion of their training, they will transfer their skills at the Richards Bay plant once it becomes operational,’ said the Development Zone Stakeholder and Communications Manager, Choice Sihiya.

Sihiya said given the scope of the project, there will be mass job creation during the construction and operation phases. ‘We are confident of jobs within the value chain for our small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs).’

‘The potential of supplying and even using raw material to produce local products would be within reach. ‘These would include cooking oil, margarine, soaps, cleaning detergents, body lotions, beauty creams, coffees, chocolates, ice cream and many others.

[Source: zululandobserver.co.za]

South Africa has a job crisis. In the fourth quarter of 2019, 6,14 million people were out of work, an unemployment rate of 27,1%, which is one of the highest rates in the world, along with sub-Saharan African countries like Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.
There are two schools of thought around the role and value of a country’s informal sector. Some argue that it’s an important alternative to the limited opportunities available in the formal sector; a survivalist strategy that allows those without much formal education to work and earn money. In addition, others argue, the informal sector is also an important space for entrepreneurs.
But there are some who disagree, arguing that employment in the informal sector tends to be poorly paid and unstable. A mere 20% of informal sector employees are hired permanently, compared to 70% of those in the formal sector.
Little is known about how many people transition between the two sectors, a phenomenon called ‘churning’. Addressing this knowledge gap is important for a number of reasons. These include the fact that informal workers may be spending some time in the formal sector, getting valuable skills and work experience to boost their chances at formal employment, with the hope that they eventually settle permanently in the formal sector, which would be good news.
Conversely, knowing whether there’s a high rate of transition from the formal to the informal sector would be cause for concern because it would suggest high rates of retrenchment and fewer formal job opportunities.

[Source: www.forbesafrica.com]