The Mercury – KZN Network - February 2023

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2023

SHIPPING | 8

BUSINESS OWNER’S STORY OF RESILIENCE | 3

PRIVATE SECTOR PLAN MOVES AHEAD FOR DURBAN, NGQURA CONTAINER TERMINALS | 8

COLLABORATION

KZN businesses band together NETWORK REPORTER

UNITED we stand, divided we fall, so goes the phrase. The success story of the Hammarsdale Cato Ridge Development Association (HCRDA) is an example of the positives that can be achieved through collaboration.

The business hub was formed three years ago at the height of Covid-19. While its existence didn’t shield its members from the dire consequences of the pandemic, the 2021 July riots and the 2022 floods, it has unlocked new opportunities and attracted multibillion-rand investments to the area.

John White, the HCRDA chief executive, said speaking with one voice had been more impactful than tackling issues individually.

“Businesses that are neighbours, or any neighbours in fact, have common opportunities and challenges and I want to focus on the opportunities as well, not just challenges. (However), it is often difficult to address them when you focus on your own business, your own life, your own issues. So, by forming the association and getting some dedicated resources to build those common but not core challenges and opportunities, you can actually make progress. They are not core to the business, but they certainly impact them.”

He said some of the common issues that affected businesses and the community included potholes, disruptions to water and electricity supply, and crime.

“The same politicians represent us whether we like it or not … we have the same issues and it is better to deal with them collectively or they are not dealt with.”

The HCRDA has 58 members who, collectively, employ just over 9 000 people, 95% of whom are from the local areas.

Membership fees range from R4 000 to R45 000 a year, depending on the member’s annual turnover.

Members include the Mr Price Group, Rainbow Chicken, Sequence Logistics, Safal Steel, Inno Textiles, Deratek Packaging, Ackermans, Cato Scrap and Build It. Among its achievements since formation, White lists relationship building which saw 10 black-owned SMMEs receiving business from large corporates.

“That’s important to me because the opportunities are there, but often the connection is not being made. Small blackowned businesses knock on doors of large white businesses and they don’t necessarily answer.

“They don’t have an obligation to, (sometimes) the timing might not be right.

However, we were able to get 10 relationships going, which is not going to change the world, but in 10 or 20 years’ time, if we get 10 or 20 a year, we will get somewhere in terms of transformation.”

The business people have also taken it on themselves to fix a 5km road which was riddled with potholes in Hammarsdale.

They had waited for the government for about two years.

White said 35 members dipped into

THE new Maersk container depot in Cato Ridge is one of the new investment projects in the area.

THE Hammarsdale Cato Ridge Development Association (HCRDA) recently hosted the Outer West Investment Conference promoting the region as an investment destination. Right: John White, CEO of the HCRDA. their pockets in addition to the membership fee and contributed R1.4 million, half of which came from Rainbow Chicken.

“Rainbow Chicken is moving their chicken division’s head office back to Hammarsdale, so they are going to be using the road a lot more and lots of passenger vehicles. We spent close to R1m with three local SMMEs fixing the road, cutting it out, putting on the proper binder, putting on the proper tar hot mix, properly compressing it. We did about half of the potholes.

“We didn’t spend all the budget. We will do the rest this year. Interestingly, the president visited Hammarsdale last weekend (two weeks ago), and after two

years of begging the Department of Transport to fix the road, when did they start fixing the road? Just last week, which is incredibly frustrating. The road was fixed for one day for one man, when for thousands of people that use it every day, it couldn’t be fixed and it is still not properly fixed,” White lamented.

The N3 corridor is significant historically and economically not only for KwaZulu-Natal but for the whole country, yet it is an area that White feels is often forgotten, and not high on the political agenda.

However, the existence of the HCRDA is changing this gradually, pulling in the

investor community as well.

Last year, the association hosted a halfday conference that promoted the region as an investment destination, which was attended by 110 people.

Multibillion-rand investments have come through the Dry Port project, Keystone Park, Mr Price Distribution Centre, Ackermans Distribution Centre, Pep Distribution Centre and Rainbow Chicken, among others.

White said they were expecting more investment over the next 20 years because the release of 360ha of land currently held

by Assmang was imminent.

The work of the HCRDA extends beyond business deals. The hub drives corporate social investment projects that benefit underdeveloped local schools.

White said they were working on a plan to co-ordinate the corporates’ BEE spend for better impact.

Weighing in on the State of the Nation Address, he said: “I’m glad the energy crisis was the primary focus of Sona. It is a deep, systemic long-standing challenge and entirely of the governing party’s making, as with so many of the challenges we face.

“I am not convinced that adding a new ministry, the third that will be directly involved with Eskom, and instituting a state of emergency will be effective.

“I, however, remain positive, primarily given the continued (although all too slow) loosening of restrictions on private energy generation.

“This will, however, not assist the majority of people, myself included, and businesses who remain reliant on Eskom for their electricity.”

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K Z N N E T W O R K

APPLICATIONS OPEN

Google programme for women entrepreneurs NETWORK REPORTER

GOOGLE has announced that applications are now open for the inaugural Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa programme.

The programme aims to empower and support women founders on the continent by providing resources and opportunities for them to scale their start-ups and address African problems.

Women founders who are building tech start-ups in Africa or for Africa can apply through the programme website at g.co/ acceleratorafrica before February 20.

Eligible applicants must have a working product or service, a viable business model, and a working team. The application process includes a written application and an interview with the programme team.

The 12-week programme will begin in March and include one bootcamp a month, held in a hybrid style of online and in-person sessions.

Selected participants will receive access to Google’s products, mentoring from industry experts, resources, tools and technology, as well as networking opportunities and connections with investors to support the growth of their start-ups.

“We’re excited about the open call for applications for our three-month accelerator programme, specifically tailored to address the challenges faced by women founders in Africa. We believe investing in women founders in Africa is critical for economic empowerment that will enable the creation of jobs for the growing African youth population,” said Folarin Aiyegbusi, head of Startup Ecosystem, Africa at Google.

Google said African female founders face challenges in their entrepreneurial pursuits, including limited access to funding. Despite these challenges, 58% of businesses in Africa are owned by women.

“Elevating the participation and leadership of women in the entrepreneurship ecosystem is crucial for promoting gender equality and driving economic growth in Africa. Investing in women-led start-ups is a key step towards achieving this goal, and Google’s commitment to these goals is reflected in the launch of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa programme,” added Aiyegbusi.

GOING STRONG

Family printing business survives many challenges THAMI MAGUBANE thami.magubane@inl.co.za

LONGEVITY in business is no easy feat, especially in KwaZulu-Natal which has over the past three years been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the looting and unrest in July 2021, and the floods in April last year.

Therefore the ability of Human Scale Printers, a family business based in Durban, to remain in operation since 1986 is quite an achievement.

The company said the past few years had been tough but it had been able to keep all 20 employees in their jobs despite the difficult trading conditions.

It was founded in 1986 by Geoffrey B Buthelezi, who still runs the company assisted by his two daughters, at their Durban base in Prospecton.

The other directors of the company are Sithokozile Buthelezi, who has extensive corporate working experience with, for example, British Airways and Siemens, and Sibusiswe Buthelezi, with internal audit experience, who has worked at Ithala Development Finance Corporation, Ernst & Young and Grindrod Bank.

The business is involved in largescale printing and has a vehicle manufacturing company as one of its biggest clients.

It also has clients in the public sector, including the Department of Health and some municipalities.

The company started as a stationery supplies business and grew to become a fully-fledged printing company. It is now looking to go into the packaging industry.

It was initially established in 1986 in uMlazi Business Park.

In 1997, the company took over the internal printing presses of what was then Hulett Aluminium in Pietermaritzburg, “thereby facilitating the

SIBUSISWE Buthelezi of Human Scale Printers. establishment of our second branch in the capital of KwaZulu-Natal – to serve the greater area of Msunduzi with its industries and government departments.”

Speaking to Network, Sibusiswe Buthelezi said over the past few years, the company had faced several challenges.

She said the business had survived by sticking to its principles, looking after the rand and cents, and adapting to the changes as they came about.

“We have had Covid-19, the looting and the floods, and while we have insurance, some of the things that happened you could not have predicted,” she said.

Sibusiswe said Covid-19 and the floods had a direct impact on their business as the pandemic affected the number of clients they had coming

through the door, and during the floods some of their equipment was damaged.

“We were not directly affected by the looting but our customers were affected,” she said.

She said while Covid-19 saw workload decline drastically, the company managed to hang on to all its employees, although it had to put some on short time or a rotational schedule.

She said her father had always emphasised the importance of financial prudence and this had served the company well.

“My father always said that we should watch our cash flow. And be able to deal with the changes as they come,” she said.

On future plans, she confirmed they were looking to expand operations and go into packaging.

SPONSORED COLUMN PROPERTY MATTERS

Widening the beneficial ownership of trusts To say that there seems to be a lot happening in the world recently would be a huge understatement and tracking the implications on investment economics can present an interesting challenge.

However, the Rand has bucked expectations and held up despite increased global volatility and South African assets are still an attractive option globally.

Within the property asset class, the residential market remained surprisingly resilient in the years since the pandemic struck.

The negative impacts of the pandemic on the economy were initially offset by aggressive interest rate cuts and lifestyle changes caused by lock downs and the shift to working from home.

While the benefits of the interest rate cuts have been reversed, the impact of the shift to WFH continues to be felt, in part through the reinforcing of the semigration trend.

Activity remains steady across all sectors, buoyed by favourable bank lending as well as cash buyers – particularly in

the luxury market, and with of 2022, this had risen to sought after nodes such as 35.3%.

KZN’s North Coast and the Lifestyle remains a key Western Cape continuing to consideration for many experience high demand. buyers in our North DurNationally, house prices ban suburbs, and as a result rose by +3.9% last year we have seen a flurry of (2022), with Western Cape development activity over house prices increasing by an the past five+ years with average of +5.8% during that billions of Rands being period, nearly double Gautinvested in residential, offeng’s +3.0%, while KwaZuplan sales. lu-Natal experienced house If such a property GARETH BAILEY price inflation of 4.6%. piques your interest, The Covid-induced ensure that you choose a boom in freehold price inflaquality development team tion has faded, with the gap between with a good track record, as this speaks freehold and sectional title - which to the likelihood that the development peaked at 4.0% in mid-2021 narrowwill be delivered on time and to speciing to just 0.7% in December, which is fication, thereby with the potential to in line with the prevailing gap in the yield long-term rewards both in terms of months before the pandemic. lifestyle and capital appreciation.

The long-term trend to sectional title With a young, rapidly urbanising homes has certainly reasserted itself. In population in SA there is growing 2010, 20.6% of all new homes sold in demand for sectional title properSA were sectional title – by the first half ties – including new units to buy or

rent - partly because land is scarce and expensive in business hubs, so a smaller property is more affordable for first-time buyers. Demand for sectional title is also driven by lifestyle choices, with younger generations typically preferring secure, lock-up-and-go properties.

Some spending from inland is in the form of future retirees who wish to invest now, earn a return, and then ultimately move to the coast and live in it at retirement.

Other advantages of buying off-plan are that VAT is included so no transfer duty is payable over and above the purchase price, while a relatively small deposit secures a property at today’s price while investors enjoy the growth in value of the property from signature date until handover - often 12-18 months later.

■ Gareth Bailey is Pam Golding Properties area principal for Durban Coastal.

For further information visit www.pamgolding.co.za.

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UNREST IMPACT

INITIATIVE

Business owner’s story of resilience

Helping hand for businesses

NETWORK REPORTER

DURBAN entrepreneur Lance Ross, who runs a butchery and deli in Lamontville, saw half a million rand of his stock and equipment stolen or destroyed by looters during the July 2021 unrest.

His story is one of the many featured in The Overcomers, a book which documents the resilience, optimism and grit of entrepreneurs in KZN and Gauteng who picked up the pieces after their businesses were devastated in the unrest.

Ross, who began his working career at 19, moving between the construction, retail and butchery industries, made the decision at 33 to become an entrepreneur.

He came across an opportunity to own a butchery in Newlands East, the area he grew up in.

He bought the butchery, which cost him approximately R100 000. However, the business did not do well and within 18 months he had to close it.

Taking lessons from that experience, Ross came across a butchery in Lamontville and decided to buy it.

The business hit a setback, though, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and the turnover took a serious knock.

During this time, Ross’s wife was also retrenched and Ross was forced to

let some staff go.

Then came the looting, which left the business in a precarious state.

However Ross, who was given the nickname “The Risk Taker” in the book, said he was determined not to give up on his dream, so with the help of his remaining employees, he managed to reopen his business.

The butchery reopened in January last year.

“We were far from profitable at the time. I am pleased to say that year-onyear growth is currently approximately 110%, unfortunately we are not out of the red yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter daily,” he said.

Asked what motivated him to keep going, even through the hard times, Ross said he had a will to succeed.

“It was really difficult for me because my wife had earlier been retrenched.

The will to succeed and accomplish my dreams to provide for my family have been my greatest motivation,” he said.

Speaking about the current stress for business owners, Ross said load shedding is a major concern and crisis for small to medium business owners like himself.

“I have managed to purchase a generator for when it does happen. Currently, however, I am one of the fortunate few

LANCE Ross at his butchery in Lamontville. | Supplied that aren’t affected by load shedding.

This is something I have chosen not to seek an explanation for,” he quipped.

Ross has also kept positive about future plans, and while he had planned to open a second butchery, that has been put on hold for now.

“The second butchery, for now, has been put on hold because the premises was taken off the market. The quickest way to grow is to expand.

“Having said that, my application for a liquor licence is at its final stages and the liquor store, adjacent to the butchery, will be opened mid March,” he said.

Asked for his advice for young entrepreneurs too afraid to make the leap, Ross said people needed to focus on what they were good at.

“We all have talents and abilities.

Learn what yours are. Plan as best you can, because planning is key. Don’t be afraid to take a risk or two as long as they are calculated. Go for it,” Ross said.

THE Overcomers book, which features Lance Ross’s story, also includes accounts from other KZN and Gauteng entrepreneurs who were assisted by the RevivingTownshipEconomies (#RTE) initiative after their businesses were affected by the July 2021 unrest.

The initiative was the brainchild of social entrepreneur and philanthropist Alef Meulenberg, CEO of Rhiza Holdings.

The foundation partnered with other non-profit community-based organisations and social enterprises Rhiza Babuyile and Township Fleva.

The Overcomers offers an account of how 10 entrepreneurs persevered in the aftermath of a devastating global pandemic and survived the July riots that ravaged KZN and Gauteng, with the help of the #RTE initiative.

“The initiative has helped save over 5 000 jobs and 1 400 small businesses, assisting township and rural-based entrepreneurs with grant funding, mentorship, coaching and training, so they could go back to what they do best – running businesses and creating jobs in the process,” said Meulenberg.

Other KZN entrepreneurs in the book include Zinhle Maphanga, who owns a sweets shop in uMlazi; Mlungisi Zungu, who owns a fruit and vegetable business in Ntuzuma; Bjorn Cader, who runs a printing and graphic design business in Mandeni; and Gugu Khumalo, who runs Umndeni Crèche and Pre-school in uMlazi.

K Z N N E T W O R K

BUSINESS SUCCESS

Young entrepreneur secures retail deal YOGASHEN PILLAY yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za

YOUNG uMlazi entrepreneur Asanda Zondi says her recent success with getting a major retail outlet to stock one of her products has spurred her on to dream even bigger.

The 21-year-old Durban University of Technology (DUT) student, who is studying management accounting, established her company, Siqalosisha, in August 2021.

It manufactures several cleaning products including bleach, dish washing liquid, washing powder and other detergents.

Zondi said Spar in Pietermaritzburg Selgro Centre recently agreed to stock her dish washing liquid.

“I am grateful to have had this opportunity, access to market has been my biggest challenge.”

She added that the idea of starting a company selling cleaning products came about during the Covid-19 pandemic when guidelines on hygiene became important.

“While doing my research, I noticed how our retail stores had fewer than five hygiene brands, this made me realise the gap in the market,” she said.

Zondi said the guidance she was provided at the Innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was invaluable.

“The centre helped me with registering my business and ensured I complied with the industry regulations. They offered business training, which helped me in understanding more about the business world. The business is a success because of the mentorship I received from the centre,” she said.

Asked about her future plans, Zondi said she wanted to supply her products to retail outlets within

ROAD ACCIDENT FUND CLAIMS HAVE YOU BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT OR HAVE A LOVED ONE WHO PASSED AWAY IN AN ACCIDENT?

ASANDA Zondi with her cleaning products. and outside the country in the next five years.

“We will have our own manufacturing plant and we aim to employ the youth to help eradicate unemployment. I also want to expand the business and venture into other sectors. I want to open a centre in my neighbourhood which will assist the children with school work and expose them to the opportunities outside the township of uMlazi,” she said.

Zondi said that despite negative talk about the economy, she remained positive.

“I always look at the positive side of things and have hope that things will change.”

Zondi added that she would advise other young entrepreneurs to start small.

“Don’t be afraid of starting with whatever is available and to start small so that you gain experience.

“Also be ready to persevere through all the challenges you will encounter,” she said.

Contact: Zaheera Ameen Tel: 031 309 7761 Cell: 084 852 1575 zaheera@durbanlaw.co.za Attorneys At Law | Commissioner of Oaths Suite 31, 3rd Floor Lornegrey Medical Centre, 280 Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Grey) Street, Durban We are situated at the corner of Lorne Street and Grey Street - Near City Hospital.

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The RR Foundation and eThekweni Municipality’s Business Support, Tourism, Markets and Agri-Business Unit collaborate towards the greater good

The RR Foundation supports the cause of SMME development

Mr Rajen Reddy in conversation at the Durban Business Fair

Mr Rajen Reddy

N E T W O R K

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SOCIALS DENIS HURLEY COMMEMORATION

KZN WOMEN IN BUSINESS

N E T W O R K

THE Denis Hurley Centre held a successful commemorative weekend to honour the late Archbishop Hurley. From left to right: Raymond Perrier, Clovis Dusabe, Gcina Mhlongo, Errold Victor, Mette Bunyan, Marie-Goreth Nduwimana and Judge Navi Pillay.

KZN Women in Business recently welcomed ActionCOACH Inala as their meeting sponsor for the year and TAFTA as their nominated charity for 2023. From left to right front: Nicci Hosking, Sue St. Leger-Stretch, Bianca Johnson and Tanya Fleischer. Back: Karen Stark, Jolene Schefermann, Nomusa Mazibuko, Camilla Leurs and Tilanie Grote. | Tilanie Grote Photography

INDIA REPUBLIC DAY

AT THE India Republic Day celebrations at the Kendra Garden Hall recently were Dr Prem and Molly Ramlachan, Kubashni Ramanjalu and Kiru Naidoo. | RAJESH JANTILAL

AT THE India Republic Day celebrations were Sandeep Samuel David, Consul General of India in Durban Thelma John David and IFP founder and President Emeritus Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi. | | RAJESH JANTILAL

SPONSORED COLUMN

SARS can’t have the ‘Money and the Box’ MONEY or the Box is a game where a contestant must choose between the money or an undisclosed prize in a box.

In Lance Dickson Construction CC v CSARS a full bench of the Western Cape High Court said, in the context of understatement penalties, SARS is not entitled to ask for both the money and the box.

The taxpayer was appealing against a 25% understatement penalty imposed by the tax court for failing to account for capital gains tax.

Where there is an understatement of tax a three-phase process is contemplated. First SARS must decide whether the ‘understatement’ meets the requirements of the definition in section 221 of the Tax Administration Act (TAA).

If it meets these requirements SARS must consider whether the understatement results from a “bona

GRAEME PALMER

fide inadvertent error.”

If the understatement was a result of a bona fide error no penalty may be levied. If there is no error SARS must identify the appropriate behavioural category in section 223 of the TAA under which the taxpayer’s conduct falls.

In the present case SARS chose the category “reasonable care not taken in completing a return” which carries a 25% penalty.

SARS has the onus of proving the facts to justify the imposition of such a

penalty. However, the evidence of the SARS witness was that the behavioural category “no reasonable grounds for tax position taken”, which carries a 50% penalty, was a more appropriate behavioural category.

The court held that once SARS elected to impose the 25% penalty it was required to prove the factual basis for such penalty. It was common cause that it did not do so, with the SARS witness stating that a 50% penalty should have been payable.

Having chosen in its assessment to impose a 25% penalty SARS could not seek to advance a factual basis for a 50% penalty without revising its assessment.

The reason for this is that the taxpayer must be given an opportunity to reconsider its position before embarking on its tax appeal. SARS cannot ask the Court for the money and the box.

There is no strict liability when it comes to understatement penalties, the mere establishment of a tax understatement does not give SARS a right to impose a penalty, SARS must still comply with the TAA. Once SARS failed to discharge its onus in proving the 25% penalty that was the end of its case. Therefore, the taxpayer succeeded with its appeal against the 25% penalty.

This article has been written by Graeme Palmer, a Director in the Corporate & Commercial Department of Garlicke & Bousfield Inc. For more information contact Graeme on telephone: +27 31 570 5496, email: graeme.palmer@gb.co.za ■ NOTE: This information should not be regarded as legal advice and is merely provided for information purposes on various aspects of tax law.

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K Z N N E T W O R K

SHIPPING

Africa Mercy heading to Durban port for refit TERRY HUTSON

AS GLOBAL Mercy, the newest ship in the Mercy Ships hospital fleet, lowers her gangplank in the West African port of Dakar, an older and much-admired ship is heading for Durban where she will once again undergo a refit and maintenance programme at a local shipyard.

Africa Mercy, a converted rail ferry now hospital ship, last called in Durban in 2010 when the ship spent several months at the then SA Shipyards’ quay at Bayhead undergoing a major repair including the installation of new engine equipment.

This time round, the ship is heading for the Dormac floating dock and repair quay at the Bayhead where she will again undergo an intensive refit that will equip the 43-year old vessel for more years of field service in African countries. Her arrival in Durban is currently set as March 4.

Ghanaian Lawrence Adjei, who is now the Global Mercy’s bosun, has been with Mercy Ships since 1991, serving all over West Africa. He lives on board with his wife and children and describes the refit of Africa Mercy as especially important because it translates to an “upgrade”.

“It’s necessary to take time to work on the ship so that the doctors and nurses can do their jobs,” he said.

“The ship cannot go on without an upgrade; some things have to be done for the ship to last longer.”

That last comment has meaning

THE Africa Mercy will be arriving in Durban port next month for an ‘intensive refit’. | TERRY HUTSON – Africa Mercy is now 43 years old, a good innings for any ship let alone one that has spent so many years working in the tropics.

The hospital ship is crewed and staffed almost entirely by volunteers, people who dedicate a period to serve on the ship in their various capacities.

This includes the medical staff – doctors, dentists, specialists, nurses – as well as the seafaring crew necessary to maintain the ship’s constant readiness as she moves from port to port.

Other than the medical personnel necessary to provide the specialist medical care, services that are provided at

little or no cost to patients, other staff are necessary to ensure the efficient day-to-day running of a community living aboard a ship.

The 16 572-gt Africa Mercy was built in 1980 as a Danish rail ferry named Dronning Ingrid (which means Queen Ingrid) and was converted into her current role of a hospital ship in 2007 in order to provide specialist medical care to regions often lacking suitable facilities.

The ship has a length of 152 metres and width of 23m and normally carries a crew and staff of around 480. Most of these members will be absent when the ship comes to Durban as they will be

taking a well-deserved break or will have been transferred onto the Global Mercy.

The staff live in 126 cabins with the ship acting as a small “town” for those on board with every convenience available because it is their home. The ship has a school for all ages, day care centre, library, supermarket, shops, a restaurant, and even a Starbucks and gym; in fact, it has everything necessary for the convenience of an on-board community.

Then there’s the ship’s “working area”, the medical centre which is the heart of this very special ship, with hospital wards, several operating theatres, a dentistry centre and areas where specialist medical care is provided for people ashore who would otherwise have probably had to forgo this treatment.

The staff and crew come from all over the world to work and provide their skills for others less fortunate, and they do it as volunteers. This includes a number of skilled people from various African countries. Some stay for a few months, others for years.

Beth Kirchner is one example. She started volunteering as a teacher on the Africa Mercy six years ago and two years ago her parents, Caroline and Mike, joined her. Mike is a science and social studies teacher, and Caroline leads the hospitality team.

Although these three have since transferred to the newer ship, they are typical of others who will continue to serve on Africa Mercy once her Durban refit is complete.

Italian ship makes record journey into the Antarctic AN ITALIAN ice-breaker carrying scientists researching in the Antarctic has sailed further south than any ship has done before, the organisers of the voyage said, a further sign of how ice is retreating around the poles.

The Laura Bassi vessel earlier this month reached a point with the coordinates of 78° 44.280 S in the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea, according to Italy’s National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics.

The voyage was made possible by an unusual lack of ice in the area, it said. Satellite analysis last year showed that Antarctica’s coastal glaciers

are shedding icebergs more rapidly than nature can replenish.

“I am happy with setting a record, but at the same time I am sad to see that things are really changing here in Antarctica and in the world in general,” Franco Sedmak, the ship’s captain, said.

A previous voyage with a different vessel to the same area in 2017 came up against impenetrable ice, he said.

“I never thought that I would find such a melting of the ice after a few years to be able to go as far south as we managed this year, which was helped by pushing and being a bit daring.”

Researchers from the Laura Bassi

took samples to study fish in the waters and explored to a depth of 216m to help get a better understanding of the sea currents.

An initial analysis showed the water remained extremely cold and a high density of larval and juvenile stages of fish species, with some varieties rarely observed in the Ross Sea, and a large amount of unicellular algae.

Last year, a study revealed that Antarctica’s coastal glaciers are shedding icebergs more rapidly than nature can replenish the ice, doubling previous estimates of losses from the world’s largest ice sheet over the past 25 years.

The first-of-its-kind satellite analysis study, led by researchers at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and published in the journal Nature, raised new concern about how fast climate change is weakening Antarctica’s floating ice shelves and accelerating the rise of global sea levels.

The study’s key finding was that the net loss of Antarctic ice from coastal glacier chunks “calving” off into the ocean is nearly as great as the net amount of ice that scientists already knew was being lost due to thinning caused by the melting of ice shelves from below by warming seas. | Reuters

Private sector plan moves ahead for Durban, Ngqura container terminals NETWORK REPORTER

PLANS to bring the private sector on board at container terminals in the Port of Durban and Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape are moving swiftly ahead.

In his State of the Nation Address last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Transnet and private sector companies would conclude partnerships at the Durban and Ngqura container terminals, to enable new investment and improve their efficiency. ‘‘This will help our ports regain their global position as some of the most efficient ports once again.’’

The plan forms part of Operation Vulindlela, a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to accelerate the implementation of structural reforms.

It was established in October 2020.

Ramaphosa said there had been significant success in repositioning the

Port Elizabeth Automotive Terminal.

He said it had more than doubled its capacity and seen an increase in exports.

“Many more vehicles destined for overseas markets are rolling off the Port Elizabeth automotive terminal.”

He added that Transnet was also rehabilitating its idle locomotives and expanding its fleet.

“We are working across government to develop a Transnet roadmap that will translate our policy commitments into reality, including the restructuring of Transnet Freight Rail to create a separate infrastructure manager for the rail network by October 2023.”

In response, Agri SA said it welcomed the positive moves to address the capacity of South Africa’s ports, and the efforts to improve rail, roads and rural bridges.

“It remains to be seen how quickly these projects will come online, enhanc-

THE Port of Durban. | LEON LESTRADE African News Agency (ANA) ing the productivity of the agricultural sector. Agri SA will work tirelessly on these critical interventions to ensure the protection of sustainable food production in South Africa.”

However the Western Cape’s Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC, Mireille Wenger, said it was concerning that the Port of Cape Town remained excluded from Operation Vulindlela.

“It is our strong view that it should be added to the list of ports earmarked for private sector participation, which

currently includes the Ports of Durban and Ngqura.”

She added that according to the department’s own research, a high growth scenario at the Port of Cape Town could contribute an additional R6 billion in exports, roughly 20 000 more direct and indirect jobs, and more than 0.7% to the Western Cape’s gross domestic product by 2026.

“This high-growth scenario will require the private sector’s involvement.”