Page 3 - JCCI Business Focus 2.3
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uPlIftInG the PeoPle of




        south AfrICA






           ohan Bosch, CEO of Red                                                                                               cannot believe. One of the retailers
           Ant Security Relocation &                                                                                            said that he is living a good life
        JEviction Services (Red Ants),                                                                                          now and is making a fantastic
        is driven to create jobs that uplift                                                                                    living, his family is prospering.”
        the people of South Africa. Red
        Ants is a multi-disciplinary                                                                                             Of note, Red Ants has been able
        company offering services in                                                                                            to integrate older people back into
        the agriculture sector, built                                                                                           the economy as retailers. Some of
        environment, farming, security                                                                                          the retailers have also grown their
        and sanitation.                                                                                                         businesses to employ additional
                                                                                                                                workers so more families are
          The company was founded by                                                                                            being fed.
        local entrepreneurs to support
        the social, economic and                                                                                                 Bosch said, “if we can achieve
        infrastructure development                                                                                              that, if small hubs can be created
        requirements of South Africa.                                                                                           then numerous jobs can be created.
        The company offers the                                                                                                  We are on our way to achieving
        following services:                                                                                                     our aim of 100100 jobs in the next
        ■   Training in farming and crop                                                                                        15 months.”
          production                                                                                                            International Quality summit
        ■   Civil engineering                                                                                                   Award
        ■   Construction                                                                                                         For its efforts, Red Ants was
        ■   Crop and aquaculture fish    Fuzile Balintulo and Johan Bosch of Red Ants, Gauteng Premier David Makhura, Herman Breedt JCCI President  awarded an International
          farming                                                                                                               Quality Summit Award in the
        ■   Water and sanitation      jobs, and people that need food.   being farmed in such a way that   able to earn more through their   Gold Category in New York on
        ■   Cleaning services         “I don’t know what she said to   everybody, from the workers,   own efforts.              28 May 2018.
        ■   Emergency and disaster    God!” he explains.            through to the managers and the   “I think that the message we   For the last 32 years Business
          management                   He added, “It is important to ask   directors, whoever is participating   must try and get into South Africa   Initiative Directions (BID), led
                                                                    in the park, participate in profit
        ■   Turf specialist           what we can do to uplift the people   sharing.”             is that through productivity and   by Jose E. Prieto and a group of
        ■   Security and armed reaction  that are around us. If we don’t, we                      training you can achieve at a much   qualified professionals from the
                                      are going no-where.”           As a result of this model,   higher level.”                academic world and from business
          The aim of the company       The agri-park was started by   productivity has increased.    He added, “Let’s work with each   and engineering sectors, has
        is to deliver a one stop all   training people, regardless of   “Productivity went up as people   other, let’s be one race, let’s be   been committed to recognising,
        encompassing urban management   age or literacy levels, from the   are working for themselves,   one nationality, let’s be one big   educating and spreading Quality
        support services for human    Eikenhof Johannesburg area.   not just for someone else.    family. At Red farms we are one   Culture around the world.
        settlements.                  Today the agri-park is run by   They know that the more     big family and we stick together   The BID Quality Award received
                                      managers who were previously   they produce, the more they   through thick and thin.”
        Agri-park                     trained there.                take home and the more their                                by Herman Breedt, Red Ants
          Bosch started the agri-park                               families grow.”                Further to profit sharing, the   Director symbolises “international
        component after recovering from   In addition, after listening to,   Bosch explained further that   agri-park has created its own   recognition of leadership in
        a life-threatening illness. He   and identifying the needs of the   this model is significant as rather   markets by establishing vendors   Quality of Red Ant Security
        explained that his wife, who is   workers, Bosch came up with a   than just having continual calls   in the township economy. “We   Relocation & Eviction Services, for
        religious, said that he could not   plan to upgrade everybody. He   for higher salaries, people should   supply them with produce and   following the path to continuous
        die as there were people that need   commented, “The agri-park is   be given the opportunity to be   these people are selling like you   quality improvement.”  


        outlooK for the south AfrICAn eConoMY



                     Dr Azar Jammine,   GDP growth history relative to   However, Jammine identified   ■   Opposition to minimum wage      whilst free tertiary education for
                      Director and Chief   the world shows this correlation.   a number of factors that are     legislation and VAT increase      most students is to be provided
                      Economist of     The following are potential   currently confronting South     by the South African Federation    ■   Debate around land expropriation
                      Econometrix, was   external factors that could affect   Africa’s government (and     of Trade Unions (Saftu) that are      without compensation is
                      the key note speaker   the global economy.    President Ramaphosa), which will     opponents of the Congress of      deterring investment
                      at the JCCI’s 128th                           impact on the economy.          South African Trade Unions
                     Annual General   negative:                                                     which supports President    ■   Focus diverted from attending
                   Meeting.                                         These are:                                                    to the basic structural
                                      ■   Positive impact of US tax cuts                            Ramaphosa                     impediments to growth
                                        to fade                     ■   Difficulty of rooting out state    ■   Strikes emanating from the    ■   Challenge of drawing up a new
                           ammine     ■   Higher interest rates globally     capture and corruption     bargaining power derived      Mining Charter
                           has        ■   Massive global additions to    ■   Overcoming mismanagement,      from support for President
                         Jbeen in       liquidity being reversed      poor governance and the       Ramaphosa in the presidential    ■   Challenge of funding the
                         his current   ■   High levels of public debt in      financial woes of state-owned      election         National Health Insurance
        position since December 1985 and     advanced economies       enterprises (SOEs)          ■   Government has agreed to      (NHI) scheme
        has established a significant profile  ■   Aging populations   ■   ANC factionalism which has      public sector remuneration    In addition to these factors,
        in South Africa as an analyst and   ■   Increased protectionism     reared its head strongly (as has      increases that will exceed  the    consumers will be paying more
        commentator on domestic and   ■   Imbalance of current account      been evident in the provinces of      Medium Term Expenditure    for municipal services, petrol
        international economic affairs.     deficits                  North West and KwaZulu-Natal)                             and food which increase the
                                      ■   Climate change            ■   Top six members of the national      Forecast for next 3-years by a
          In his presentation he      ■   Threat to cyber security     executive committee (NEC) who      cumulative R30bn      cost of living for many who are
        emphasised that the South                                     are split down the middle in their    ■   Education spend per school    already struggling financially.
        African Gross Domestic Product   Positive:                    allegiance to either President      pupil has declined 8% in Rands    The forecast growth for South
        (GDP) is closely linked to that of   ■   Diffusion of nuclear threat in      Cyril Ramaphosa or Nkosazana      (R17822 in 2010 to R16435 in    Africa’s GDP currently sits at
        the global GDP.  South Africa’s     Korean peninsula          Dlamini Zuma                  2017) or about 40% in real terms   1.4% rising to 1.8% in 2019. 



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