An economic review of the past week

Published Mar 24, 2018

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JOHANNESBURG - Since it’s the weekend and pay day for some, let me start with what some would be doing - drinking the weekend away.

But in the coming months, parched throat, beer guzzlers in Tanzania would probably take that a notch further by saying they only drink beer on days ending in y.

This is because President John Magufuli’s administration has announced that global brewer AB InBev would invest $100 million (R1.2 billion) in a new beer plant in the capital city of Dodoma. 

About 11 percent of alcohol consumption is said to come from beer in the east African country. AB InBev, which has more than 500 brands including Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Castle, Castle Lite, Hoegaarden and Leffe, merged with with SABMiller in a multi million dollar deal in 2016.

This week started on a good note as far as newsworthy events were concerned.

Retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke stopped short of calling for the arrest of the Gauteng health department senior officials who presided over the Life Esidimeni tragedy that killed 144 psychiatric patients.

He ordered that each family receive R1 million for constitutional damages; R180 000 for trauma and shock; and R20 000 for funeral expenses - all of which should be paid within three months. The patients died after being moved from Life Esidimeni facilities to various unregistered NGOs.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been described as a media darling by some quarters, announced that the deal struck between the state and former president Jacob Zuma regarding the payment of his legal fees was legal.

He said the State Attorney decided that it was appropriate for the state to pay for Zuma’s legal fees after he made the request and legal options were explored. 

This meant the state would continue to pay for Zuma’s legal fees until he was found by a court to have acted in his own personal capacity.

The President said the agreement was subject to the fact that Zuma agreed to pay back all the monies spent on his legal fees if he was found to have acted in his personal capacity and own interest when he allegedly committed the crimes he was accused of, pertaining to fraud and corruption.

However, Zuma’s nephew Simphiwe Zuma insisted that the state should pay for Zuma’s legal bills - whether or not he wins - as the allegations against him were brought while carrying out official duties.

Now to beer and all things froth

State-owned freight rail and logistics company Transnet signed a R10.4bn contract with resources group South32, in a deal that would see Transnet transporting 2.6m tons of export manganese per annum over seven-and a-half years.

On the mining front, one the backbones of the South African economy, Mineral Resources Minister and ANC heavyweight, Gwede Mantashe, told journalists that the contentious mining charter would be finalised by the first half of the year.

He said of the two task teams established to deal with the matter, one would focus on transformation and the mining charter and the other would engage on issues of growth and competitiveness.

- BUSINESS REPORT 

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