Labour: Fawu supports sugar tariffs

Published Oct 15, 2013

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Labour

Fawu supports sugar tariffs

The local price of sugar would not increase by more than 15 percent as a result of the suggested import tariff increase of 50 percent by the Sugar Association of SA, the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) said yesterday. Fawu represents about 3 000 sugar refinery workers and about 800 sugarcane-planting workers. Last week the Association of Southern African Sugar Importers said the increase in the import tariff would add R6 billion to consumers’ shopping bills and raise the cost of production for the food, beverage and confectionery industry. Fawu said it anticipated a reasonable increase in prices but added that should price rises exceed 15 percent it would ask for a review of the tariff. The union also said it “will be making submission to the International Trade Administration Commission on why the tariff hike on sugar and related products is necessary to protect our sugar industry”. The sugar association also requested a review of the “dollar-based reference price”, which is used to measure international sugar prices when setting tariff thresholds. – Zandi Shabalala

Parastatals

Armscor gets clean audit

Auditor-general Terence Nombembe had given Armscor a clean audit opinion for the past financial year, the arms procurement parastatal said yesterday. “In delivering on its mandate, Armscor adhered to accepted principles of corporate governance and lawfulness,” acting chief executive Sipho Mkwanazi said. “I am therefore pleased to announce that, once again, Armscor has received a clean audit for the year under review.” Mkwanazi presented Armscor’s annual report for the 2012/13 financial year to the portfolio committee on defence and military veterans last week. – Sapa

Governance

SA ranks fifth in African index

South Africa ranked fifth out of 52 countries in this year’s Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said yesterday. “The 2013 IIAG, released today, reveals that South Africa’s governance ranking has fallen one place since 2000,” it said. However, South Africa’s overall governance score had improved to 71.3 out of a possible 100 since 2000. This was higher than the average for the continent, of 51.6. The country has not moved out of the top 10 countries in the IIAG since 2000. – Sapa

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