Category: Southern Africa

A poisonous plant identified as Pavetta, Legonnyana in Setswana, has been reported as the root course for deaths of cattle in some areas of Kweneng. Speaking during the ongoing Kweneng District full council meeting, principal veterinary officer Dr Elisha Nyakarombo explained that reports from recordings conducted by end of May reveal that some farmers have…

Communities in eco-tourism areas are given priority for employment arising from the tourism sector, according to the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Mr Tshekedi Khama. Mr Khama further told Parliament on Tuesday that youth can participate in businesses like arts, crafts and landscaping services at Nata Bird Sanctuary once development are completed at the…

Activity in South Africa’s private sector improved slightly last month but overall business conditions remained subdued despite an uptick in employment and inventories, a survey showed on Tuesday. Standard Bank’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) inched up to 49.9 in July from 49.6 in June. “A main drag to July’s PMI was the decline in new orders, which…

Zimbabwe’s tax collections were six percent below target in the first half of this year due to a depressed economy, the tax authority said on Monday, adding pressure on a government struggling to pay workers’ salaries. Taxes finance the entire budget in the southern African country because lenders like the International Monetary Fund and World…

Shares in South Africa’s Nedbank jumped 7 percent on Monday after the lender reported rises in income from interest, fees and commissions and its associate Ecobank returned to profit in the first half of the year. Nedbank, a unit of Anglo-South African financial conglomerate Old Mutual, reported its lowest half-year earnings growth in six years…

Production at South Africa’s oil refineries has continued despite an indefinite strike by workers demanding higher wages, the petroleum association said on Monday, while fuel retailers urged motorists not to panic. Around 15,000 members affiliated to Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers union (CEPPWAWU) launched the strike on Thursday, demanding a 9 percent…

Shareholders in South Africa’s PPC on Monday overwhelmingly approved a proposal to issue additional shares for a planned 4 billion rand ($289 million) rights issue as the loss-making cement maker seeks cash to reduce debt. PPC, which has pushed deeper into the rest of Africa as profit has slumped in its domestic market, is raising…

South Africa’s constitutional Court on Tuesday approved Treasury’s recommendation that President Jacob Zuma should pay 7.8 million rand ($541,362) for non-security upgrades to his private Nkandla home. The Constitutional Court in Africa’s most industrialised country in March ordered Zuma to pay back some of the $16 million of state money spent upgrading his private home,…