Tag: localisation

By the end of September last year, the number of data breaches had already exceeded the total number of similar events in 2020 by 17%. As more businesses migrate to the cloud, there is growing concern that not enough is being done to mitigate against the threat of these and other data privacy risks.

Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) General Secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali’s thought-provoking, in-depth piece advocating the ostensible strengths of the government's localisation plans refers ('Ideologues do the jobless a disservice by turning localisation into a swearword', January 9).

COVID-19’s devastating grip on economies may be dominating headlines but in many parts of the world – specifically South Africa – chronic unemployment is arguably, the more debilitating 'pandemic'. With the world record for the highest unemployment rate, close to half our population (44.4%) who are eligible to work, remain unemployed.

While we acknowledge the positive structural reforms currently underway by government – most notably the lifting of the self-generation threshold to 100MW – command control plans of enforced localisation stand to undo any potential positive upsides of other reforms.

South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) published its initial discussion paper on the country’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The Auto Green Paper was published in response to the submissions which the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition received from South Africa’s major motor vehicle manufacturers following his request to the industry to contribute to the development of the roadmap for the local production of EVs nearly two years ago.

Although the rise of COVID-19 presented many challenges to our country in the year 2020, it stimulated the growth of technological innovations that we can build on to the effects on how we do business, how we trade, how we work, how we produce goods, how we learn, how we seek medical services and how we entertain ourselves in 2021.

Global companies must review their role in local markets to be key contributors and collaborators in the post-COVID-19 ‘rebuild’. Expectations are that business steps up with renewed energy in assisting the recovery of global economies from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The paper details competition and regulatory issues in the South African digital economy and sets out the Commission's intended strategic actions in relation to competition law issues, and proposed strategic actions for other regulators to consider concerning their respective regulatory areas, namely telecommunication and broadcasting, data protection and financial services regulators.

With the struggle against COVID-19 far from over, South Africa faces a long and tough road ahead as it strives to mitigate the devastating economic impact of the global pandemic. The construction industry, which was already in a negative growth phase prior to the outbreak of the virus, has been particularly hard hit and many companies are struggling to stay afloat.

Many people re-discovered their enthusiasm for local production during the disruptive, bewildering early days of the pandemic. The result is 'localisation', an emerging global trend that could revitalise local factories. If we respond quickly and wisely, there are three obvious benefits: economic resilience, more balanced trade, and greater fixed investment.