Star 2022-12-19

Netcare, a private healthcare provider, again warned against the shortage of nurses and has called for the government to urgently address the situation. In its 2022 integrated report, the group said the critical shortage of nurses, coupled with the low output from nursing education institutions, must be urgently addressed to meet current and future healthcare demand. According to Netcare, there was a current shortage of between 26 000 and 62 000 nurses in SA, both public and private, with the gap expected to grow to between 131 000 and 166 000 by 20301. “SA’s Human Resources for Health Strategy 2030 predicts a shortage of around 34 000 registered nurses in primary healthcare by 2025. “The supply-demand mismatch is driven primarily by increased demand from population growth, an ageing population, the…

Shoprite has asked the Competition Tribunal to modify its consent agreement regarding the phasing out of exclusive lease agreements citing that its competition, Pick n Pay’s agreement was more favourable than theirs. Shoprite had concluded the consent agreement following recommendations made by the Commission in the Grocery Retail Market Inquiry (GRMI) concerning long-term exclusive lease agreements with landlords of shopping centres. In 2019, the Competition Commission’s Grocery Retail Market Inquiry released a report which stated that exclusivity lease agreements were prevalent, anti-competitive, and harmful to consumers and smaller retailers. At the time, the commission decided that large retailers should co-operate on their own rather than immediately choosing litigation to get them to comply. According to the tribunal, the long-term exclusive lease agreements entered into between property developers and supermarkets, include…

Power utility’s board wants new CEO to build on foundation that’s been laid ANDRÉ de Ruyter’s legacy at Eskom will remain entrenched in the operations of the power utility long after his exit, as the board of directors indicated that his successor must build on the philosophy he was implementing. De Ruyter resigned as Eskom Group CEO last week after three years at the helm, following political pressure due to his failure to end load shedding amid unprecedented unplanned breakdowns. However, he will stay on until the end of March, 2023 to facilitate a smooth transition with his successor. Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana on Thursday said that the new CEO should be someone who would build on the foundation De Ruyter had laid under his philosophy of MEGA, which…

THE OFTEN dramatic and disruptive changes brought about by innovative technology, have been discussed in this column numerous times. Over the years and through many eras technology transformed the way people live their day-to-day life, how they work, entertain, meet, learn and play. Increasingly we have come to realise technology changes almost all things. In a few days many people around the world will celebrate Christmas, begging the question if technology has also changed Christmas, a centuries’ old celebration. Without doubt the celebration of Christmas has not been left untouched by technology advancements. Over time major technological changes also changed the way people celebrate Christmas. Many technologies played a role in these changes such as the telegraph (early 1800s), Alexander Bell’s telephone (1876), Thomas Edison’s light bulb (1880), electric Christmas…

MONDI, the paper company, said on Thursday it would divest its three Russian packaging operations to the Gotek Group for a consideration of RUB 1.6 billion (R411 million). The disposal of the asset follows Mondi’s announcement on May 4 that, having assessed all options for the group’s interests in Russia, it had decided to divest its Russian assets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The withdrawal of Western companies from Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine has led to companies having to write down assets. “The loss on the disposal is expected to be in the range of €70m (R1.3bn) to €80m at current exchange rate,” Mondi said. The three packaging converting operations comprise a corrugated solutions plant and two consumer flexibles plants, producing a range…

ABB, a Swedish company and a supplier in the $50 billion (R881.8bn) electric power industry, found some “useful fools” in our largest state-owned enterprise (SOE). In South Africa, ABB’s head office, logistics and manufacturing centre are located in Longmeadow in Johannesburg. This is where several manufacturing operations are conducted, including medium voltage switchgear, rectifiers and robotics programming. The company received a contract from Eskom worth R2.2bn, made a profit of about R160 million thereon, and now must pay fines of about R5bn. Eventually they have lost out on this one. The ABB web page displays the following heading: “Are our values part of your story? Our values are the cornerstone of our culture. They shape everything we do, guide our behaviour and interactions with our colleagues, customers, partners…