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Highlights on energy matters from various government speeches
The energy challenges of agriculture were highlighted in various speeches this past week. First, the 2023 Budget Speech by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana outlined the implementation of the refund o.....
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SA agriculture exports showed resilience in 2022 despite headwinds
This data is particularly encouraging since 2022 presented various challenges to South Africa's agriculture. At the start of the year, logistical challenges in the ports of Cape Town disrupted the exp.....
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Very encouraging tractor sales in South Africa
I have been closely following South Africa's monthly tractors sales data, and the results continue to surprise me. Since April 2020, the monthly sales have remained positive, registering an average of.....
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Agricultural finance is key to South Africa's inclusive agricultural growth agenda
We have spent the past couple of months in South Africa's agriculture drafting the growth strategy that would take the sector to greater heights than the gains we have seen since 1994. The sector has .....
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Valuation, the role of the OVG and a formulistic approach to applying section 25(3) of the Constitution
The origins of the Office of the Valuer-General (OVG) lie in the 2011 draft Green Paper on Land Reform. The OVG was supposed to provide fair and consistent land values for rating and taxing purposes, .....
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Thinking about KwaZulu-Natal's agriculture and food production in this time of crisis
What we witnessed in KwaZulu-Natal over the past couple of days is heartbreaking – the loss of lives and the destruction of communities and businesses are unbearable. As President Cyril Ramaphosa po.....
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South Africa’s winter crop season to start soon
South Africa had a fairly good production season in 2021/22 with wheat at 2,3 million tonnes, which is the largest harvest in 20 years and record yield in some crops such as canola and oats. The large.....
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Definition of expropriation – a risk that should not be ignored
The Expropriation Bill is currently before the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure. The portfolio committee started discussing the Bill clause by clause on 10 March. What was surpri.....
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Expropriation Bill: status report
The current version of the Expropriation Bill (B23/2020) was tabled in Parliament on 15 October 2020. That follows unsuccessful attempts to come up with a new expropriation act in 2008 and 2013. The f.....
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Just and equitable compensation: the latest on the approach of the courts
The debate regarding compensation for land taken for land reform purposes has been raging ever since the CODESA negotiations and the initial formulation of section 25 of the Constitution. Over the .....
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