South Africa's largest metalworkers union voice concern over potential Nissan plant closure
JOHANNESBURG, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) on Tuesday voiced concern over reports that Japanese automaker Nissan may shut down its South African plant, warning the move could put more than 20,000 jobs at risk.
"NUMSA is planning to meet with the management of Nissan soon, and we hope to get clarity on the situation. Our union stands ready with our members to defend jobs in the sector," Irvin Jim, general secretary of NUMSA, said in a statement.
The union declined to comment further on the issue.
The concerns follow a Reuters report indicating that Nissan intends to close plants in South Africa, India, and Argentina over the next two years as part of a global restructuring plan that would reduce its manufacturing footprint from 17 plants to 10.
In response to local media inquiries, Nissan South Africa confirmed that it is "currently conducting a detailed assessment regarding the announced plant closures."
Nissan has operated its only South African production facility in Gauteng Province for nearly five decades. However, the brand did not feature among the top 10 best-selling automakers in South Africa in April, according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
Industry experts suggest the potential closure reflects broader global challenges facing the automaker.
"I believe Nissan has a global concern, and South Africa is just a small issue. This is what I have been fearing for the motor industry in South Africa, and now it's happening. The consequences are too ghastly to mention," Mphuthumi Damane, an independent auto industry analyst, told Xinhua by phone on Tuesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Why Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a must-watch for global businesses
HONG KONG: The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) mainland cities exceed expectations with rich cultural heritage, vibrant talent, scenic beauty and policy-supported industries, complemented by Hong Kong's role as an international financial and professional services hub, said Maurits ter Kuile, consul general of the Netherlands in Hong Kong. He was part of a delegation of consular corps and business communities in Hong Kong which has just concluded a four-day tour of Chinese mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), described as a "compulsory course" for everyone based in Hong Kong. The GBA, as an emerging economic brand, has been underreported in terms of its potential and opportunities, consuls general, chamber of commerce leaders, and executives of multinational firms told Xinhua, underscoring the region's untapped potential as a "blue ocean" for innovation and the need for enhanced global promotion to unlock its full economic and strategic potential. These cities blend 'sci-fi glamour' with everyday vibrancy -- stunning and unforgettable, members of the delegation commented after their visits to Chinese mainland cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai in the GBA. The GBA's technological landscape is nothing short of revolutionary. Tencent's "Digital Library Cave" in Shenzhen's Nanshan Science Park is a prime example. By harnessing high-definition scanning, gaming-engine rendering and dynamic lighting, Tencent has recreated an immersive and interactive experience to preserve and share the rich cultural heritage of the Mogao Grottoes. This not only breathes new life into cultural heritage but also sets a precedent for using technology in education and tourism. As Nasar S. Al Ghanim, consul general of the State of Kuwait in Hong Kong, remarked, such innovations are "transforming how we engage with history and our daily life," highlighting the far-reaching implications for various sectors. George Leung, CEO of SCOR Reinsurance Company (Asia) Limited., called the tour "beyond expectation," admitting his prior focus on GBA infrastructure projects had overshadowed its cutting-edge sectors like agricultural drones and biopharmaceuticals. "This trip reshaped my understanding. We are now considering recalibrating our business strategies to align with these emerging trends," he said. Discussing XPeng AeroHT's futuristic flying cars, Johannes Hack, vice chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, praised the GBA's "determination and execution in advancing low-altitude economy," calling its "trial-and-error, rapid-iteration model" a template for innovation. "Flying cars turn childhood dreams into reality," he told Xinhua. Over four days, the delegation visited cooperation zones in Hengqin, Qianhai, Nansha, and Hetao, focusing on such frontier areas as artificial intelligence (AI), smart driving, robotics and biopharmaceuticals. Many delegates exchanged contacts, expressed investment interest, or planned follow-up visits, highlighting Hong Kong's role as a gateway for global deals with the GBA and broader collaboration in technologies. Brian Davidson, British consul general to Hong Kong and Macao, described the tour as an "eyeopener," noting the region's "boundary-breaking" drive. "Innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusivity here support staggering growth -- they solve current challenges while anticipating future ones," he said. Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong Romulo Victor M. Israel Jr. emphasised the GBA's ability to translate trends into impactful solutions, citing achievements in information and communications technology, biopharmaceuticals, and AI. "As a 'future economic blue ocean,' the GBA offers endless opportunities. I stand ready to facilitate two-way investment between the GBA and Asean," he said. The GBA balances visionary planning with practical implementation, said Alfred Cheng Man On, head of corporate banking at Bank Negara Indonesia's Hong Kong branch, adding, "On-the-ground visits clarify how the GBA and Hong Kong reinforce each other, with positive ripple effects across broader regions." Meanwhile, delegates agreed that the journey to the GBA mainland cities revealed a region that is not only at the forefront of technological innovation but also a paragon of livability, presenting a compelling case for global investment and collaboration. In Zhuhai, delegates admired coastal landscapes and eco-parks, with Inaki Amate, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, comparing the city to Danang in Vietnam and Malaga in Spain. "Similarly, GBA mainland cities offer a work-life balance that drives innovation and attracts talent," Amate told Xinhua, noting "the GBA together as a global brand must be elevated collaboratively." He encouraged the Hong Kong business community to leverage its financial and legal expertise to help mainland's GBA firms "go global," while encouraging European investors to tap into GBA innovation sectors and support reciprocal ventures like GBA factories in Europe to boost employment and brand presence. - Xinhua
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Japan flexes its military muscle at China, and Trump
OKINAWA: The ship-slaying missiles of the Japanese army's 7th Regiment are mounted aboard dark green trucks that are easy to move and conceal, but for now, the soldiers are making no effort to hide them. Created in 2024, the fledgling regiment and its roving missile batteries occupy a hilltop base on the island of Okinawa that can be seen for miles. The visibility is intentional. The 7th is one of two new missile regiments that the army, called the Ground Self-Defence Force, has placed along the islands on Japan's south-western flank in response to an increasingly robust Chinese navy that frequently sails through waters near Japan. 'Our armaments are a show of force to deter an enemy from coming,' said Colonel Yohei Ito, the regiment's commander. China is not their only target. The display is also for the United States, and particularly President Donald Trump, who has criticised Japan for relying too heavily on the presence of US military bases for its security. The missiles are part of a defence build-up that is central to Japan's strategy for appealing to Mr Trump. While Tokyo is now deep in negotiations with Washington over lifting new tariffs, its top priority is improving security ties. On June 6, Japan's trade envoy, Ryosei Akazawa, met for 2½ hours in Washington with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Mr Howard Lutnick, the secretary of commerce, for talks on a tariff-lifting deal that will probably see Tokyo promise large purchases of energy, computer chips and weapons. By adding new missiles and other advanced weapons, both American-made and domestically developed, Japan is transforming its long-restricted military into a potent force with the skills and technology to operate alongside America's ships and soldiers, to demonstrate that Japan is an indispensable partner. 'We want to be sure the US has our backs, and enhancing our conventional military capabilities is the way to do that,' said Nobukatsu Kanehara, who was deputy head of national security policy from 2014 to 2019 under then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. 'We want to show President Trump that we are a valuable and essential ally.' Given the growing military strength of nearby China and also North Korea, Japan wants to upgrade the defence alliance with the US by becoming a fuller-fledged military partner and moving further from the pacifism enshrined in its constitution adopted after World War II. With the war in Ukraine stirring fears of a similar Chinese move on the democratic island of Taiwan, Japan announced in 2022 it would double spending on national security to about 2 per cent of gross domestic product. The resulting defence build-up is now under way. Japan is buying expensive weapon systems from the US like the F-35B stealth fighter and Tomahawk cruise missiles that will give Japan the ability to strike targets on enemy soil for the first time since 1945. The spending is also revitalising Japan's own defence industry. At a trade show in May near Tokyo, Japanese manufacturers displayed weapons currently under development, including a hypersonic missile, a laser system for shooting down drones, and a jet fighter to be built with Italy and Britain. Japan is also demonstrating a new resolve to fight alongside the US during a future crisis. When he visited Tokyo this spring, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth praised a plan to create a new 'war-fighting headquarters' in Tokyo where Japanese and American commanders will work side by side. 'During our discussions, I told him how Japan is making our own strong efforts to drastically strengthen our defence capabilities,' Mr Gen Nakatani, the Japanese defence minister, said after meeting with Hegseth. 'We face the most severe security environment that Japan has encountered since the end of the war.' It has been made even more severe by the uncertainty from Washington. While Japan's leaders and policymakers see strong support from Mr Hegseth and other hardliners on China, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they remain worried about America First isolationists who could try to pull back the US military in Asia. There is also the unpredictability of Trump. Their biggest fear is that the US President might suddenly strike a grand strategic deal with China's leader, Xi Jinping, that would cede Japan and its neighbours to Beijing's sphere of influence. 'We need to convince Trump and the Maga (Make America Great Again) camp that Japan is too good to give away,' said Professor Satoru Mori, a professor of international politics at Keio University in Tokyo. 'It's in the US' interest not to let Japan fall into China's sphere.' The Chinese government has criticised Japan's acquisition of offensive weapons as a return to wartime militarism. Japan is hedging its bets by reaching out to other partners. In addition to the fighter plane jointly developed with Britain and Italy, it has strengthened defence relations with Australia, offering to sell it advanced Japanese-made frigates. Tokyo also sent a warship and soldiers to the Philippines in May to join a multinational military exercise for the first time. If Washington proves unreliable, Japan has an ultimate fallback: tonnes of plutonium stockpiled from its civilian nuclear power industry, which it could use to build a nuclear arsenal of its own. So far, the national trauma from the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has kept such an option off the table. 'We need to think about a Plan B, if the US does withdraw from Asia,' said Mr Kazuto Suzuki, director of the Institute of Geo-economics, a Tokyo-based think-tank. -- NEW YORK TIMES via The Straits Times/ANN
Daily Express
11 hours ago
- Daily Express
Musk has ‘lost his mind', says Trump
Published on: Sunday, June 08, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 08, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Donald Trump (left) and Elon Musk. WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had 'lost his mind' but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all round. Advertisement Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP. 'Honestly I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk, I just wish him well,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club late Friday. Earlier, Trump told US broadcasters that he now wanted to focus instead on passing his 'big, beautiful' mega-bill before Congress — Musk's harsh criticism of which had sparked their break-up. But the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy. Advertisement 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was 'not particularly' interested in talking to the tycoon. Trump later told Fox News that Musk had 'lost it.' Just a week ago Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after four months working there. While there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Washington. After Musk called Trump's spending bill an 'abomination' on Tuesday, Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was 'very disappointed' by the entrepreneur. Trump's spending bill faces a difficult path through Congress as it will raise the US deficit, while critics say it will cut health care for millions of the poorest Americans. The row then went nuclear, with Musk slinging insults at Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump hit back with the power of the US government behind him, saying he could cancel the Space X boss's multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite contracts. Trump struck a milder tone late Friday when asked how seriously he is considering cutting Musk's contracts. 'It's a lot of money, it's a lot of subsidy, so we'll take a look — only if it's fair. Only if it's to be fair for him and the country,' he said. Musk apparently also tried to de-escalate social media hostilities. The right-wing tech baron rowed back on a threat to scrap his company's Dragon spacecraft — vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And on Friday the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social network. But the White House denied reports that they would talk. 'The president does not intend to speak to Musk today,' a senior White House official told AFP. A second official said Musk had requested a call. Tesla stocks tanked more than 14 percent on Thursday amid the row, losing some $100 billion of the company's market value, but recovering partly Friday. Trump is now considering either selling or giving away the cherry red Tesla S that he announced he had bought from Musk's firm in March. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. 'He's thinking about it, yes,' a senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give it away. Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Musk's DOGE role. But while Trump appeared to hold many of the cards, Musk also has some to play. His wealth allowed him to be the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 campaign, to the tune of nearly $300 million. Any further support for the 2026 midterm election now appears in doubt — while Musk could also use his money to undermine Trump's support on the right. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
