Latest news with #Section189
Hindustan Times
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh Police amp up security on PU campus 1 month before student body polls
Even as Panjab University (PU) has yet to announce the schedule for the annual student council elections, police presence has already been stepped up on the campus. Chandigarh Police have set up three checkposts at Panjab University ahead of the campus polls. (Keshav Singh/HT) For the first time, officials said, three police nakas have been set up in PU to maintain vigil — following recent violence at GGDSD College, Sector 32 — even before the declaration of the election date or model code of conduct. The checkposts have been stationed at the PU Administration Block, near Ankur School and on the road towards University Institute Legal Studies (UILS). According to a police official from the Sector 11 police station, around 100 cops have been already deployed on the campus. 'We are keeping a close watch on vehicle movement to ensure no weapons are brought into PU. Boots of cars are being checked inside the campus, apart from routine checks at the three entry gates,' the official said. PU dean student welfare (DSW) Amit Chauhan said, 'Police are acting on their own intelligence inputs. The situation remains tense, especially after the murder of a UIET student on the South Campus in March. The two recent stabbing incidents at GGDSD College have also put authorities on alert.' DSW (Women) Namita Gupta added that PU will strictly enforce Lyngdoh Committee guidelines this year to maintain discipline, and police officials have been sensitised about them. PU also plans to hold an all-party meeting this week to further discuss implementation of prohibitory orders in the university along the lines of Section 189 (unlawful assembly) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as per PU officials. Anticipating friction within various student parties, officials will also meet the deputy commissioner. As per officials, there are factions forming in various major student parties like the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), formerly Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, among others. Students, however, are peeved with the increased police deployment. Ashmeet Singh, core committee member of Sath party, pointed out how PU had turned into a 'police cantonment'. 'When PU has its own security force, why have police been deployed on the campus? The code of conduct also hasn't been implemented yet. It seems PU doesn't have much faith in its own security force,' he said. PU to start issuing stickers for students from tomorrow As PU plans to crack down on the entry of outsiders, the varsity will start issuing vehicle stickers for vehicles of students from Wednesday onwards. As per DSW Amit Chauhan, the vehicle details for most departments have already been collected and in around a week's time, the stickers will be distributed at all departments.
TimesLIVE
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Trump's 30% tariffs could kill SA motor industry growth, warns union
President Donald Trump's decision to slap 30% tariffs on vehicles, components, tyres and parts exported from South Africa to the US will 'kill any possible economic growth in our country', the Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) warned on Tuesday. Trump said the new tariffs, set to take effect on August 1, are necessary because South Africa exports more to the US than it imports, a claim local experts reject. Dawie Roodt, founder and chief economist of the Efficient Group, told Misa: 'Trump's figures are not based on actual figures, but everyone will feel the impact because it will hinder any economic growth. 'These tariffs take away any competitive edge South Africa had in competing with the global market,' he said. 'Small retailers have already stopped manufacturing because it will not be feasible to continue with the new export tariffs, or because of a reduced demand from US clients. 'We can now accept that Agoa (the African Growth and Opportunity Act) is dead. Under Agoa, more than 1,800 South African products and goods, including vehicles, components and parts, were exported to the US duty-free,' Roodt added. The blow comes just as unemployment in South Africa edged up to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, the highest since the second quarter of 2024. 'The population has seen a steady increase year-on-year, with a growth rate of 1.33%. We live in a country where our population growth exceeds our economic growth. This makes job creation highly unlikely,' Roodt said. Misa CEO Martlé Keyter added: 'The retail motor industry, in which Misa is the majority trade union, is already struggling amid the uncertainty of tariff increases which started when President Trump came into office earlier this year.' 'The union is experiencing an increase in employers closing their doors, restructuring in terms of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act, or embarking on short time.' Tiekie Mocke, manager of Misa's legal department, said: 'The negative impact on exports forced an employer within the retail motor industry to cut a five-day work week to four days, effectively leaving employees out of pocket by at least one week's income per month. 'This was done proactively to prevent retrenchments but cannot continue indefinitely,' she added. Keyter urged the government to act decisively. 'This is not about who is right or wrong, but about what is in the best interest of South Africa.'
IOL News
20-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Denel's turnaround strategy shows promise as it seeks foreign contracts
Denel told Parliament it is looking to secure new revenue streams, improve management, commercial skills, and governance, as well as to source other funding sources. Image: Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters State-owned manufacturing company Denel told Parliament on Friday that it was making good progress in revenue generation. Briefing the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, CEO Tsepo Monaheng said they were concluding contracts amounting to billions. 'We hope this trend continues. The countries that place orders with us have trust in that Denel has turned the corner. We can't disappoint in terms of non-performance, so performance is critical for us,' Monaheng said. Speaking on the entity's turnaround plan, Monaheng said they have looked at restructuring the business to get cash. 'One of those areas was to ensure we go through Section 189 and have the right people in the business,' he said. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Although he did not go into detail on the retrenchments, the presentation to the committee indicated that Denel has completed the initial Section 189 process and filed critical vacancies. 'Further Section 189 process is going to be initialised,' reads the presentation. Monaheng told the MPs that Denel has lots of debtors and that debt was still a challenge. 'Even when we make money, the creditors take the money, while the banks demand their payments. It makes it difficult for us to execute the turnaround strategy,' he said, adding that their debts were four to five years old. 'When they threaten us with liquidation, we prioritise them. It hampers our progress.' In its presentation, Denel said it was looking to secure new revenue streams, improve management, commercial skills, and governance, as well as to source other funding sources, including the collection of outstanding debtors such as Armscor. Monaheng said they were looking for partnerships in new markets and develop innovative products. 'We are careful who we partner with.' He told the MPs that the sale of non-core assets and shares in associate companies did not materialise. 'We were not able to sell non-core assets, but we have started a process to make sure they are value-creating,' he said, adding that they planned to achieve shareholder control at Rheinmetall Denel Munition and Hensoldt. Monaheng stated that they were reviewing the cost of sales and operating costs as well as implementing cost containment measures. 'We have to spend better and spend on value creation.' On Denel's business performance, Monaheng said in 2015/16, Denel posted R8.4 billion in revenue, but this went down to R1.3 billion in 2021/22. In 2023/24, they were sitting at R1.3 billion with R223 million in profit. Monaheng said their target was to reach the R8 billion and that was possible if they could get more contracts. 'We have to make sure at operational level, the business is profitable. We want to make sure we move to sustainable profitability.' He reported that during the 2023/24 financial year, R1.4 billion orders were placed with Denel, and this increased to R4.3 billion in 2024/25. 'If we continue on this trajectory, we should realise the Denel we want. This is dependent on the happiness of the customers. We are ready to get more orders. We hope to continue on this trend.' Earlier, Monaheng observed that Denel had asked for bailouts, but things have changed. 'If it operates well, it should fund its operations, and that can be achieved through foreign businesses we get because the margins are better.' He also said one of the reasons that Denel collapsed in the past was due to the weak internal controls. 'We are building to make sure that there are no leakages in the business. We do want to make sure we do what we are supposed to do and we are compliant all the times.' Monaheng stated that Denel had operated without leadership, resulting in instability at the entity. 'We have a full team except the CEO of Denel Dynamics.' While MPs welcomed the presentation by Denel, they were concerned about the scant detail in the presentation. ANC MP Tidimalo Legwase wanted to know about its plan to reach the planned revenue targets. Freedom Front Plus' Tammy Breedt said the presentation was of a high level and filled with lots of fluff and a to-do list. 'We don't see how you will address internal control issues that have been an issue,' Breedt said. She also said Monaheng had, in his presentation, stated that Denel started taking a nose dive in 2020 during Covid-19, but the entity was last profitable in 2015/16. 'What was the reason for the initial five years of Denel not being profitable?' Breedt asked. Defence Minister Angie Motshekga said the term of office for the current board of directors was due to expire. 'We are consulting in government structures and the department in a strong Denel board,' Motshekga said. She also said the board chairperson, Gloria Serobe, has handed a letter asking to be released from the company.
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Trade policies past and present haunt South African industry
South Africa's past export subsidies hurt neighbours; today, global trade and weak infrastructure return the blow to local businesses. You have to hand it to Donald Trump: his 'Liberation Day' rampage on imposing tariffs on friend and foe alike focused the attention on international trade and its positives and negatives. If your country has a high-cost or low-productivity labour system – or both – you're always going to be vulnerable to those other nations that can produce the same goods cheaper. That's where tariffs come in: to protect a country – preserving businesses and jobs. If a company cannot compete with imported goods, then import duties and taxes will raise the prices of its competitors to the point where the playing field will be artificially levelled. On the other hand, governments can boost their exporters by putting in place subsidies, whether hidden or open. It is widely thought, in the West for example, that Chinese car exporters, particularly, are able to export their vehicles at comparatively low prices because of government support for businesses domestically. That's the main reason other Chinese products are gradually putting well-known names out of business – the latest being the planned closure of the Goodyear tyre factory in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro in the Eastern Cape. More than 900 workers have been hit with Section 189 retrenchment notices. Chinese competition is a major threat to local businesses, especially those in manufacturing… but it is hardly the only reason many industrialists are throwing in the towel. ALSO READ: Trump tariffs created unprecedented uncertainty — trade expert Nelson Mandela Bay, like many other towns and cities in South Africa, suffers from an ongoing collapse of services and infrastructure. In addition, the backlogs at ports in this country mean exporting is not a quick or simple process. Ironically, back in the '90s, long before the mainland Chinese exporters got a toehold in Africa, companies in this country help destroy industries in our neighbouring countries, thanks to subsidies introduced by Pretoria. Under the General Export Incentive Scheme (GEIS) of the early '90s, SA exporters were able to take full advantage of the end of trade restrictions which followed the release of Nelson Mandela. Subsidised South African exports of tyres, for example, forced the collapse and closure of the Dunlop tyre operation in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Battery exports did the same thing to factories in that city. Zimbabwe's David Whitehead Textiles, one of the biggest clothing makers in sub-Saharan Africa, was similarly affected. In many cases, Zimbabwean companies were hit by a double South African whammy: subsidised competitors entering their home markets and tariffs on their exports to South Africa. ALSO READ: 'We want to see Nigerian products on shelves of SA shops' – Ramaphosa [VIDEO] Again, ironically, Chinese imports later forced many of our clothing manufacturers to close. And now, a tyre factory has closed, too. I wonder what the jobless people in Bulawayo would say… Again, the irony is that many South Africans believe Robert Mugabe single-handedly destroyed Zimbabwe's economy and accelerated the flight of economic migrants to a better life south of the Limpopo. But, he had a little help… The GEIS-fuelled assault on our African neighbours was only the start: businesses, from Checkers to MTN set up shop across Africa, often squeezing out local competition because of their sophistication and financial backing. SA business did more damage to the countries of the former 'Front-line States' in five years than the apartheid defence force did in a decade. Trade can be a powerful weapon.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Supreme Court refuses to reduce sentence of advocate who abused woman magistrate in 2015
The Supreme Court Tuesday decided not to interfere with a Delhi High Court order which refused to reduce the sentence awarded to an advocate for outraging the modesty of a woman judicial officer in 2015, and granted him two weeks to surrender. A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan recorded that it is 'not inclined to interfere with the orders' passed by the Delhi High Court against advocate Sanjay Rathore and dismissed his plea. In October 2015, the complainant judicial officer was serving as a metropolitan magistrate in the Karkardooma court when Rathore, enraged by an adjournment in his matter in his absence, verbally abused the officer, including using gendered abusive language. An FIR was subsequently lodged at the Farsh Bazar police station. Rathore was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment under Indian Penal Code Section 509 (intending to outrage modesty of a woman), three months under Section 189 (injury to public servant), and an additional three months under Section 353 (assault or criminal force against public servant to deter them from their duty). It was directed that the sentences should run consecutively, thereby resulting in a total sentence of two years. The Delhi High Court, while refusing to reduce the sentence, however, modified it so that the sentences could run concurrently instead of consecutively. As a result, Rathore was sentenced to a total of one year and six months in prison. The high court, in its order of May 26, emphasised that acts threatening or intimidating a judge, especially through 'gender-specific abuse, is an assault on justice itself, and must be met with firm accountability'. While refusing Rathore any relief, it further recorded in its order, 'The act of outraging the modesty of a judicial officer while she was presiding over court proceedings, seated on the dais and discharging her solemn duty of dispensing justice, in this court's opinion, attacks the very foundation of judicial decorum and the institutional integrity.'
