Numsa joins AYO in court battle against banks targeting black-owned businesses, while unions picket in Sandton
By Ntombi Nkosi
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Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) is set to join technology investment company AYO Technologies in its urgent application at the South Gauteng High Court on Thursday.
The company seeks to apply for an urgent interdict restraining FNB from de-activating or closing its banking facilities.
“Numsa will be joining this application as
amicus curiae (friend of the court). FNB has given AYO until 3 May to find a new bank, otherwise it will close the company’s transactional facilities. We must not view the decision taken by both FNB and Absa as guided by morality, principles or ethics,” Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said.
Minister Kubayi-Ngubane: I’ll abide by court order halting Tourism Equity Fund The North Gauteng High Court on Monday granted the interdict to AfriForum and Solidarity that prevents the disbursement of any money. Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane. Picture: GCIS.
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CAPE TOWN - Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on Tuesday said she would abide by a court order stopping payments from the Tourism Equity Fund.
The North Gauteng High Court on Monday granted the interdict to AfriForum and Solidarity that prevents the disbursement of any money.
All payments have been stopped until the court challenge is finalised.
The two organisations launched the urgent application after Kubayi-Ngubane announced the department’s fund for the recovery of the tourism sector is only accessible to people who qualify for BEE.
The coronavirus pandemic and related lockdowns have been particularly devastating on SA s tourism industry.
Government has announced a Tourism Equity Fund, which does not relate to Covid-19 relief, but focuses on transformation in the industry.
Solidarity and AfriForum are challenging the focus of the fund, claiming the industry as a whole needs help urgently.
Judgment was reserved in the North Gauteng High Court on Friday in an urgent court application brought by Solidarity and AfriForum in relation to requirements to benefit from government’s Tourism Equity Fund (TEF).
The R1.2 billion TEF was announced earlier this year. It involves R606 million to be contributed by the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) and R594 million by an unnamed strategic bank co-funders . The aim of the fund is to enhance transformation in the tourism industry.
It’s no April Fool’s joke. From Thursday 1 April 2021, consumers who receive their electricity directly from Eskom, will have to pay more money for a perennially unreliable service. The energy provider was granted permission to increase tariffs by slightly more than 15% by the North Gauteng High Court on February 17.
The court ordered that an amount of R10 billion be added to Eskom’s allowable revenue in the 2021/2022 financial year, which begins on Thursday. The revenue is meant to be collected from tariff-paying customers.
RECOVERING COSTS AND EASING THE ESKOM BURDEN ON GOVERNMENT
Eskom said the High Court order “contributes to the ‘user pay’ principle and will probably ease the financial burden of “supporting Eskom on the government, releasing the government to focus on other priorities”.