The good news thread

[MTBeer]

This is good news...

 

Coffee prices to remain stable 

Local price increases will be met by resistance from struggling consumers

 

14 March 2016: Despite fears that local coffee prices will drastically increase due to a shortage of beans from Brazil, coupled with the entrance of Starbucks into the local market, prices will remain stable and steadily increase at realistic levels.

 

Because South Africa is a net importer of coffee, the severe drought which affected Brazil last year, the largest coffee producer in the world, heightened fears that prices would increase due to global supply shortages. Brazil has since had a fair share of rain and is set to produce its largest harvest for the 2016/2017 season which will lead to lower coffee prices globally. 

 

Dawie Maree, Head of Information and Marketing at FNB Business, Agriculture says South Africa has not yet experienced supply challenges as we import most of our coffee beans from Eastern African countries which continue to increase yields and produce quality crops.

 

Maree cautions that lower global prices will not necessarily translate to coffee prices dropping in the country since there are a number of factors that affect the prices that retailers currently charge.

 

He says the competitive local coffee market has managed to keep prices low and affordable for a number of years. However, the industry is now faced with a double whammy when it comes to setting realistic coffee prices that consumers can afford and maintaining profit margins. 

 

Food price inflation, high input costs, low disposable incomes of consumers, coupled with the weak Rand which increases the price of imports is threatening the profit margins of local coffee retailers.

 

The entrance of coffee giant Starbucks which is anticipated to charge slightly higher prices is also creating uncertainty amongst some local coffee retailers who are already considering to review the prices they charge for a cup of coffee.

 

To make matters worse, if dairy farmers who are currently struggling to feed animals start running into production shortages, this may also increase the price of milk leading to coffee retailers paying even more for input costs.

 

Moreover, the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages which the government intends to introduce in April next year will add further strain to local coffee businesses leaving them with no choice but to increase the price of coffee in the long-term. 

 

Regardless of the current challenges, any attempts by the local coffee industry to increase prices in the short-term will likely be met by resistance from consumers who are already struggling to make ends meet in this tough economic environment.  As a result, the coffee industry will have no choice but to absorb costs in the short-term and gradually factor in increases, in order to remain relevant to consumers.

 

ENDS

 

For media queries, contact:

FNB Corporate Communications

respectfully bulls h i t. My brand of coffee has increased from R69 to R78 in the last 2 months. 14%

[mazambaan]

Cribbed from EMBA email, riders name truncated jic:  BUT GOOD NEWS  

 

"A GOOD NEWS MESSAGE FROM ONE OF OUR RIDER

 

Morning Margie

 

I want to ask you please to circulate a message of thanks:

 

On Saturday morning I was riding with a group headed out of Umhlanga bound for the petrol station in Ballito, circulating anti-clockwise around the airport. Because of a domestic time constraint I left the group at the big fig tree and turned left for Tongaat. Towards the end of my ride, somewhere near the bottom of the fast descent to the T-junction at the squatter camp on the Umhlanga River, one of my hands slipped off the handlebars and I fell heavily. My head took a big knock and the next half hour of my morning is missing altogether. What follows is therefore what has been filled in for me by others. Apparently two black guys picked me up. One of them pushed my bike and the other chaperoned me as far as the T where a homebound male and female riding pair took over custody. This couple looked after me for about 10 minutes at the T, by which time my riding group returning from Ballito recognised me and took control, nursed me up the hill and got me home. My wife and daughter went to get the car later in the day.

 

The objective of this message is to say thanks to all those kind folks who looked after me for the 30 minutes of my morning that are still blank. Firstly the two black guys who I know are unlikely to be reading this. Nevertheless, with all the horrible news that circulates, I want to be responsible for circulating some good news. I was on an expensive bike with a Garmin on the handlebars, and in the Camelbak, an iPhone, R150 cash and car keys. Everything remained intact. Secondly to the male and female couple, thanks for your care and kindness – I wish I could thank your personally. And finally my riding group and any others who helped out at the time. I know I was lucky, and I know bad things could have happened. But the fact is bad things didn’t happen and I am happy to be able to pass on the news that Africa isn’t necessarily the horrible place we so often read about, or talk about in the pub or at book club.

 

With my best appreciation and thanks

 

Ian C"

[Tumbleweed]

respectfully bulls h i t. My brand of coffee has increased from R69 to R78 in the last 2 months. 14%

 

Let's burn down FNB!!!!!!!

 

They mention "resistance from consumers"... 

Edited March 14, 2016 by Tumbleweed

[Wannabe]

Some good news, indeed.

 

[scotty]

CAPE TOWN – A Cape Town businessman's kind gesture has led to another man's life being changed in the space of just a few days.

Entrepreneur Jay Margolis spotted a homeless man cleaning Bantry Bay Beach last week. 

Siyabulela Magobiyane, or 'Dan' as he's more commonly known, regularly cleaned the beach because he wanted it to look good for tourists.

 

So this afternoon I was in Bantry Bay waiting for a client to arrive and I see this chap putting two big bags into the rubbish bin. 15 minutes later, he arrives with another two big bags of rubbish and put them in the bin... 

When I come back, 45 minutes later, I see him filling another two big packets and wait for him to have a chat. Turns out, "he's embarrassed about the pollution, and wants the beaches looking good for the tourists, and for the sea" - Quoted. 
He hasn't been asked to do this, and doesn't have a job. He goes on to tell me that he cleans the beaches every day, and for no reason other than he wants to "make the place nice", and then with massive pride, pulls out his temp ID, to show me his name. He goes on to tell me that he got this, but still has to collect his Green ID book. Bought him lunch and left feeling so proud of people like this that live in our beautiful country. 
What a legend, Siyabulela Dan Magobiyane! City of Cape Town, give this man a job!

 

http://ewn.co.za/2016/03/14/CT-businessmans-kind-gesture-changes-homeless-mans-life

 

 

 

[Stretch]

well ..i hope they gonna keep him cleaning bantry beach ...else if they move him elsewhere then no-one is going to clean it   

[Stretch]

I must say...I have had a lot of love for SA of late (outside of the horror news stories)

 

just little things...meeting and chatting to random strangers on my morning run...and following eddie izzards marathon journey has been incredibly uplifting

 

On the whole we are all here to make things better and we are progressing..its just the minority that are getting the focus and attention for the negative things they are doing because you can't really report of hundreds of small positives every day that we encounter

[Tumbleweed]

Yach makes waves for the 100th time

 

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2016/03/23/Yach-makes-waves-for-the-100th-time

[Tumbleweed]

PIECE OF CAPE TOWN HISTORY UP FOR SALE

 

A piece of Cape Town’s history has gone up for sale this week as the first public telescope placed on Table Mountain in 1930 is listed on Gumtree.co.za.

 

The telescope was purchased in 1991 by UCT employee Julian Meyer, a collector of telescopes, from the Chief Technical Officer for a brass scrap price. At the time, the telescope had fallen out of use as its objective lens was badly cracked and the prisms were chipped.

 

However, this does not mean that the telescope has lost any of its historical value. “This is obviously a very, very rare piece and would be an amazing restoration project or an extremely valuable collectable for display. Some very important people looked through this telescope during the years it was on the mountain,” says Meyer.

 

The telescope was mounted for public viewing next to the upper cable station in 1930, just after the opening of the cable car. Some of the illustrious visitors who may have peered through its lenses include the Royal Family during their 1947 South African tour – where they were greeted by the 77-year old Prime Minister Jan Smuts, who not only hiked to the top of the Mountain to meet them but arrived back in town in time for a joint sitting of the houses of Parliament. 

 

Meyer was able to confirm the telescope’s authenticity via the South African Astronomical Observatory. He also unearthed from online archives a picture of it in place on the mountain. A former Zeiss employee, visiting Cape Town from the USA, was able to provide the exact manufacture date and sent Meyer the original token used to test the timing mechanism which takes the place of the coins which the public used to pay for their spectacular view of the city and the ocean.

 

After spending trying to get the telescope refurbished by the now defunct S.A Navy Optical Workshop and by the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company as a possible public exhibit, Meyer finally reluctantly put the precious telescope up for sale. ”I hope whoever buys it will have better luck than I did in getting this wonderful telescope back into working condition”. 

 

The ad has received well over 2000 views. Buyers can view it on Gumtree. 

[Uni]

[Andrew Steer]

http://www.rdm.co.za/lifestyle/2016/03/29/what-i-learned-about-race-on-the-two-oceans-marathon

[SwissVan]

http://www.rdm.co.za/lifestyle/2016/03/29/what-i-learned-about-race-on-the-two-oceans-marathon

 

HA you beat me to it, was going to come and post it here

[Uni]

just heard about this on the radio - a crowd control drone (quad copter) - developed here in SA - 

 

http://www.desert-wolf.com/dw/products/unmanned-aerial-systems/skunk-riot-control-copter.html

[cfcjim]

just heard about this on the radio - a crowd control drone (quad copter) - developed here in SA - 

 

http://www.desert-wolf.com/dw/products/unmanned-aerial-systems/skunk-riot-control-copter.html

 

Desert Wolf Ground Control Pangolin Station.

 

One of my favourite animals, saw one many years ago in the Kruger Park (Pangolin, not Desert Wolf, but they're pretty neat too).

 

My office has now been renamed.

 

 

 

And yes I'm a fool...

[Blackbeard]

just heard about this on the radio - a crowd control drone (quad copter) - developed here in SA - 

 

http://www.desert-wolf.com/dw/products/unmanned-aerial-systems/skunk-riot-control-copter.html

To be deployed in parliament?

[Uni]

To be deployed in parliament?

Apparently was already used at Marikana - I think this has great potential - and for crowd control purposes it's great