September 26, 2018

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sashnee Moodley.

Making headlines:

Stats SA reports SA lost 69 000 jobs in second quarter

Parliament welcomes new visa regulations

And, Mantashe to unpack finalised Mining Charter on Thursday

Employment in South Africa's non-agricultural formal sector dropped by 69 000 between March and June 2018, Stats SA announced on Wednesday in its latest Quarterly Employment Statistics bulletin.

This was largely due to decreases in community services, manufacturing, mining and quarrying and transport.

Increases were reported in trade, business services and construction.

While the labour force survey gives South Africa's official unemployment rate, the QES gives a snapshot of total non-agricultural formal sector employment.

The portfolio committee on Home Affairs on Wednesday welcomed the broad visa-related reforms announced by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba.

On Tuesday, Gigaba announced the amendments to visa requirements for businesspeople from India and China. They will soon be eligible for a 10-year multiple-entry visa, with only five days needed for an application.

The reforms are aimed at boosting tourism and implementing various visa modifications, to enable ease of travel for business people and to attract much-needed investment.

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe will on Thursday morning brief members of the media on the finalised version of the Mining Charter.

The long-awaited release of a renewed charter comes a week after Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane confirmed that it had been approved by Cabinet.

The charter caused bad blood between the Chamber of Mines and former Mining Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, with the chamber - now the Minerals Council South Africa - threatening court action to stop it being instituted.

It took the intervention of President Cyril Ramaphosa in February to bring both parties back to the negotiating table. Ramaphosa named Mantashe as new Mineral Resources Minister in late February.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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