This week, Agbiz head of Agribusiness Research Wandile Sihlobo, presented at the Rant Merchant Bank (RMB) SA Investment Summit in London. He presented alongside the Chief Justice of South Africa, Mogoeng Mogoeng, Special Investment Envoy to President Ramaphoa, Mcebisi Jonas, Chief Economist of the South African Reserve Bank, Dr Rashad Cassim, Teneo Senior Vice President Anne Frühauf, and Dr Tobias Bischof-Niemz of Enertrag. This was a platform organised by RMB to encourage collaboration and provide clarity for investors about the policy developments in South Africa. The discussions covered a wide range of issues, from political economy, macroeconomic developments, investments, and the role of the judiciary in restoring South Africa's institutional integrity. Sihlobo's presentation to the forum was mainly on the development of land reform policy in South Africa - a subject that most investors, locally and globally, have been following closely. His presentation is available upon request.

The Joint Council of the EU-SADC (Southern African Development Community) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) met in Cape Town on 19 February 2019, a meeting hosted by South Africa.  Honourable Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Botswana and EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström co-chaired the meeting. The Joint Council welcomed the inaugural meeting, which took place just over two years after the start of the provisional application of the EU-SADC EPA on 12 October 2016 and took note of its mandate to provide political oversight of the implementation of the agreement. The Joint Council adopted the institutional framework of the EPA containing the following documents: (i) the rules of procedure for the Joint Council, (ii) the rules of procedure for the Trade and Development Committee, (iii) the rules of procedure for Dispute Settlement and Dispute Avoidance and the Code of Conduct of Arbitrators and Mediators. Please click on Joint Communique to peruse full text.

In February, the Land Claims Court handed down judgement in the case of Moloto Community v Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform and Others, effectively confirming that a valuation by the Valuer-General does not exclude the jurisdiction of the courts in determining just and equitable compensation. Although the Property Valuation Act (17 of 2014) does not use the terms 'compensation' or 'expropriation' once in its provisions, the term 'value' was defined in a manner which mirrors the calculation of compensation for expropriation. This in turn sparked fears that the Valuer-General, using a formula promulgated by regulation, would determine the amount of compensation to which a property owner or bond holder would be due if they were to be expropriated for land reform purposes. Agbiz head of Legal Intelligence Theo Boshoff provides more insight in the linked article.

 In an interview with Lise Roberts on RSG Landbou,  Agbiz CEO Dr John Purchase commented on the impact of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni 's 2019 budget on agriculture. Follow this link to listen to the interview in Afrikaans.

During Africa Tech Week, which took place in Cape Town on 4 and 5 March, the United Kingdom and South Africa announced their agreement to co-lead the Commonwealth Digital Connectivity Agenda. This is one of five clusters of activity promoted by the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda on Trade and Investment, agreed at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
The Digital Connectivity Agenda will facilitate an exchange of experiences, views and best practices on digital connectivity to support inclusive growth and sustainable development in the Commonwealth. Please click here for the full media statement.