Seifsa eagerly awaits scrap metal industry relief
The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has welcomed government's announcement that it has tasked the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) of South Africa to look into measures to support the metals and engineering (M&E) sector.
Seifsa says it appreciates that government has recognised the strain the M&E sector is under, owing to steep price hikes in both raw materials and main inputs, as a result of Covid-19, as well as existing sector issues.
The pandemic has resulted in a global shortage of affordable, good-quality scrap metal amid a downturn in global manufacturing, owing to lockdowns worldwide, it notes.
Seifsa CE Kaizer Nyatsumba says Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel’s directive to Itac is, therefore, very welcome.
Patel in the first week of July asked Itac to determine amendments to the Price Preference System guidelines to address the shortage.
“As Seifsa, we have previously stated our support for the principle of the non-export of scrap metal and are heartened by the government’s decision to support the industry during this difficult time of the pandemic, even as we await a longer-term solution to protect the industry through possible taxes on scrap metal exports,” notes Nyatsumba.
Seifsa represents 22 employer associations in the broad M&E sector and has historically supported an export tax on scrap metal, owing to challenges in the metal industry, including significant price increases for all main inputs in the sector, reduction of scrap volumes – as a result of increased cost of overheads in recycling – and opportunity cost associated with scrap metal theft.
“We also hope that the Steel Masterplan, which has been in development for some time now, will have the effect of simulating demand for the M&E sector.”
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation