Thursday 11 March 2004

This site will be updated on18 March  2004 at 17:00

Business - Sakenuus

• Boland promotes export development
• Wellington billionaire held in custody
• Green light for Parys Road project

Boland promotes export development

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THE SA Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (Sanec) and the Boland District Council have signed an export development agreement.

The objectives of the programme are to establish a long term exchange of trade, investment and skills between the Boland District and the Netherlands in the logistic, tourism, manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors.

Furthermore the Boland District Municipality will participate in an existing AgriMatch Programme between the Western Cape and the Netherlands organised by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Sanec.

According to district mayor Clarence Johnson, the District Municipality is intent on forging strategic partnerships both locally and internationally to stimulate economic growth and job creation within the region.  This agreement will promote

AGREEMENT. The SA Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (Sanec) and the Boland District Council have signed an export development agreement. From left are (front) Doreen Hani (Speaker of the Boland District Council), Jan-Willem van Rijen (general manager of Sanec), Clarence Johnson (executive mayor of Boland), Mark Agterdenbosch (Sanec) and Gwebinkundela Felix Qonde (deputy municipal manager Boland). Behind them are Michel Arends (Sanec representative Cape), Rhian van Wyk (director of economic and social development for the district) and Dirk Oosthuzien (deputy executive mayor).

the branding and marketing of the Boland District in the Netherlands, in particular the agricultural export sector.

The district would like to explore opportunities in growing industries such as aquaculture and present empowerment workshops.

MORE than R43 million held in the Wellington bank account of a German businessman with a farm in the Bovlei, might be frozen by the Asset Forfeiture Unit.

Alexander Falk (33), owner of the wine farm Canetsfontein since six years ago, is being held in custody in Hamburg, Germany, for alleged company fraud.

Standard Bank in Wellington reported to the Financial Intelligence Centre during June last year, that Falk Real Estate SA had been involved in suspicious transactions.

His company was then investigated by the Scorpions.

According to papers before the Cape High Court, funds had been transferred by Falk and one of his other companies from bank accounts held by them in Hamburg, to the Wellington account.

The bank had been given instructions not to convert the currency into rand.

The forfeiture unit learnt from the German Embassy in Pretoria that Falk had allegedly committed fraud in Germany and Switzerland.

His assets had been restrained by a court order in Germany after Falk allegedly conspired with six co-accused to manipulate the share price of a listed company, Ision AG, during the last six months of 2000.

Falk benefited from a direct payment of R75m from his shareholding and dividends.

Last year he purchased portions of another two Bovlei farms to extend his vineyard.

He also acquired 550h  of land on the slopes of Bain's Kloof where he intended building an underground cellar.

The forfeiture unit is requesting the court to order that Falk's share certificate in Falk Real Estate SA be seized and to prevent Falk from dealing in the millions held in the Wellington bank account.

Judge Bennie Griesel postponed the matter to September 16.

THE construction of a dual carriageway connecting Jan van Riebeeck Drive in Paarl with the N1 (the Parys road), is finally going ahead.

 The construction tender is advertised today.

The busy road (MR201), the main industrial entrance to Paarl, is notorious for its bad surface and high accident rate.

A new route west of the current road has been negotiated between the provincial roads authorities and landowners.

It was agreed that the road would be rerouted away from the homesteads, to afford them more privacy, and the landowners will foot the bill for the added expense of the altered route.

The new route has been approved by  the Department of Environmental Affairs and the SA Heritage Resource Agency (Sahra), despite one objection from a landowner in the area.

The Drakenstein Municipality will fund the construction of the first section of the road from the traffic circle to the Paarl power station, while province will fund the remainder of the 2 km stretch. The project will cost about R17 million.

Sonstraal Road

* The tender also calls for the upgrading of 200 metres of the Sonstraal road (DR1118) from Van der Stel Street to Allandale prison, while a further 2 km will be patched and resealed.

A site meeting will be held on 25 March at 10:00 at Nederburg wine estate. Tender documents are available from Adrian Skea of UWP Consulting, tel 674-4442.

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