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Wednesday, August twenty, 2008.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

When the Confederations Cup kicks off in June 2009, there will be 143 new buses moving along the Rea Vaya bus rapid-transit system on the newly widened streets of Johannesburg.

The BRT project on Friday put out a request for information from potential bus suppliers. A non-compulsory meeting would be held at the Johannesburg Roads Agency head office on August 25.

Phase 1A of the project will use 143 buses, including spares. Some 41 of those would be articulated buses, and the other 102 complementary buses. The entire first phase of the project would make use some 1 200 buses. Phase 1A of the project is on target to be operational by mid-May 2009.


National oil and gas company, PetroSA, will appoint an engineering partner for the construction of its planned 400 000-barrels a day crude oil refinery at Coega, at the beginning of October.

The company advertised a multimillion rand tender in July. It stated that it wanted to appoint a strategic engineering partner to manage the various project phases of the refinery. The project is presently called Project Mthombo.

PetroSA external communications manager Thabo Mabaso said that the company had received about 30 tenders from international and local companies that had expressed interest in participating.


Gold junior Pan African Resources expects output from its Barberton mines to pick up in the 2009 financial year. It is targeting production of between 95 000 and 100 000 ounces for the period.

The company has a production target of 500 000 ounces a year by 2012.

Pan African Resources produced some 99 078 ounces of gold from its Barberton mines in the 2008 financial year. However, CEO Jan Nelson explained that the output was augmented by treating calcine dumps at the mine, which would not contribute in future.

Diversified miner Metorex has a 55% stake in the company.

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Also making headlines:

Nigeria and Germany sign a deal to boost power supply
Mandisi Mpahlwa expects South Africa's aerospace sector to be vibrant and growing by 2014
Joburg City council says the BRT system is not aimed at putting taxis out of business
Xstrata temporarily closes its Falcondo mine as costs escalate and prices sink
Keaton Energy says that South Africa is burning coal at a greater rate than production
And, Marius Kloppers says that BHP Billiton is studying new South African energy coal projects

In political news:

Ebrahim Rasool has been appointed as special advisor to Kgalema Motlanthe
Zimbabwe parliament to be sworn in next week
The World Bank freezes lending to Mauritania
And, the UN approves a Somalia force for six more months

Sign off:
That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit engineeringnews.co.za, miningweekly.com and polity.org.za

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