This podcast is brought to you by Sarens South Africa - nothing too heavy, nothing too high.

Friday, February 27, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Guy Copans.

Making headlines today:

The EU has confirmed its support for the international 1,5-billion-Euro Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project. This is despite the global recession.

The SKA will be the world's biggest radio telescope. It'll be built in either South Africa's Northern Cape province or in Australia.

The general opinion among delegates at the international SKA Forum, in Cape Town, was that the global recession wouldn't harm the SKA. On the contrary, it was felt that the crisis has created a great opportunity for investment in advanced scientific infrastructure and expertise.

On Thursday, Murray & Roberts CEO Brian Bruce said that South Africans "shouldn't be surprised" if the 25-billion-rand Gautrain project isn't ready in time for the start of 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Bruce repeated the group's oft-stated position that it had never been contracted to complete the project in time for the international football showcase.

His sentiments appear to gel with recent cautionary statements made by Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe, who also said recently that the rapid-rail development had never been conceived of as a World Cup project.

Van der Merwe said in a recent interview that they'd have to sit down with Bombela and look at what must be accelerated, and what this involved.

He added that there would be cost implications.

Also making headlines:

Construction group Basil Read aims for 10-billion-rand turnover by 2013.
Mass housing construction firm Sea Kay shifts its focus back to RDP housing.
Factory inflation slows more than expected.
And, vehicle manufacturer Nissan South Africa plans to increase local content to 60%.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit engineeringnews.co.za.