Thursday, June five, 2008.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Hilary Klopper.

Making headlines today:

Cape Town could soon get a rail link between its main airport and its central business district, the South African Rail Commuter Corporation said on Wednesday.

The corporation had recently completed a feasibility study on the project, and was looking to partner with the private sector on such a project, said CEO Lucky Montana in a speech delivered at a Johannesburg conference

His corporation would be engaging the City of Cape Town as well as the provincial authorities over the proposed project, he stated.

The rail link would be likely to come on line after the first phase of the high-speed Gautrain in Gauteng, which would link South Africa's busiest airport, OR Tambo International, to Sandton, probably only in 2011.

African countries would have to develop world-class port infrastructure to keep up with future growth in demand, a top government official said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Africa Ports congress, South Africa's Public Enterprises deputy director-general for transport, Dr Andrew Shaw, explained that Africa was benefiting from an international commodity boom, but that it was plagued by the challenge of high freight costs as well as customs delays, which led to a competitor disadvantage for the continent.

He stated that South Africa's container traffic was growing at about 12% a year, but that the country was struggling to cope with this growth.

The world's biggest nickel producer, Norilsk Nickel, has indefinitely postponed plans for a project to refine nickel using Norilsk's patented Activox technology at the Tati Nickel operation in Botswana, after deciding that the cost of the project would outweigh the benefits.

Internal and third-party reviews had indicated “a substantial cost escalation” from a 2006 forecast of $498-million, the company said.

Norilsk acquired the technology and 85% of the Tati mine when it bought Canada's LionOre Mining last year.


Also making headlines:

The African Development Bank calls for transparency in mineral resource management
Aquarius' Platinum Mile transaction receives regulatory go-ahead
Sallies begins making small profits at Witkop
Transnet Freight Rail making ‘steady progress’ with punctuality
Mozambique venture to invest $150m in biofuels
And, Winter power outlook improves as coal stocks approach targeted level

In political news:

Kenya’s Kirubi says South Africa must scrap exchange controls
Migrant refugees to be resettled or repatriated within 2 months
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is freed
De Klerk says critical test for rule of law in South Africa lies ahead
And, Sudan accuses international court of wrecking Darfur peace hopes

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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