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Thursday, March twenty seven, 2008

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

Making headlines today:

The Mercedes-Benz South Africa group has no intention of slowing down production of its top-seller this year, despite the challenges posed by the sharp downward turn in passenger car sales, and other factors such as inflation, crime, and political instability.

Chairperson Dr Hansgeorg Niefer told the media at the group's 2007 business results presentation, that it was going to take it up a gear in terms of production volumes of the C-class coming out of its East London facility.

Niefer is convinced that the group will produce the highest number of C-classes ever in 2008, a very positive outlook for Mercedes Benz.

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Toronto-based gold-miner Yamana Gold, which bought rival Meridian Gold and the smaller Northern Orion Resources in October last year, is marching determinedly towards its target of more than doubling output, to 2,2-million gold-equivalent ounces a year, by 2012.

The company said this week that it will expand output at its El Penon mine, in Chile, faster than anticipated, expects to achieve commercial production at the Gualcamayo mine, in Argentina, in the coming months, and plans to complete a feasibility study on the lucrative Mercedes prospect, by the end of this year.

Yamana is also finalising plans to expand throughput at its Chapada mine in Brazil, chairperson and CEO Peter Marrone said.


JSE-quoted construction firm, Basil Read, on Wednesday signed a partnership agreement with State-owned financier National Housing Finance Corporation, to develop low- to middle-income housing, with construction on the first project on which the two will collaborate, set to start soon.

The R1,25-billion development, situated near Welkom, in the Free State, will include 6 000 housing units, 40% of which will cater for the low-income market, Basil Read Developments MD Desmond Hughes said.

Gold major Harmony Gold, which owns mines nearby, contributed 100 hectares of land to the project, and the local municipality had made 500 hectares available.

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President Thabo Mbeki is expected to respond today to a Democratic Alliance request for him to release the Khampepe Commission report.

DA leader Helen Zille, on Wednesday, declined the Presidency's request to extend the deadline for it to release the report, requested by the DA in February in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

However, Mbeki's spokesperson told Sapa late on Wednesday afternoon that the Act gave the Presidency until Thursday to respond.


Also making headlines today:

Over 100 firms responded to Eskom's request for cogeneration projects

Mercedes says truck sales could soon make up 50% of its SA revenue

Energy efficiency and renewables may be the power crisis' silver lining

First Uranium is to get Ezulwini new-order mining right

The fair renegotiation of DRC mining contracts is vital to restore confidence

Sallies' rights offer to open on April 14

Sarkozy pledges more troops for Afghanistan

And, Unicef urges anti trafficking laws for Mozambique

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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