Yellow Door Energy to start construction on 48 MW Leeudoringstad solar plant soon

Independent power producer Yellow Door Energy has completed the development phase for a 48 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Leeudoringstad, in North West. Construction will begin in the second... 

Absa PMI rises to 51.7 in February, but business activity remains subdued

Financial services firm Absa's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) increased to 51.7 points in February, from 43.6 in January, but business activity remains subdued. Of the five subcomponents of the... 

Eskom board tasks Marokane with three priorities in his first 100 days as CEO

State-owned power utility Eskom's board of directors has tasked incoming CEO Dan Marokane to prioritise three key areas – assessing the generation operational recovery plan, reviewing Eskom’s... 

Energy firm to install PV plant at Kimberly-Clark’s C Town facility

Personal care and hygiene products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with energy company Energy Partners (EP), which will install a 2.2 MW rooftop... 

M&R to report narrowed losses, improved capital structure

JSE-listed engineering and contracting services company Murray & Roberts (M&R) on February 29 said it has made meaningful progress towards implementing a sustainable capital structure. In a trading... 

M&A activity in Africa may improve this year but challenges remain

Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in Africa experienced a sharp decline in 2023 compared with 2022, but there are signs of improvement for this year. Key factors that contributed to the... 

Unisa Enterprise, MMSEZ sign training agreement

Commercialisation entity Unisa Enterprise (UE) and the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) have signed a partnership agreement to develop an MMSEZ-accredited and non-accredited skills... 

Collaboration, strategic partnerships needed to tackle infrastructure challenges

Collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships are needed to address the pressing challenges facing the infrastructure sector, says industry association South African Institution of Civil... 

Lhyfe seeking approval for planned 20 MW green hydrogen plant in the UK

Green hydrogen development company Lhyfe is planning to build, if plans are approved, a 20 MW green hydrogen production facility in Wallsend, North Tyneside, in the UK. The proposed facility will... 

IFC, Solcon Capital to provide growth capital funding for South African, Indian deep tech companies

Development finance institution the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and technology investment company Solcon Capital have announced a strategic partnership aimed at identifying and... 

TNPA orders seven new tugboats to enhance operations at its commercial seaports

State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has, as part of its marine fleet renewal programme, ordered seven tugboats in a R1-billion investment aimed at enhancing marine operations at... 

Heineken invests R2.3bn in returnable glass programme in South Africa

Multinational beer producer Heineken has invested R2.3-billion in its returnable bottle programme in South Africa, more than doubling its share of returnable glass beer bottles, as part of its goal... 

Redefine to double renewable power to 80 MW in two to three years

JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) Redefine Properties, which has an installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity of 40.86 MW, is installing an additional 27.2 MW of capacity across its... 

Winter and summer conditions impacted on grain producers – Grain SA

The current conditions in the summer grain regions are having a significant economic impact on grain producers, with the summer grain production regions experiencing major challenges with drought... 

Enel Green Power signs large-scale South Africa commercial renewable energy deal

Renewable energy company Enel Green Power South Africa has signed three long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with industrial gases company Air Liquide South Africa and energy and chemicals... 

Itac finds steel dumping harming Sacu industry, recommends anti-dumping duties against Chinese imports

Trade agency the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) has, following an investigation into alleged dumping of steel products from the People’s Republic of China,... 

Award for biodegradable cellulose gloves inventor

Industry association Women in Mining Kenya founder Grace Akinyi won the Mining Innovation and Research Battlefield 2024 competition with her 'Eco Green Gold’ concept to produce biodegradable gloves... 

SAPVIA CEO appointed to board of Global Solar Council

South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) CEO Dr Rethabile Melamu has been appointed as a board member of the international solar power industry organisation Global Solar Council.... 

Private rail network investment expected to focus on bulk freight at first – Traxtion

Private rail operator Traxtion expects the first investment into private freight train capacity to be announced later this year and to be focused on the bulk freight sectors. This is excellent for... 

Innovative interventions needed to turn around underperforming growth trajectory – Agbiz

Against the backdrop of a profoundly challenging macroeconomic environment where South Africa’s economy is expected to continue underperforming, averaging at 1.6% growth in the next three years,... 

Budget seen as realistic, generally positive in economic context

Business organisations Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa) said the 2024 Budget presented by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on February 21, was... 

Fiscal discipline in Budget, but 5% infrastructure expenditure increase ‘barely positive’ – Minerals Council

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana maintained focus on fiscal discipline and balancing the need to address socioeconomic challenges facing the country, industry organisation Minerals Council South... 

Bidcorp grows revenue, operating profit and continues investments

JSE-listed food services multinational Bidcorp grew its revenue by 24% year-on-year to R113.8-billion for the six months to December 31, 2023. Its revenue increased by 10.8% in constant currency... 

Teraco to build 120 MW solar plant after securing grid capacity allocation

Data centre infrastructure and services company Teraco will start construction of a 120 MW utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in the Free State after securing its first grid capacity... 

Unemployment rate to remain high this year, Nedbank warns

Financial services firm Nedbank expects employment growth to soften this year, before picking up more convincingly next year. “The unemployment rate will, therefore, remain high,” the bank said on... 

100 MW of OCGT power to be available in Gauteng by April – Lesufi

Johannesburg power utility City Power would, on behalf of the Gauteng government, add 100 MW of electricity capacity to the grid to assist the Gauteng province in its goal to reduce the impact of... 

Lesufi confident e-tolls to end by March

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, in his State of the Province Address (SoPA) on February 19, said the provincial government had met with the Finance and Transport Ministers on January 26, and that... 

Forge Academy launches new 4IR training centre in partnership with Sibanye-Stillwater

Technology training company Forge Academy has launched a new Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) training centre and two courses in partnership with mining company Sibanye-Stillwater. The first two... 

Company calls for Finance Minister to announce incentives to drive EV industry growth

Electric vehicle (EV) renewable energy charging infrastructure company Zero Carbon Charge is calling on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to announce a series of fiscal measures to incentivise the... 

Energy Council of South Africa joins World Energy Council

The Energy Council of South Africa has become a member of the United Nations-affiliated global body the World Energy Council (WEC), which will serve to strengthen the standing of the Energy Council... 

Budget must address revenue challenges, infrastructure investments – Mavuso

While there has been a clear effort by the National Treasury to rein in spending and turn the trajectory of government's financial performance around, the revenue side of the equation has not been... 

Tata launches new range of smart trucks in South Africa

Multinational automobile manufacturer Tata Motors, through its authorised distributor Tata Africa, has announced the commercial launch of its range of multipurpose heavy-duty trucks, namely the... 

Domestic expenditure on research and development increasing – HSRC

South Africa's gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) in the 2021/22 fiscal year rose in real terms for the first time in four years, research policy agency the Human... 

UJ launches STEM education initiative for high schools

The University of Johannesburg (UJ), in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), has launched a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiative that will bolster... 

Airlink reinstates Mbombela and Vilanculos flights for peak season

Regional airline Airlink will again provide its peak season “bush & beach” service linking Mbombela’s Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport with Vilanculos, which is Mozambique’s famous coastal... 

Eskort increases Heidelberg factory's capacity by 50%

Pork products producer Eskort has expanded its Heidelberg production capacity by 50%, with the factory extension officially launched in mid-February. The 10 000 m² development in Heidelberg, which... 

DMRE to remodel draft IRP 2023 in light of new information, curtailment plans

Many of the submissions the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has received from the first round of public engagements about the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) in... 

New renewables platform poised to change South Africa’s energy landscape

Renewable energy company Scatec, financial services firm Standard Bank and asset management company Stanlib have established new renewable energy platform Lyra Energy to offer a low-risk, flexible... 

Nampak reports first-quarter improvement in operating profit

JSE-listed packaging company Nampak, in a voluntary trading update on its operational performance for the first quarter of its 2024 financial year, said reduced foreign exchange (forex) losses... 

Solar not to blame for recent Stage 6 loadshedding – SAPVIA

Industry organisation the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has moved to factually dispute Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa's recent statement that...