Engineering News | Real-Economy News

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Email me free daily news

TNPA embarks on ambitious R9.1bn seven-year infrastructure development programme

By: Marleny Arnoldi 24th June 2022 Further to Transnet National Port Authority’s (TNPA’s) “reimagined” operational model, launched in November last year, and increased efficiency initiatives that are under way, the State-owned utility has announced it will spend R9.1-billion over the next seven years on capital projects in the... →

Port of Ngqura

Stage 4 load-shedding extended into weekend as illegal strike disrupts coal plants

By: Terence Creamer 24th June 2022 Eskom has extended Stage 4 load-shedding – initially implemented at 11:00 on Friday June 24, as an illegal strike led to the loss of more coal production – until Sunday and the utility has also refrained from providing a system prognosis for the coming week. COO Jan Oberholzer said the decision... →

Country Bird launches expanded Tigane processing plant

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th June 2022 Southern African agricultural business Country Bird Holdings’ (CBH’s) newly expanded Supreme Chicken Tigane chicken production facility in Hartebeesfontein, North West, was officially launched on June 23, the culmination of over five years of planning and the realisation of R180-million worth of... →

An image showing the new air chiller at the Tigane plant

Inside the new air chiller

Five provinces fully migrated to digital broadcasting

By: Natasha Odendaal 24th June 2022 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) will, by July 1, have access to the high demand spectrum from the five provinces that have fully migrated from analogue to digital broadcasting. Updating media on Friday, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Khumbudzo... →

Western Cape govt, DTIC driving green hydrogen research in Vredendal

By: Marleny Arnoldi 24th June 2022 The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Western Cape provincial government have committed to putting support mechanisms in place to help resource a green energy hydrogen project in Vredendal. As a starting point, senior government officials already visited the Keren... →

Mutually respectful, beneficial foreign investments key – Bonakele

By: Donna Slater 24th June 2022 South Africa needs “very predictable, clear regulatory systems” as it seeks mutually respectful and mutually beneficial foreign investment, South African Competition Commission Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele said at the Southern Africa France Business Forum on June 22. Hosted by Business... →

Reform, State capability, corruption must be addressed before South Africa can progress – Mavuso

By: Donna Slater 24th June 2022 Three critical issues stand in the way of South Africa moving forward in terms of developing and attracting investment, Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso said at the Southern Africa France Business Forum on June 22. Hosted by Business France, French Foreign Trade Advisors and the... →

An image of Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso

Is it possible to convert old coal mines into successful farms?

By: Darren Parker 24th June 2022 The rehabilitation of South Africa’s closed coal mines has long been a source of contention among miners, environmental activists and affected communities. Numerous old mines were not rehabilitated at all, while many others were rehabilitated to within only the bare minimum requirements of the... →

GBCSA piloting industrial property rating tool development, calls for data from industry

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2022 Sustainable building industry organisation the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has developed a customised pilot version of its Existing Building Performance (EBP) Tool to enable industrial properties to rate their buildings' performance according its Green Star Certification and... →

Sephaku reports higher profit, warns of industry headwinds

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2022 JSE-listed building and construction materials company Sephaku Holdings said its subsidiaries Métier and SepCem increased their net profit by double digits during the group’s financial year to March 31, mainly owing to improved revenues and lower finance expenses, Sephaku CEO Neil... →

SA-German-Swiss Transparency, Integrity and Accountability Programme launched

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2022 The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the German and Swiss Embassies have launched the South African – German – Swiss Cooperation on the Transparency, Integrity and Accountability Programme (TIP), which will take a multi-sectoral approach to the prevention of corruption... →

Firms agree to competition penalty for unintentionally contravening the Competition Act

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2022 The Competition Tribunal has confirmed, as an order, a consent agreement wherein four firms admit that they unintentionally contravened the Competition Act, specifically that parties to a large merger may not implement that merger until it has been approved, with or without conditions, by the... →

Kansai Plascon lowers operating costs following turnaround, sustainability project

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2022 Paint and coatings manufacturer Kansai Plascon has achieved a 100% improvement in operating costs over 36 months owing to its turnaround plan and sustainability agenda. “We lacked differentiation, had negative cash flow and strategic partnerships were becoming strained. We had high inventory... →

Attacq Foundation hosts bursary session for students

By: Darren Parker 24th June 2022 Corporate social investment initiative the Attacq Foundation held its bursary session for students studying property-related and engineering courses at partner institutions on June 24. The students’ studies are facilitated and managed collectively by the South African Property Owners Association... →

Attacq social executive Janine Palmer

IoT can help drive fundamental ESG solutions, says council

By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2022 Environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics can be effectively used to measure and define the impact an organisation has, the trust it engenders and the value it takes beyond the shareholder and into the ecosystem. Solutions powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) can fundamentally drive... →

Renewed focus on South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership

24th June 2022 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the fresh attention this week on the $8.5-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) between South Africa and various developed countries; the importance of South Africa finalising a JET-P investment... →

Renewed focus on South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership

High-purity manganese facing phenomenal demand growth, PDAC hears

By: Martin Creamer 24th June 2022 The commitment of at least six major motor companies to manganese-based batteries for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is elevating the demand outlook for high-purity manganese phenomenally, a Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference has been told. CPM Group lead manganese... →

CPM Group lead manganese analyst Andrew Zemek.

Nelson Mandela Bay Day Zero: Supply from Churchill Dam to be reduced in effort to avoid crisis

By: News24Wire 24th June 2022 The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality will be opening communal taps on Saturday in a bid to prevent one of its dams from running dry by Tuesday. The municipality said it would reduce consumption from Churchill Dam on Sunday, from 60 megalitres daily, to 25 megalitres. At the current consumption... →

Load-shedding to hit stage 4 all weekend after wage talks deadlock – Eskom

By: News24Wire 24th June 2022 Eskom will implement stage 4 load-shedding from 11am on Friday until midnight, and again on Saturday and Sunday from 5am until midnight, amid ongoing unprotected labour action, it said in a statement on Friday. "It is necessary to bolster emergency generation reserves to react to unforeseen... →

Western Cape starts construction on Cape Agulhas housing project

By: Yvonne Silaule 24th June 2022 Western Cape Infrastructure Minister Tertuis Simmers this week turned the sod to mark the first phase of construction of the Deferred Ownership Project, in Cape Agulhas. The R55-million project is aimed at making affordable homes available for first time home buyers residing in the Bredasdorp and... →

Informal settlements near North West mining areas to be upgraded

By: Yvonne Silaule 24th June 2022 Informal settlements in the mining areas around the Bojanala and Dr Kenneth Kaunda districts, in the North West, will soon be upgraded as the provincial Department of Human Settlements sets out to fast-track upgrades. The expanding informal settlements are close to mining areas and mainly house... →

SA's water crisis is directly linked to our dysfunctional municipalities – Mavuso

By: News24Wire 24th June 2022 To achieve water security, National Treasury said last year that SA needs to close an estimated capital funding gap of about R33-billion a year for the next ten years - a frightening prospect in light of Nelson Mandela Bay's impending day zero, says Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe... →

An image of water being poured in a glass

If power station protests persist, there’ll be much more load-shedding, Eskom warns

By: News24Wire 24th June 2022 Power utility Eskom warned on Friday morning that if protests at nine of its power stations and facilities continue, it increases the risk of higher stages of load-shedding. SA is currently experiencing Stage 2 load-shedding every day up to midnight until Sunday. →

Magazine round up | 24 June 2022

24th June 2022 A video round up of this week’s magazine, highlighting our cover story, features and Business Leader. →

Magazine round up | 24 June 2022

Eskom confirms 18 renewable energy bid winners for land leases in Mpumalanga

By: Darren Parker 23rd June 2022 State-owned utility Eskom has confirmed to Engineering News on June 23 that 18 companies have been selected from the bids received for the lease of Eskom-owned land in Mpumalanga, which has been earmarked for independently developed renewable energy generation projects. At this stage, no... →

Tourism, travel industries welcome repeal of remaining Covid-19 restrictions

By: Schalk Burger 23rd June 2022 A range of tourism and travel organisations and businesses have welcomed the lifting of the last Covid-19 restrictions, including those that had been in place at ports of entry and those restricting the size of gatherings. Association Of Southern African Travel Agents CEO Otto de Vries said the... →

Southern Africa Tourism Services Association CEO David Frost

US wants South Africa’s just transition investment plan aligned with lower end of decarbonisation pledge

By: Terence Creamer 23rd June 2022 South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership Investment Plan, or JETP-IP, should be geared towards projects that will support the country in meeting the lower end of its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), a senior US Treasury official has indicated. Ahead of the 2021 COP26 climate... →

Solar panels at the Komati power station, where some initial JETP projects could be located

South Africa sued over sale of national airline in $3 deal

By: Bloomberg 23rd June 2022 South Africa’s government and national airline are being sued by a little-known investment firm, which wants the sale of a majority stake in the carrier scrapped and re-run due to a lack of transparency. This year’s acquisition of 51% of South African Airways by the Takatso Consortium -- made up... →

Automotive experts discuss where EV transition leaves ICE manufacturing locally

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd June 2022 Nearly every value-add manufacturing sector in South Africa has been hollowed out by domestic constraints and brutal competition from global players, except for the automotive and components manufacturing sector, consultancy Deloitte emerging markets MD and Deloitte Africa automotive industry... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Naacam CEO Renai Moothilal

Deeming could bring regulatory certainty to much-needed minerals investment – NSDV

By: Martin Creamer 23rd June 2022 The detraction of the South African investment market is the uncertainty around approval timelines and the implementation of a deeming provision could change all that by treating applications as approved after the passing of a set period of time. Many want to invest in exploration and mining... →

NSDV Advisory Head Mark Gilbert interviewed by Mining Weekly’s Martin Creamer. Video: Darlene Creamer.

Numsa to picket the Japanese embassy on future of Nissan plant; Nissan denies closure rumours

By: Irma Venter 23rd June 2022 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says it will be picketing the Japanese Embassy in Pretoria on Friday. The union intends to hand over a memorandum of demands regarding a “number of grievances” against Nissan’s management in South Africa. →

Image of Navara production at the Rosslyn plant

Legislation that conflicts with transformation must be revisited – Deputy Labour Minister

By: Thabi Madiba 23rd June 2022 Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi said on Thursday that South Africans need to work hard to strengthen the country’s economy while transforming the labour system. Moloi was speaking during the launch of the Employment Equity Instruments, the New Code of Good Practice on the... →

Driver assistance system wins gold at Automechanika Innovation Awards

By: Irma Venter 23rd June 2022 SynapCAM has clinched the top spot in the Automechanika Johannesburg 2022 Innovation Awards. The product was designed and developed in the US and South Africa by Synap, and launched on the local market at the Automechanika automotive aftermarket and related industries show held in Johannesburg in... →

Afrimat Construction Index shows first quarter decline

By: Irma Venter 23rd June 2022 Although the Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) has marginally outperformed South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate during the first quarter of 2022 on a year-on-year basis, the index has returned to a trend of declining between each year’s fourth quarter and the first quarter of... →

Cabinet encourages more S Africans to vaccinate as it ends mask mandate

By: Sane Dhlamini 23rd June 2022 Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said on Thursday that while Cabinet welcomed a significant drop in Covid-19 cases in the country, it is urging more South Africans to vaccinate against the virus, as South Africa joins the many countries that have done away with mask-wearing. Joining... →

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla

BLSA supports prosecution of State capture actors, commits to assisting NPA

By: Schalk Burger 23rd June 2022 Business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) says it fully supports the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, that criminal charges be filed against several people who played various roles... →

Sasol signs agreement with aircraft company to develop sustainable aviation fuels

By: Rebecca Campbell 23rd June 2022 South African chemicals and energy company Sasol signed, on Wednesday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with German aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft, on developing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology. The MoU is specifically focused on the development of technologies for green... →

Greater support for, inclusion of women in sciences will accelerate development

By: Schalk Burger 23rd June 2022 Encouraging more women to participate in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation (STEMI) will not only help to reduce underrepresentation in these industries, but will also help to grow the number of people investigating, understanding and solving the challenges societies... →

more

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options