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DBSA tasked with overseeing Sanral tender reappointment process

By: Donna Slater 30th June 2022 The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has appointed the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) as an independent and lead adjudicating body after Sanral’s board in May declined the contracts previously entered into for five strategic projects. As such, the DBSA will act as... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, Sanral chairperson Themba Mhambi and Sanral acting CEO Lehlohonolo Memeza at a briefing on June 30.

DPWI reiterates commitment to preventing corruption in public built projects

By: Marleny Arnoldi 30th June 2022 The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has signed an anti-corruption pledge alongside independent statutory body the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), and seeks to solicit the commitment of infrastructure and construction sector players to also maintain good integrity and... →

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille

Gautrain ridership recovers to 42% of pre-Covid numbers

By: Irma Venter 30th June 2022 Ridership on the Gautrain has recovered to 23 358 average weekday rail trips, which is 42% of pre-Covid-19 numbers, says Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) communication and marketing senior executive manager Dr Barbara Jensen. Average weekday bus trips are currently at 8 681, which is 46% of... →

Port Elizabeth Car Terminal sets new record amid expansion project

By: Irma Venter 30th June 2022 The Port Elizabeth Car Terminal has moved 5 700 export vehicles in a single vessel. This is the highest volume ever moved through the terminal, including the previous record of 4 500 export units moved in a single vessel, set in September, 2019. →

Vehicles being loaded at the Port Elizabeth car terminal

Vehicles being loaded onto the MV Silver Ray for export

IEA backs nuclear life extensions as Koeberg pushes ahead with 20-year plan

By: Terence Creamer 30th June 2022 The International Energy Agency (IEA) has come out in support of nuclear plant lifetime extension programmes, as Eskom pushes ahead with its plans to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear power station, in the Western Cape. A new IEA report, titled ‘Nuclear Power and Secure Energy Transitions’,... →

The Koeberg nuclear power station

MTN crowd sources generators from small business

By: Natasha Odendaal 30th June 2022 Telecommunications group MTN South Africa (SA) is exploring practical and innovative solutions to the power crisis and seeking out partners with generators as it works to maintain customer connectivity during escalating loadshedding across South Africa. Along with an aggressive rollout of... →

Reunert targets renewable energy market

By: Natasha Odendaal 30th June 2022 JSE-listed industrial group Reunert has set its sights on capturing a critical market in South Africa and beyond: renewable energy. The group, during its investor day showcase on June 28, highlighted its renewable energy strategy execution, which leverages its renewable energy cluster that spans... →

MEIBC parties vote to extend 2021 wage deal to non-parties

By: Creamer Media Reporter 30th June 2022 Parties to the Metals and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) have voted to extend the three-year agreement reached in the metals and engineering sector in October 2021 to non-parties. The collective main agreement concluded for the period July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024, will now be... →

Renergen strikes new gas blower named Gandalf, making progress on plant

By: Schalk Burger 30th June 2022 ASX- and JSE-listed natural gas and helium producer Renergen announced a new gas blower named Gandalf at its Virginia gas project, in South Africa’s Free State province, after gas was intersected at 480 m from surface with a flow rate of about 90 000 cubic feet a day. The target depth is 1 200 m,... →

R3.4bn in UIF TERS monies returned, Phase 2 of Follow the Money project to start in July

By: Schalk Burger 30th June 2022 Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) commissioner Teboho Maruping says R3.4-billion has been voluntarily returned to it by employers that irregularly benefitted from the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS). The first phase of the UIF's Follow the Money project determined that... →

Growthpoint struggles to secure diesel amid power cuts

By: Bloomberg 30th June 2022 Growthpoint Properties, South Africa’s largest real estate investment trust, said its running out of diesel to operate generators at some of its buildings as the country grapples with the worst electricity shortage since 2019. In a letter to customers at one of its sites in Johannesburg the... →

WHO Africa calls for more monkeypox diagnostics as cases rise

By: Bloomberg 30th June 2022 Better African surveillance and laboratory diagnosis to detect monkeypox is needed to stop a silent spread of the virus, both the World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. “If you’re able to control the spread of monkeypox from the source,... →

Rolls-Royce buys innovative German hydrogen PEM cell company

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th June 2022 UK-based global major power and propulsion systems group Rolls-Royce has announced that its Germany-based Power Systems division had acquired a 54% stake in German start-up company Hoeller Electrolyzer (Hoeller). The start-up, founded in 2016, has developed an innovative hydrogen electrolysis... →

A R193bn South African fixed-income manager plans startup fund

By: Bloomberg Updated 16 minutes ago Futuregrowth Asset Management, a South African fixed-income money manager with R193-billion of assets, is raising a fund to invest in startups with a strong developmental impact. The company aims to raise as much as 600 million rand for the Futuregrowth High Growth Development Equity Fund -- a... →

Renewable power costs rise, just not as much as fossil fuels

By: Bloomberg Updated 20 minutes ago It’s costing more these days to build and run solar farms and wind turbines, but they’re still cheaper than power plants that rely on fossil fuels. The costs of renewable plants are rising after years of declines due to soaring prices for materials, shipping and labour, according to a... →

Batteries and decentralised power seen as key way to boost security of supply

By: Cameron Mackay Updated 50 minutes ago Industry body the South African Energy Storage Association chairperson Mikhail Nikomarov emphasises the importance of a decentralised power system and the benefits it can provide, and how this can be supported using battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the local market. “Energy storage... →

Mbalula promises e-toll solution 'for sure' this time

By: News24Wire 30th June 2022 Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula says that a solution to e-tolls will be announced in October, this time "for sure". Mbalula has been promising an announcement on e-tolls since he took office in May 2019 with several deadlines come and gone. Speaking at a press briefing in Pretoria on... →

Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula

Eskom to implement Stage 6 load-shedding on Thursday and Friday

By: Creamer Media Reporter 30th June 2022 Power utility Eskom on Thursday said it would again implement Stage 6 load-shedding, from 14:00 until midnight, as the unlawful strike by employees continues. Stage 4 load-shedding will be implemented from 00:00 to 05:00 on Friday. From 05:00 until 00:00 on Friday, load-shedding will be... →

Eskom: NUM, Numsa deals with divisions, allege 'fake news' as members reject 7% increase

By: News24Wire 30th June 2022 After a week of protests at Eskom operations that no one has claimed responsibility for plunged the country into Stage 6 load-shedding, two unions are now dealing with members who are pushing for an outright rejection of a new wage offer. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, the... →

National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa

Pan African study highlights Mogale Gold's fast payback, low costs, output uplift, ungeared return

By: Martin Creamer 30th June 2022 Fast payback, low costs, big production uplift, long life, high ungeared return and a lot more is contained in the definitive feasibility study (DFS) on the Mogale Gold tailings storage facilities published by gold mining company Pan African on Thursday. The Mogale Gold tailings storage... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Pan African CEO Cobus Loots.

Hyprop reduces LTV to 40%, repositioning portfolio for sustainable growth

By: Schalk Burger 29th June 2022 JSE-listed real estate investment trust Hyprop's current consolidated loan-to-value (LTV) is about 40%, down from a historic 47%, the company said in a pre-close update on June 29. This is owing to several interventions, including the completion of the disposal of the Delta City Mall in... →

Digital transformation of manufacturing expected to improve efficiencies

By: Schalk Burger 29th June 2022 The transformation of manufacturing processes and operations into connected, integrated, automated and smart operations, collectively known as Industry 4.0, will reduce the amount of low skilled positions but also create new skilled positions, assurance and advisory services multinational PwC... →

DPWI undertaking bulk infrastructure installation at new mixed-use development

By: Donna Slater 29th June 2022 The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is building and installing bulk and internal infrastructure at the Salvokop Precinct Development – a mixed-use precinct project, which forms part of the greater Tshwane Inner City Regeneration Programme. Located in close proximity to the... →

An image of sod-turning at the Salvokop Precinct Development

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille (middle-left) is joined by Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Mostoaledi (middle-right) and Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu (second-right) at a sod-turning ceremony of the Salvokop Precinct Development.

Sappi achieves EcoVadis platinum rating for third time

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th June 2022 Pulp and paper manufacturer Sappi has, for the third consecutive year, achieved a platinum rating in the EcoVadis Corporate Social Responsibility assessment for its manufacturing operations in Europe, North America and Southern Africa. This places Sappi in the top 1% of all 90 000 companies... →

Sasol concludes major equity divestment from Rompco pipeline

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th June 2022 JSE-listed petrochemicals group Sasol says South African gas development company iGas and Companhia Mocambiçana de Gasoduto (CMG) have exercised their pre-emptive right to acquire a 30% equity interest in the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Company (Rompco) pipeline. The companies exercised... →

Eskom offers workers 7% increase after illegal protests

By: Bloomberg 29th June 2022 Eskom Holdings is offering workers a 7% wage increase, after the utility lost units during illegal protests that plunged South Africa into the worst blackouts since 2019, according to people familiar with the information. →

Kganyago says half-point South Africa rate hike possible in July

By: Bloomberg 29th June 2022 Traders tempered expectations for the largest South African increase in borrowing costs in almost two decades after the head of the nation’s central bank said it may consider raising interest rates by only half a percentage point in July. Annual inflation that surged above the Reserve Bank’s... →

Amid load-shedding pain, more than 50% of Soweto residents are illegally connected to grid – Eskom

By: News24Wire 29th June 2022 As Soweto residents marched to the office of Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse last week to demand a more sustainable and consistent electricity supply, they did so against the backdrop of an area plagued by illegal connections and residents who can't or won't pay for power. Eskom says 50% of... →

Britain extends steel tariffs, breaching WTO rules

By: Reuters 29th June 2022 Britain on Wednesday extended a package of tariffs and quotas on five steel products by two years to protect local steelmakers, in a move that will breach international trade rules. Trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan told parliament the safeguards would help defend a strategic industry and that... →

Mercedes-Benz SA says pilot solar project a success; plans expansion

By: Irma Venter 29th June 2022 Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has declared its pilot solar energy project a success. MBSA piloted the project in order to evaluate the solar yield for the East London manufacturing plant, in the Eastern Cape. →

Image of the solar panel roof installation at MBSA plant

'It's unfair' to blame me or govt for Eskom crisis - Mantashe on defensive at urgent Cabinet meeting

By: News24Wire 29th June 2022 A Cabinet committee was meeting urgently on Wednesday to deliberate on the crises at Eskom after the power utility plunged the country into stage 6 load-shedding on Tuesday. No Cabinet meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told News24 it... →

Stage 6 load-shedding from 16:00 as maintenance backlog could take 'weeks to clear'

By: News24Wire 29th June 2022 Stage 6 load-shedding will kick in again from 16:00 until 22:00 on Wednesday evening, Eskom said in a statement. This is despite the fact that striking employees have started returning to work. Stage 4 load-shedding will be implemented from 22:00 until midnight, and then reduced to Stage 2 until... →

147 MW Karusa Wind Farm enters commercial operation

By: Creamer Media Reporter 29th June 2022 The 147 MW Karusa wind farm, in the Western Cape, has entered into commercial operation, raising Enel Green Power South Africa’s installed capacity to 1.2 GW across ten wind and solar projects. Located in a remote part of the Laingsburg local municipality, the €200-million wind farm incorporates... →

The 147 MW Karusa wind farm

Opinion: Existing regulatory framework provides good backbone for development of South Africa’s green hydrogen sector

29th June 2022 In this article, Bowmans South Africa’s head of public law and regulatory, Claire Tucker, looks at regulation and incentives for the hydrogen economy. She concludes that, while incentives for developing the sector have not yet been finalised, the existing regulatory framework for these industrial... →

Claire Tucker

South African food inflation rose sharply in May

By: Rebecca Campbell 29th June 2022 Food inflation in South Africa rose sharply in May, in both year-on-year (y-o-y) and month-on-month (m-o-m) terms, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has reported in its latest Food Inflation Brief. In y-o-y terms, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices last month were up 7.6%. In... →

Court ruling pushes out digital migration wrap-up

By: Natasha Odendaal 29th June 2022 The Constitutional Court of South Africa has upheld an appeal to set aside the High Court decision to switch off South Africa’s analogue signal and complete the long-delayed digital migration by June 30. In April, e.tv lodged an urgent appeal to the Constitutional Court against the judgment and... →

South Africa imported record volumes of steel in 2021, new report shows

By: Terence Creamer 29th June 2022 At close to 1.7-million tonnes, South Africa imported record volumes of primary steel in 2021, constituting about one-third of all steel used in the country, a new Steel Report published by the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI) confirms. The report, which is the inaugural edition of... →

Consumer confidence plummets to record low

By: News24Wire 29th June 2022 South Africa’s consumer confidence plunged to its lowest level in over three decades in the second quarter of 2022, barring the sharp drop during the height of Covid-19. The economic ramifications of Russia’s war in Ukraine, soaring petrol prices, escalating inflation, high interest rates and the... →

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