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Covid-19

New science, tech policy book focuses on transformative policy making

By: Schalk Burger Updated 4 hours ago A new book authored by a host of international scientists and policy advisors sets out the theories, approaches and lessons for how science, technology and innovation (STI) policy making should be developed to ensure the intended benefits of research, development, innovation, progress and... →

Tribunal fines Dis-Chem R1.2m for excessive pricing of face masks

By: Tasneem Bulbulia Updated 4 hours ago The Competition Tribunal has ordered pharmacy group Dis-Chem Pharmacies to pay an administrative penalty of R1.2-million for allegedly charging excessive prices for surgical face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic. The tribunal says Dis-Chem contravened Section 8(1)(a) of the Competition Act in... →

City of Johannesburg invites tech startups to submit Covid-19 mitigation ideas

By: Marleny Arnoldi Updated 4 hours ago The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) Smart City Office has invited startup technology companies to submit proposals for smart city innovative solutions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and innovative ideas on how we can go into the future together. “The lockdown protocols have ignited new... →

Covid death toll on mines rises to 21, positive cases at 3 119

By: Martin Creamer Updated 4 hours ago The Covid-19 death toll in the mining industry has risen to 21, Minerals Council South Africa recorded on its website on Tuesday, with the number of Covid-positive cases totalling 3 119. Platinum mining, which employs the most people, continues to have the largest number of Covid deaths so far at... →

Photo by MINERALS COUNCIL SOUTH AFRICA
Mining industry's Covid statistics.

Chicken producer lends support to food drive in Pretoria

By: Simone Liedtke Updated 5 hours ago A collaboration between the chicken industry and nonprofit organisations (NGOs) WeCan and Atterbury Trust has delivered hope to 222 vulnerable families in Pretoria in the form of food parcels. According to principal Erich Cloete, several of the families whose children attend Westerlig Primary... →

Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission seen as key to navigating South Africa’s ‘just transition’

By: Terence Creamer Updated 5 hours ago A member of South Africa’s National Planning Commission has called for the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission to be established, arguing that such a multi-stakeholder institutional platform is required to implement the just transition vision outlined in the country’s National... →

Gauteng Covid-19 visualisation platform enables monitoring, prediction

By: Schalk Burger Updated 5 hours ago A visual analytics tool allows Gauteng Government users to visualise prediction models provided by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) to see predicted active Covid-19 cases, as well as predicted bed availability over time. This can help determine where to focus resources ahead of when... →

CDC Group backs Helios IV with $100m commitment

By: Tasneem Bulbulia Updated 6 hours ago UK development finance institution CDC Group has committed $100-million to Helios Investors IV, the fourth private equity fund raised by Helios Investment Partners, an Africa-focused private equity firm. The pan-African generalist fund will invest in and build companies across the continent. →

Construction resumes on Atterbury’s Richmond Park development

By: Tasneem Bulbulia Updated 6 hours ago Property investor and developer Atterbury has restarted construction on the Richmond Park mixed-use development in Milnerton, Cape Town. Development work at Richmond Park is proceeding in line with South Africa’s Alert Level 3 lockdown, which allows for construction projects. →

Eskom chair appointed to expert panel for vaccine clinical trials

By: Marleny Arnoldi Updated 7 hours ago State-owned power utility Eskom has announced that its interim chairperson Professor Malegapuru Makgoba has been appointed to serve on a 12-member expert panel of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board for the first Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials in the US. Makgoba also serves as South Africa’s... →

Eskom to seek authorisation to proceed with repurposing of four coal stations

By: Terence Creamer Updated 7 hours ago State-owned electricity producer Eskom aims, within the coming months, to seek authorisation from its board and government to initiate a formal bidding process for the repurposing and repowering of the Camden, Komati, Grootvlei and Hendrina coal-fired power stations using lower-carbon generation... →

RBR progressing with training operations in Mozambique

By: Donna Slater 7th July 2020 Resource, construction and oil and gas service provider RBR Group, which has operations in Mozambique, reports that its Palma training, labour and general corporate administration operations are progressing, while its Wentworth training and operations base’s refurbishment is reaching... →

South African banks approve more than R30.6bn in Covid-19 relief

By: African News Agency 7th July 2020 Local banks have so far approved more than R30.6-billion in relief to individuals and businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown imposed in response, the Banking Association South Africa said on Tuesday. In addition, over R10.6-billion has been extended to distressed... →

SA receives additional ventilators from US

By: Sane Dhlamini 7th July 2020 The US government through the US Agency for International Development, has delivered a second shipment of 100 ventilators to South Africa to assist with its national response to the coronavirus pandemic. USAID will also train up to 10 000 critical care nurses and physicians and support supply... →

BER says some criticism of Treasury is misplaced

By: Simone Liedtke 6th July 2020 The Bureau for Economic Research (BER) says a heated debate is raging about the fiscal consolidation outlined in the supplementary budget tabled by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni on June 24. "The debate ranges from vociferous critique against the planned spending cuts from 2021 to scepticism from... →

UFS expanding virtual student support services

By: Schalk Burger 6th July 2020 The University of the Free State (UFS) on July 6 announced that it was adding tutoring and mentoring services to its student support initiatives. These would be funded by the youth education nonprofit organisation Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The projects the university will implement are... →

Third-quarter ferrochrome benchmark price rolls over at $1.14/lb

By: Martin Creamer 6th July 2020 The European benchmark ferrochrome price for the third quarter of 2020 has been settled at $1.14/lb, a rollover from the second quarter of 2020, JSE-listed Merafe Resources advised shareholders on Monday. This price remains an increase of 12.9% on the first-quarter price of $1.01/lb. →

Photo by Creamer Media
Lion ferrochrome.

Insolvent global Internet satellite communications company bought by UK/India partnership

By: Rebecca Campbell 6th July 2020 UK-domiciled but US-based global Internet satellite communications company OneWeb, which became insolvent because of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, has been bought by an international public-private partnership (PPP). OneWeb’s aim is to establish a constellation of, at first, 650... →

Photo by OneWeb
An artist’s impression of a OneWeb satellite in orbit.

Ramaphosa calls for caution around elderly during Covid-19

By: Sane Dhlamini 6th July 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for vigilance and cautiousness as the country prepares to reach its peak of Coronavirus infections, and has placed emphasis on ensuring that the elderly are not exposed to the virus. In his weekly column to the nation Ramaphosa said as part of the national... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Roles of govt, business in restarting economy need clearer definition, says BLSA

By: Donna Slater 6th July 2020 In her weekly newsletter, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso says a clearer perspective of the roles and responsibilities of business and government needs to be established as the country grapples with restarting its economy. She notes that, on one level, there are common... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso

Numsa, Sacca to take legal action to prevent SAA liquidation; call for Mboweni to be fired

By: African News Agency 5th July 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) intend to take legal action to prevent the liquidation of South African Airways (SAA), and have urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. Numsa and Sacca... →

Nxesi welcomes arrest of five people who allegedly defrauded UIF of R5.7m in Covid-19 relief funds

By: African News Agency 5th July 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has welcomed the arrest this weekend of five suspects accused of being part of "the enterprise that scammed R5.7 million" from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) meant to provide relief for workers during the coronavirus (Covid-10) lockdown. The five... →

'You are ready and getting readier' – Ramaphosa is pleased with Mpumalanga's Covid-19 plans

By: News24Wire 3rd July 2020 Conducting an oversight visit in Mpumalanga on Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was pleased with the plans the province has put in place to deal with Covid-19, especially as infections are expected to rise. As of 2 July, Mpumalanga had 1 478 confirmed cases of Covid-19, one of the... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa says coronavirus forums will be rolled out countrywide

By: Yvonne Silaule 3rd July 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 3 said coronavirus forums would be rolled out nationwide and commended the Mpumalanga province for establishing the first such forums. “I commend the Mpumalanga province for establishing coronavirus forums. It is a new approach and it is fantastic coming from the... →

Mpumalanga develops ‘pillared strategy’ to curb Covid-19 spread

By: Yvonne Silaule 3rd July 2020 With Mpumalanga coronavirus infections projected to peak in the latter part of July, the province has developed a pillared strategy to alleviate the spread of the virus. The number of Covid-19 infections in the province is currently at 1 478. Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tshipane said the... →

Alstom launches new Mastria mobility orchestration solution

By: Schalk Burger 3rd July 2020 Transport and rail multinational Alstom has launched a new version of multimodal supervision and mobility orchestration solution Mastria, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide operators and transport authorities with enhanced passenger flow management tools. The solution allows... →

ECSA suspends four Satellite Centres in light of Covid-19

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd July 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged and shifted the premise upon which the Engineering Council of South Africa’s (ECSA’s) Satellite Centres were introduced, leading to the suspension these four centres, says ECSA acting strategic services executive Millicent Kabwe. In email correspondence to... →

Sasol narrows immediate asset-disposal focus to ‘top ten’ list

By: Terence Creamer 3rd July 2020 Chemicals and energy group Sasol has developed a list of ten major assets that will be prioritised for sale in the coming weeks and months as it moves to streamline the business into what is being termed ‘Sasol 2.0’, while also raising proceeds to help it reduce a $9.5-billion debt burden. In... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Sasol CFO Paul Victor

Groceries, household supplies and utility bills top international list of higher cost items

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd July 2020 The majority of people across 26 surveyed countries say the overall cost of food, goods and services have increased for them and their families since the Covid-19 pandemic started, according to a global survey by market research company Ipsos. Three in five people (60%) in an online poll of... →

Capacity development, training continues with virtual meetings

By: Schalk Burger 3rd July 2020 Professional development nonprofit organisation The South Africa Road Federation (SARF) is delivering ten accredited courses using Microsoft Teams during July and August, with planning for courses later in the year also under way, SARF operations director Basil Jonsson says. South Africa’s road... →

Tribunal confirms two more consent agreements for excessive pricing

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 3rd July 2020 The Competition Tribunal has confirmed two further consent agreements relating to Covid-19 excessive pricing complaints. This brings the total number of consent agreements, confirmed as orders of the tribunal since April to 20. →

Greater drone deployability in Africa requires regulatory allowances, supply chain integration

By: Donna Slater 3rd July 2020 Drones are being successfully deployed to support medical and humanitarian projects across Africa, but for a greater, more sustainable impact, they will need to be fully integrated into supply chains within an enabling regulatory environment, according to panellists who spoke during a webinar on... →

Mapasa says BRL business rescue proceeding well despite some challenges

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd July 2020 Progress is being made with the implementation of the business rescue plan of embattled construction company Basil Read Limited (BRL), a subsidiary of Basil Read Holdings Limited (BRHL), “despite challenges”, Basil Read CEO Khathutshelo (K2) Mapasa tells Engineering News.. BRL operates in the... →

CEO Khathutshelo (K2) Mapasa

Motus to cull 40% of rental fleet as Covid-19 takes toll

By: Irma Venter 3rd July 2020 Automotive group Motus will reduce its vehicle rental fleet by 40% and close 20 sites within its rental business, says CEO Osman Arbee. Motus operates the Europcar and Tempest vehicle hire brands, operating through 100 car rental outlets in South Africa and 17 outlets in neighbouring countries. →

Pandemic severely impacting on tourism, but there are positives, says WHO

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 2nd July 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on tourism and travel in Africa; however, there are opportunities for the tourism sector in the medium term, and potential for recovery as borders start reopening, speakers said during a World Health Organisation- (WHO-) hosted webinar on July 2. WHO... →

Covid kills 13 mineworkers, no foreigners back at work

By: Martin Creamer 2nd July 2020 Thirteen mineworkers have now succumbed to the coronavirus, Minerals Council South Africa public affairs and transformation senior executive Tebello Chabana said on Thursday. Of the 13 who have died, seven were employed in platinum mining in North West province, which has the most cases at 1 413... →

Minerals Council South Africa Covid update covered by Mining Weekly’s Martin Creamer. Video: Darlene Creamer.

Proudly SA launches new ‘buy local’ campaign

By: Simone Liedtke 2nd July 2020 Proudly South African (SA) this week launched its new “Buy Local” consumer education campaign that will go live on various platforms, including television, on July 3. The campaign calls on all South African citizens to contribute to putting the local economy and South Africans back to work by... →

Company Article

Metso Outotec starts operations - partner for positive change for tomorrow’s aggregates, minerals, metals and recycling industries

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Covid-19 SA Dashboard

By: Media Hack Collective

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