Latest News

R45m satellite venture launched

28th February 2003 South Africa’s Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ben Ngubane, yesterday launched the CSIR-Boeing Company R45-million joint satellite venture – the first Ka Band Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) facility in the world – at the CSIR Satellite Applications Centre,... →

Car firm leads the way in ART rollout

By: Deborah Spicer 28th February 2003 Vehicle manufacturer DaimlerChrysler South Africa will be the first South African firm to provide anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to its workers post-employment. →

Local operation bright spot for troubled ABB

28th February 2003 ABB South Africa, part of the international power and automation technologies group, in the year ended December 31, 2002, increased revenues by 19% to a record level of nearly R2-billion. →

Record year for DCSA

By: Deborah Spicer 28th February 2003 Vehicle manufacturer DaimlerChrysler South Africa is confident that it will win the contract for the new C-Class Mercedes Benz, announced chairperson Christoph K →

R10bn set aside for empowerment

27th February 2003 Government is to set aside R10-billion over the next five years to boost black economic empowerment, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced on Wednesday. →

SA moves to reverse jobless growth trend

27th February 2003 Annual employment growth in the third quarter of 2002 was positive for the first time in six years, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel reported yestrerday, quoting the survey of employment and earnings. →

R4,5bn to be spent on poverty relief over five years

27th February 2003 A total of R4,5-billion was spent on special poverty relief programmes over the past five years, according to the Treasury. →

R105bn for infrastructure: proof in the spending

By: Martin Czernowalow 27th February 2003 South African Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, announced in his Budget speech yesterday that, in line with government’s focus on infrastructure investment, more than R105-billion would be spent on physical assets and capital transfers over the next three years. →

R1bn more for R&D effort

By: Irma Venter 27th February 2003 South Africa’s attempts to built its research and development (R&D) capacity received a boost yesterday as Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced in Parliament that R1-billion would be set aside for supplementing research and technology development. →

Oil explorers announce well extension in E Guinea

27th February 2003 Independent oil company Amerada Hess Corporation said an appraisal well extended an earlier discovery in its prolific holdings offshore Equatorial Guinea. →

Strong domestic market lifts Murray&Roberts

27th February 2003 Construction and engineering group, Murray & Roberts, reported strong results for the six months to 31 December 2002, with operating profit rising to R261-million - double that achieved in the same period last year. →

Distrust blocks trade deal on medicines – Zoellick

27th February 2003 US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said yesterday an atmosphere of distrust has thwarted efforts to reach a deal to guarantee poor countries access to cheap life-saving medicines. →

Budget to boost pre-election spending

27th February 2003 South Africa unveiled an expansionary people's budget yesterday, cutting taxes while boosting spending on children, crime-fighting and Aids. →

SA taxi industry to get a facelift

27th February 2003 Taxi operators, commuters and retailers – formal and informal – stand to benefit from a new partnership between the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and property development company Taxiprop-BR. →

Gauteng to push ahead with R1bn Cosmo housing project

By: Martin Czernowalow 26th February 2003 The Gauteng Provincial Government said it would intensify its housing programme to ensure that Gauteng residents, particularly those living in ‘slums’ or are homeless, receive access to decent housing. →

Changing of the guard for chemicals giant

By: Martin Creamer 26th February 2003 A changing of the guard has taken place at South Africa’s second-largest chemicals company. →

WTO talks seek to narrow farm-trade differences

26th February 2003 World Trade Organisation (WTO) states launched a fresh bid on Monday to narrow wide differences over proposals for farm trade reform, while activists accused the current blueprint of being damaging to third world farmers. →

Nigerian firms allocated 24 marginal oilfields

26th February 2003 Nigeria allocated 24 marginal oilfields to indigenous firms on Monday, under its plan to encourage local expertise in the country's mainstay industry. →

South Africans ready for share in Telkom

26th February 2003 South Africa's biggest attempt to spread share ownership among the black majority closed on Monday, but potential investors in telecoms company Telkom will have to wait a week to find out what they will get. →

SA set to build low-cost prisons

26th February 2003 The South African Department of Correctional Services is set to build low-cost prison facilities for medium-and low-risk prisoner categories in a bid to reduce overcrowding in the country’s prisons. →

Sentech acquires remaining 30% in Infosat

26th February 2003 An offer by Sentech, to acquire the 30% share in InfoSat – held by Ared – was accepted by the Ared shareholders. →

Gauteng aims to boost logistics to support manufacturing exports

By: Martin Czernowalow 25th February 2003 Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said the provincial government would this year continue with the upgrade of access to the Johannesburg International Airport, as well as the establishment of an industrial development zone (IDZ) in the area. →

Lesotho water scheme study contract awarded

25th February 2003 A South African water consultancy, Jeffares Green Parkman Consultants (JGP), together with their British co-shareholder, Parkman, has been awarded the R13-million European Union-funded Lesotho Lowlands Water Feasibility Study. →

Solid rise in tenders – report

25th February 2003 The total number of construction contracts out to tender rose 15,5% in January 2003 compared with January in 2002, a report compiled by Industry Insight says. →

Anglo supports hydraulics, rail empowerment

25th February 2003 Mining giant Anglo American's business development and empowerment initiative, Zimele, has joined forces with Aero Fluid Power to form an empowerment venture Kganya Hydraulics and Pneumatics. →

Bidvest continues to seek acquisitions

25th February 2003 South African diversified industrial firm, Bidvest Group Limited, said yesterday that headline earnings for the first half of its financial year climbed 13,6% on a per share basis. →

Alfa Laval forecasts modest rise in orders for 2003

25th February 2003 Swedish engineering group Alfa Laval posted higher full-year core profits yesterday and said it expected orders received during this year to show a limited increase compared to 2002. →

China closes steel polluters

25th February 2003 One of China's biggest steel makers and Beijing's biggest polluters, Shougang Group, has closed one of its steel plants to help clean the air ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, State media said. →

South Africa and Russia consolidate scientific ties

By: Keith Campbell 24th February 2003 Without doubt, one of the greatest centres of scientific and technological progress and achievement in the past hundred or so years has been Russia. →

Chirac calls for halt of cheap farm exports to Africa

24th February 2003 French President Jacques Chirac on Friday proposed a moratorium on farm subsidies in developed countries that harm African agriculture by making home-grown products more expensive than foreign imports. →

Quality tops engineering body’s agenda

24th February 2003 Quality continues to be placed on top of the agenda of the South African Association of Consulting Engineers (SAACE), with members unanimously having approved an amendment to the code of conduct, which requires member firms to implement and maintain a quality management system within their... →

New Cape wind-farm welcomed by government

24th February 2003 The South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, has welcomed the launch of Eskom's experimental wind energy farm on Friday, aimed at exploring the use of wind energy for bulk electricity generation. →

Doubts expressed over ABB’s pace of recovery

24th February 2003 Struggling European industrial engineer ABB is expected to report a big 2002 loss on Thursday, but all eyes will be on its weak operating margins to see whether the ailing firm is slowly recovering. →

SA forecasts 8,84mt maize crop

24th February 2003 South Africa expects a maize crop of 8,84-million tons, slightly up from the previous year, forecasters said last week, adding that good rain since the survey could help increase the size of the crop. →

Fishing patrol vessel construction programme launched

24th February 2003 The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, has launched the construction of the first of three fishery and environmental protection vessels at a ceremony held in Cape Town on Friday. →

Rural energy development deal signed

24th February 2003 The South African Minister of Minerals and Energy, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has entered into a partnership with the National Development Agency (NDA), through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), in an effort to eradicate poverty through the Integrated Energy Centre Programme and... →

Booming SA tourism to lift Bidvest, Imperial

24th February 2003 South Africa's blooming tourism industry is expected to boost half-year earnings for diversified industrial firms Bidvest Group and Imperial Holdings when they report results next week, analysts said on Friday. →

State aims to slash unemployment to around 12%

21st February 2003 Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin revealed yesterday that South Africa was aiming to reduce unemployment to levels of around 12% or less, which would be similar to those being achieved in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries – the OECD comprises the... →