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Legislative Environment News

Tribunal confirms another excessive pricing consent agreement

By: Donna Slater 22nd May 2020 The Competition Tribunal has approved a consent agreement relating to the alleged excessive pricing of face masks in the context of Covid-19, with two related companies to jointly pay an administrative penalty of R1.5-million.  The companies, Sicuro Safety and Hennox Supplies, have also... →

Construction sector survival requires fresh approach

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 The survival of the construction industry will depend on the willingness and ability of individuals and organisations to adapt to a new way of working, as well government’s commitment to address the threats highlighted by the sector, University of Pretoria (UP) Graduate School of Technology... →

DECISIVE ACTION For the construction industry to thrive, opportunism will need to be dealt with immediately and decisively

Council accelerates online services amid lockdown

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has forced home building industry regulator the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) to review its business operations by fast-tracking its online service offering following the national lockdown. →

OTSILE MASENG Covid-19 and subsequent economic downgrades by rating agencies will result in a sharp decline in domestic demand for residential properties

Pandemic, economic challenges to shape industry direction

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 Industry trends are likely to take a new direction because of the global Covid-19 pandemic and a severely constrained local economy, says steel and value-added steel products merchandiser and distributor Macsteel. →

MIKE BENFIELD The construction and steel sectors – including the larger manufacturing industry – are “hand-in-glove”

Built-environment growth a focus for regulator

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) has its sights set on accelerating growth in and strengthening its partnerships with the construction sector. →

TOWING THE LINE The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications’ National Building Regulations division assists with the upkeep of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act

Pandemic heightens existing construction sector woes

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 Challenges in the construction sector will continue to prevail if construction sites remain closed, owing to South Africa’s national lockdown, says Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) president Christelle Bown. →

CHRISTELLE BOWN It is important to address the difficulties caused by the onerous conditions prescribed when tendering for professional services

More to concrete parking lots than meets the eye

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 Concrete offers several major advantages when building parking areas, says industry body The Concrete Institute (TCI) MD Bryan Perrie. →

DIG A LITTLE DEEPER The environmental aspects of concrete parking lots, should not be overlooked

System gaining traction in building conversion projects

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 Alternative building technology solutions provider SanteQ Liteweight Building Technology’s bespoke Plaswall building technology provides for simple and rapid installation using unsophisticated skills. →

BACK TO THE WALL SanteQ's walling systems use between 80% and 90% recycled and waste materials

Sector increasingly adopting digitalisation

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 Technology provider ABB Southern Africa believes that digitalisation can address the production challenges of the sugar industry. →

JOHN MANUELL The full potential of sugar production processes lies in leveraging available data to drive the seamless interoperability among people, assets and production processes

Labour Court came to wrong conclusion in SAA business rescue case, says law firm

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 20th May 2020 On May 8, the Labour Court handed down what could be considered a seminal judgment on the issue of retrenchment in the context of business rescue proceedings, says law firm Werksmans Attorneys. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the South African Cabin Crew Association brought... →

Tribunal approves four more consent agreements

By: Donna Slater 15th May 2020 The Competition Tribunal has confirmed four more consent agreements relating to Covid-19 excessive pricing complaints, that were concluded between the Competition Commission and various companies. Consent agreements offer parties to alleged anti-competitive conduct the opportunity to settle the... →

Covid-19 to result in contraction, increased instability and regionalism

By: Nadine James 15th May 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to result in increased geopolitical instability, recessions and a shift away from globalisation, speakers said during a May 14 webinar, titled 'Covid-19: Political And Geopolitical Risks', hosted by risk and industry research company Fitch Solutions. The speakers... →

WHO urges African countries to prioritise malnutrition, food scarcity issues

By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th May 2020 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern about the potential impact of Covid-19 on food security, which will exacerbate the already significant burden of malnutrition in Africa. WHO Africa regional director Dr Matshidiso Moeti says Covid-19 is unfolding in Africa against a... →

As firms reopen and pandemic lingers, health and safety obligations rise

By: Nadine James 15th May 2020 By now, most people are aware of measures prescribed by the World Health Organisation to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, given the phased reopening of the South African economy, it is prudent to consider the health and safety protections afforded employees through existing... →

Local procurement lags in public, private sectors

By: Mamaili Mamaila 15th May 2020 A prevailing issue facing the valves sector is the “poor attitude” to local procurement in the public and private sectors, says valves manufacturer RGR Technologies commercial director Ross Hunter. →

MAPPING THE WAY FORWARD RGR Technologies looks forward to slowly introducing three-dimensional printing into its processes to assist with the manufacture of valve parts

Company supports essential service providers amid lockdown

By: Mamaili Mamaila 15th May 2020 Industrial equipment supplier BMG encourages companies operating during South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown and beyond not to neglect the condition monitoring of process valves. →

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY The Desponia butterfly valves, manufactured in Spain, are available with different lining materials for reliability and extended service life in diverse sectors

Pandemic prompts supplier’s tech aspirations

By: Mamaili Mamaila 15th May 2020 Industrial valves supplier Process and Allied Contracting Equipment (Pace Valves) plans to embrace the technological developments that will be prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa to sustain its supply growth. →

IN TOUCH WITH THE TRENDS Pace Valves is no stranger to developments in valve automation

Valves maintenance still a challenge

By: Mamaili Mamaila 15th May 2020 Although demand for valves has increased over the past five years, maintenance costs, efficiency and valve service life are some of the challenges that companies face yearly, says coating technology specialist Thermaspray’s laser cladding manager Jordaan Lourens. →

IRREPLACEABLE SOLUTIONS The initial coating of new valves as well as their efficient repair results in fewer valve replacements

Policy, people-centred approaches vital to energy development in a post-Covid-19 world

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th May 2020 Energy experts during a PowerGen Africa hosted webinar on May 12 agreed that Covid-19 presents an opportunity for policy renewal and structural reforms in the energy sector. The webinar forms part of a virtual webinar series leading up to the African Utility Week event, which will be hosted... →

Barloworld, Tongaat to evaluate starch sale terms amid Covid-19 impacts

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th May 2020 JSE-listed industrial group Barloworld believes Covid-19-related impacts on the earnings of JSE-listed sugar manufacturer Tongaat Hulett’s starch business has resulted in a material adverse change (MAC) to the terms of a sale and purchase agreement between the companies. Barloworld in February... →

Dealing with Covid-19 impact calls for moral resilience

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 11th May 2020 With the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, South Africans and all the different sectors of the country are faced with moral dilemmas, and the best way to manage this is to turn to moral resilience. This was indicated by speakers during a webinar held by independent public institute, the... →

Mistra celebrates 10 years

By: Sane Dhlamini 11th May 2020 The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra) has hit ten years of independence and transdisciplinary research. Since May 2010, after much consultation, Mistra was founded by a group of researchers, academics, policymakers and former policy practitioners which created a platform to... →

Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection executive director, Joel Netshitenzhe

Environmental studies, discourse vital to decommissioning

By: Cameron Mackay 8th May 2020 With the decommissioning of South Africa’s two nuclear facilities officially planned for this decade, consulting engineers WSP hydrology senior associate Karen King states that, with all the environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to be conducted, interested and affected party (IAP) engagement... →

KAREN KING As with all EIAs undertaken locally, interested and affected party engagement will be essential. WSP is well-placed to undertake all of these studies

WHO warns of prolonged Covid-19 outbreak in Africa

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th May 2020 A study by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) regional office for Africa finds that between 83 000 and 190 000 people could potentially die of Covid-19 this year, if containment measures fail. This while between 29-million and 44-million people could get infected in the first year of the... →

Enviro, digital factors increasingly influencing African tax regimes

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th May 2020 Consultancy PwC says Africa, with its 54 countries, is a complex and challenging environment to administer in terms of tax legislation and rules. Businesses entering Africa’s markets are often faced with the difficulty of having to adapt to the various countries’ tax laws. →

Tribunal dismisses price fixing, tender collusion case against Bloemfontein companies

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 4th May 2020 The Competition Tribunal has dismissed a case of alleged price fixing and collusive tendering against five Bloemfontein-based companies accused of colluding on a Free State Treasury tender to supply and deliver office stationery to provincial government departments in 2014. Catha Silkscreen... →

Energy uncertainty an opportunity for private sector

By: Theresa Bhowan 1st May 2020 Owing to power generation and energy supply uncertainty in South Africa, renewable-energy solutions provider Economic Development Solutions (EDS) believes that this creates opportunities for private-sector participation in energy supply. →

Photo by Bloomberg
RENEWED AND ENERGISED There are obstacles hampering the growth of the renewable-energy sector

Incentives needed to aid local energy tech

By: Mamaili Mamaila 1st May 2020 While there is an increased focus on local content across several South African industries, government could do more in terms of incentivising local manufacturing, says energy solutions company i-G3n co-founder and director Sydney Phakathi. →

NO FUSS WHATSOEVER i-G3n offers standard solutions that it can also tailor to suit the specific needs of every client

Government provides detail on economic measures in response to Covid-19

By: Simone Liedtke 30th April 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a severe global economic crisis, the extent and duration of which is still uncertain. With South Africa’s economic models not being well-suited to assess a global pandemic, and with conditions changing rapidly, the South African government has lamented that the... →

Tips webinar hopes that Phase 3 holds more promise for economic recovery

By: Marleny Arnoldi 30th April 2020 Research institute Trade and Industry Policy Strategies (Tips) says the main topic of discussion at the moment in South Africa is how medical issues are balanced with economic issues, considering the Covid-19 pandemic and the Phase 4 Level the country is entering. Among the flaws that Tips... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Trade and Industry Policy Strategies chairperson Saul Levin

Workplaces must prepare for 'new normal' says Lawtons

By: Marleny Arnoldi 28th April 2020 Come May 4, companies will have to adopt an array of policies and measures to protect employees returning to work from contracting or spreading Covid-19. Law firm Lawtons Africa on April 28 unpacked some of the new norms that employers and employees would have to get used to for the remainder... →

Specialist firms boasts 90% success rate against SA competitors

By: Darren Parker 24th April 2020 Specialist labour and construction law firm Allardyce & Partners prides itself of a success rate exceeding 90% in matters, many of which are against some of the largest competitors in the South African legal fraternity. The law firm was established by Allardyce & Partners founding partner Leigh... →

Sacci commends phased economy reopening approach

By: Marleny Arnoldi 24th April 2020 The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) has welcomed government's approach in finding a balance between a continuous mitigation against the Covid-19 pandemic, and the need to look at and consider a phased, risk-adjusted programme of re-entry into the economy. Sacci CEO Alan... →

LPG could plug backup energy gap

By: Cameron Mackay 24th April 2020 Research conducted by strategy agency Birguid shows that liquified petroleum gas (LPG) suppliers can approach State-owned power utility Eskom, as well as other independent power producers, to offer LPG supply as a backup energy source instead of diesel or petrol. Birguid researcher Patience... →

GAS RISING LPG imports are expected to increase, as current suppliers will not be able to cope with the expected increase in industrial and domestic end-user demand

LNG market sees increased clean energy demand

24th April 2020 Global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) increased by 12.5% to 359-million tonnes last year, which is a significant increase that bolsters LNG’s growing role in the transition to a lower carbon energy system. This is according to a LNG outlook report that was published by natural gas and... →

AN EVOLVING MARKET New spot-trading mechanisms and a wider variety of indices used for long-term contracts point towards LNG becoming an increasingly flexible commodity

Opportune time for LPG growth

By: Cameron Mackay 24th April 2020 The local liquified petroleum gas (LPG) market is an underdeveloped industry and has significant growth potential, largely owing to its use as an energy source, says the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Safety Association of South Africa acting MD Nirvan Brijlal. Moreover, he highlights the... →

POTENTIAL UNLOCKED LPG’s versatility in domestic, commercial and industrial applications, and impending supply capacity improvements, are significant factors signalling the potential for growth for the industry

Association improves technicians training

By: Cameron Mackay 24th April 2020 The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Safety Association of South Africa has been investing in improving its LPG technicians’ installation training through collaboration with the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) as one of its mandates for the LPG sector. “This will enable us to ensure that... →

NIRVAN BRIJLAL The industry is well regulated, with many safety standards in place

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