https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Follow @EngNewsZA

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Legislative Environment News

African automotive industrialisation requires political will, ecosystem

By: Schalk Burger 27th March 2020 Increasing the motorisation rate in Africa from about 42 vehicles per 1000 people to at least the world average of 180 vehicles per 1000 people provide an opportunity for industrialisation, economic growth, balance of payments and job creation in Africa, says industry body African Association of... →

Covid-19 forces SAA to cut services

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th March 2020 State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA), which was undergoing business rescue, has scaled down its capacity because of the fall in air passenger demand. This is the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has severely affected the global air transport industry. Under these... →

Company transforming amid difficulties

By: Mamaili Mamaila 27th March 2020 JSE-listed sugar producer Tongaat Hulett is striving to reconstruct its business to be innovative, resilient and cost effective. →

TRANSFORMATION IN SIGHT The three main shareholders in Uzinzo hold 65%

Mill closures, continued market decline a concern for growers

By: Mamaili Mamaila 27th March 2020 With two sugar mills closing down and being mothballed for the 2020/21 season, growers are concerned that the remaining 12 mills might potentially struggle to successfully complete this season’s harvest, says the South African Canegrowers’ Association (SA Canegrowers). →

THE NUMBERS GAME The South African cane-growing sector comprises 21 500 cane growers – of which 20 200 are small-scale growers, producing about 20% of the 19-million tons of cane a year

Lack of port development a concern

By: Tracy Hancock 27th March 2020 While there is some movement in the development of South Africa’s port infrastructure by the private sector, the overall stagnation of its development is concerning, law firm Bowmans ports, transport and logistics head Andrew Pike tells Engineering News. He says this lack of activity may largely... →

ANDREW PIKE The Port of Durban is often congested with trucks that should be transporting up to five or more containers a day but only manage one, if lucky

Industry reaction to Minister’s call for higher levels of clean-coal investment

By: Mamaili Mamaila 27th March 2020 There is much scepticism domestically and internationally about the potential for clean-coal technology (CCT). In South Africa, however, there has been an amplification in recent months of calls for accelerated efforts to be made to finding innovative solutions to the serious environmental and... →

Photo by GE
POWER PLANT OPTIMISATION Eskom’s Kusile power station’s use of the wet flue gas desulphurisation technology ensures lower emissions

NCC, Competition Commission investigate companies involved in alleged price gouging

By: Donna Slater 26th March 2020 The National Consumer Commission (NCC) working jointly with the Competition Commission have launched an investigation into allegations of price gouging by 30 retailers from different provinces. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel in mid-March published a list of 22 critical... →

Motshekga says no date set yet for schools reopening

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th March 2020 Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on March 26 assured South Africans that pupils would catch up on all lost work once schools reopen. Learners had not been in school since the President declared an emergency shutdown of schools, effective March 18. →

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga

Business organisations, labour say lockdown is a responsible decision

By: Marleny Arnoldi 24th March 2020 Business organisation Sakeliga says the next three weeks will be the most acute challenge ever faced by businesses in South Africa, while the Small Business Institute questions whether all small businesses that need help will be supported. Sakeliga adds that the health and prosperity of millions... →

Airline body thanks regulators for showing flexibility

By: Rebecca Campbell 23rd March 2020 The global airline industry’s representative organisation, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), has expressed gratitude to aviation regulators around the world for showing flexibility regarding non-safety-critical regulations, in order to support air transport around the world.... →

Treasury finding other means of hosting scrap metal, e-cigarette tax workshops

By: Marleny Arnoldi 20th March 2020 The National Treasury has cancelled workshops that were meant to discuss export taxes on scrap metals and the taxation and regulation of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), respectively, in line with government’s declaration of a national state of disaster owing to Covid-19. Stakeholders were... →

Africa can develop on low-carbon growth path

By: Tracy Hancock 20th March 2020 Choosing between a low-carbon future and Africa’s economic growth is a false dichotomy, as these goals do not need to be in competition, says independent power producer Pele Energy Group founder Fumani Mthembi, a speaker at this year’s Power & Electricity World Africa. “The global investment... →

SUNNY DISPOSITION The global investment sector is increasingly more interested in funding renewable-energy projects, such as solar farms, as opposed to coal projects

Collaboration needed in electrical sector

By: Tracy Hancock 20th March 2020 South Africa’s entire electrical sector needs a “shake up” and a lot more collaboration, Electrical Conformance Board of South Africa (ECBSA) MD Peter Pedrick has learnt since taking up his position in May last year. Historically, South Africa was internationally recognised for its effective... →

FIRE STARTER There has been a significant rise in fire damage in South Africa over the past ten years amid a lack of regulation policing and governance

South Africa gazettes regulations around Covid-19 management

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th March 2020 The South African government has gazetted regulations related to the current state of disaster that was announced on Sunday. The regulations are effective immediately. →

Covid-19 presents ‘clear and present danger’ to South African economy

By: Simone Liedtke 16th March 2020 Market trends and other economic data confirm that the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic now poses “a clear and present danger” to the South African economy, North West University Business School Professor Raymond Parsons said in a statement. According to Parsons, the ripple effects from the... →

AfCFTA to ensure tariff liberalisation by July 1

By: Simone Liedtke 16th March 2020 One of the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA’s) immediate tasks is to ensure that the tariff schedule listing all products covered by the agreement for tariff liberalisation and the indispensable rules of origin are finalised to ensure that the implementation date of July 1 is met.... →

Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Fikile Majola

Economy will be severely impacted by coronavirus - Ramaphosa

By: News24Wire 16th March 2020 With South Africa's economy already feeling the pinch of the Covid-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that government is on the verge of finalising a comprehensive package of interventions to mitigate the expected impact. The president announced this in an address to the nation... →

Airlines need the help of regulators to address the effects of Covid-19

By: Rebecca Campbell 13th March 2020 Airlines around the world are experiencing serious falls in demand, as a result of the effects of the rapidly-spreading Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) disease, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported. IATA is the representative body for the global airline industry. →

Carbon storage vital to chemicals projects

By: Cameron Mackay 13th March 2020 With the global drive to meet climate targets and mitigate the devastating effects of climate change, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a vital emissions reduction technology for the chemicals and petrochemicals industry, says international think-tank Global CCS Institute advocacy and... →

Photo by Bloomberg
DECARBONISING INDUSTRY Efforts from government and industry are needed to address carbon emissions from chemical and petrochemical production and the use and disposal of chemical products

Public Enterprises unhappy with business rescue process for SA Express airline

By: Rebecca Campbell 6th March 2020 The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) issued a statement on Friday expressing its concern about the direction that the business rescue process for State-owned regional airline SA Express was taking. “[T]he Business Rescue Practitioners [BRPs] are planning to ‘ground’ the airline without... →

Photo by SA Express
A Bombardier CRJ-700 of SA Express

Localisation to boost industries

By: Cameron Mackay 6th March 2020 Government’s intention to increase demand for locally manufactured content to at least 60% across industries will have a positive impact on the local casting, forging and machining sector, says nonprofit entity the Casting, Forging and Machining Cluster (CFMC) of South Africa project leader Steve... →

CLUSTER COLLABORATION The CFMC is a development purposed vehicle which will enable companies to work together to achieve what could not be achieved individually

4IR, rail projects can grow local foundries industry

By: Cameron Mackay 6th March 2020 The local foundries, forges and casting industry can benefit from following the global trend of metal casting companies implementing Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. An abundance of infrastructure projects, such as rail projects from State-owned rail utility Transnet, has the... →

GLEN DIKGALE There are opportunities for the local foundry industry. Government is increasingly talking about sourcing equipment locally, so we need to comply with requirements

Nersa’s concurrence on Ministerial determinations

5th March 2020 Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the process Nersa is likely to follow before giving its concurrence to two Ministerial determinations recently drafted by Minister Gwede Mantashe and how this is likely to impact on the timelines for securing... →

Nersa’s concurrence on Ministerial determinations (Camera & editing: Nicholas Boyd)

Nigeria’s immense gas reserves offer great scope to boost economic growth

By: Kim Cloete 3rd March 2020 Nigeria is hoping to make the most of its immense gas reserves, but needs to refine its legislation and get its projects moving swiftly. Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo from the Nigerian Ministerial Task Force on Power said Nigeria had the ninth largest gas reserves in the world and was number one... →

Ramaphosa makes case for containing public wage bill

By: Reuters 2nd March 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that "focused discussions" would be needed between the government and trade unions on ways to slow the rate at which public sector wages are growing. Ramaphosa used a weekly newsletter to the nation to back up Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, who proposed... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Sector in dire need of transformation

By: Mamaili Mamaila 28th February 2020 The manufacturing industry, and particularly the metals and engineering sector, is in much need of transformation, says national employer federation the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa). →

MICHELLE NORRIS Women working in the metals and engineering sector are predominantly found in administrative job functions

Market feels project pinch

By: Mamaili Mamaila 28th February 2020 The lack of significant public infrastructure spend to boost steel consumption and construction activity are some of the challenges that the local steel tube market has to deal with, says steel industry association the Association of Steel Pipe Manufacturers (ASTPM). →

KEITUMETSE MOUMAKOE The influx of cheap small-bore steel tube imports has not aided the industry

Stainless steel growth unlikely in 2020

By: Mamaili Mamaila 28th February 2020 The level of activity in the local stainless steel sector’s value chain has dwindled in the past decade, mainly owing to international competition, low steel prices and the slow growth of the local economy. →

FULL OF VIGOR Stainless steel is one of the youngest industrial materials globally, managing to positively change people’s lives

Digitalisation beneficial for steel producers

By: Mamaili Mamaila 28th February 2020 Digitalisation will become an increasingly important strategy for steel producers to achieve a competitive advantage in the market, says metallurgical industry plant and integrated systems provider SMS group MD Pieter Bezuidenhout. →

New legislation driven by global digitalisation

28th February 2020 New legislation is driving a slew of changes amid rapid and widespread global digitalisation and has made print feel the impacts of the changing world, says business management consultant Ricoh SA commercial and industrial print head Vaughan Patterson. He notes that, while the Protection of... →

Local steel industry still holds much potential

By: Mamaili Mamaila 28th February 2020 The current capacity and capabilities of the local steel industry are still largely understated, says export trade promotion agency the International Steel Fabricators (ISF). →

International Steel Fabricators CEO Neels van Niekerk discusses the South African steel sector. Camerawork: Creamer Media’s Nicholas Boyd. Editing: Creamer Media’s Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 30.01.2020

Volatile steel prices to continue in 2020

By: Mamaili Mamaila 28th February 2020 The volatile prices of domestic steel producers and domestic steel merchants are likely to continue in 2020, says national employer federation Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) chief economist Dr Michael Ade. →

MICHAEL ADE 2020 is still going to be a difficult year for the metals and engineering sector, with ongoing pressure on margins

Charge copper thieves with economic sabotage, says Mbalula

By: African News Agency 25th February 2020 Copper thieves should be charged with economic sabotage rather than common theft, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula suggested in Parliament on Tuesday. Mbalula told the portfolio committee on transport that stolen copper rail cables were exported to India through Mozambique by syndicates, and... →

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula

Two trade unions demand that SAA business rescue respects workers’ rights

By: Rebecca Campbell 25th February 2020 Two trade unions – the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) – have jointly accused the Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) currently overseeing the business rescue process for State-owned South African Airways (SAA) of... →

Sasol confirms making 600 MW own-gen proposal in response to DMRE RFI

By: Terence Creamer 24th February 2020 Sasol CEO Fleetwood Grobler confirmed on Monday that the energy and chemicals group made a submission to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in line with its request for information (RFI) on possible emergency electricity solutions that could be “grid-connected in the shortest time at... →

Sasol CEO Fleetwood Grobler on the need for a culture change at the company following major cost overruns at its US project. Camera Work: Kutlwano Matlala. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 24.2.2020

SAB calls for ‘clear process’ on self-generation licence applications

By: Simone Liedtke 24th February 2020 South African Breweries (SAB) on Monday published a call for a clear process to be implemented with regard to generation license applications above 10 MW, which it says will assist the company in achieving its sustainability vision. The company welcomed the government’s commitment in this year’s... →

Court declares major Gupta-era coal contract with Eskom invalid

By: News24Wire 21st February 2020 The Special Investigations Unit has secured a high court order setting aside a contract worth R3.7-billion between the formerly Gupta-owned mining group Tegeta Exploration & Resources and State power utility Eskom, according to Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services. According to the... →

Topics In These Articles

Business Financial Health Safety Efficiency Service Automotive Botswana Coal Container Energy Flow Freight Mining Pipelines Ports Power rail Resources SECURITY Terminals Transnet Transnet Port Terminals transport Water Africa Aviation Tourism Systems Gold ... more

RSS Feed

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

Subscribe