Новости за 05.01.2021

The World Bank expects the South African economy to recover by 3.3% in 2021 and return to a “near potential pace” of 1.7% in 2022 after contracting by an estimated 7.8% during Covid-afflicted 2020. However, it warns in its flagship Global Economic Prospects report, published on Tuesday, that the pandemic has precipitated a dramatic fall in per capita income, which has pushed tens of million more people in South Africa and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa into extreme poverty.

The business rescue practitioners (BRPs) for private-sector airline Comair issued an update on progress with the group’s business rescue plan on Tuesday, in line with the requirements of the Companies Act. The update was issued via the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s SENS news service. The BRPs pointed out that all notices regarding the amended business rescue plan, and the plan itself, were available on the Comair website. They also noted that the airline had restarted its flying operations on December 1.

Long queues and desperate attempts to enter South Africa have placed a huge strain on the country's border posts with neighbouring countries. And, while acknowledging that a "humanitarian crisis" might be unfolding at the Beitbridge border post with Zimbabwe, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi says government has done all it can to alleviate the situation.

Scientists at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University of Tokyo in Japan have proposed a new theory to explain the mysterious phenomenon of dark matter. Dark matter makes up some 27% of the universe, whereas ‘normal’ matter is responsible for less than 5%. (The remaining 68% of the universe comprises dark energy.) Dark matter is so called because we can detect it only because of its gravitational influence on normal matter. The theory now advanced by the... Читать дальше...

Government has applied to the Supreme Court of Appeal for leave to appeal a Western Cape High Court judgment which found the ban on trading in tobacco during South Africa's hard lockdown last year was unnecessary. Represented in the case by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Coronavirus Command Council, government's view was that the ban would curb the spread of Covid-19. The 5-month ban was in place until SA moved into lockdown Level 2 in August. Читать дальше...

The world risks a "moral catastrophe" if Covid-19 vaccinations are delayed in Africa while wealthier regions inoculate their entire populations, the head of the continent's disease control body said on Thursday. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hopes significant vaccination campaigns on the continent will begin in April, its head, John Nkengasong, told reporters.

The government's National Coronavirus Command Council is expected to meet on Wednesday morning, setting the stage for yet another announcement on the Covid-19 lockdown from President Cyril Ramaphosa by the end of the week. The council's scheduled meeting was only set to happen next week, but government spokesperson Phumla Williams told News24 earlier that a meeting could be called sooner if major developments needed to be addressed urgently. This after the Covid-19 death toll in South Africa surpassed... Читать дальше...

Africa-focused hydropower developer Tembo Power Holdings (TPH), formerly Tembo Power Limited, has appointed Jacques Barouhiel to lead its financial structuring business as MD. TPH is an independent power producer (IPP) with a focus on small hydropower in sub-Saharan Africa. It holds rights over 13 projects across Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Cameroon, for a total installed capacity of about 300 MW.

South African stocks advanced for a second day, boosted by gold producers as demand for haven assets supported bullion prices amid the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic. The main Johannesburg stock index was 0.4% higher as of 9:36 a.m., after climbing 1.8% in the first trading session of 2021.

US-based global major aerospace group Boeing marked the advent of the new year with the delivery of three 777 Freighter (777F) aircraft to Qatar Airways Cargo. One of the aircraft concerned was the 200th 777F to be delivered. With this delivery, Qatar’s 777F fleet now numbers 24 aircraft. The airline also operates two Boeing 747-8F cargo aircraft.  “With the arrival of these new freighters, we are injecting more capacity in the market which is very much required during the pandemic,” highlighted... Читать дальше...

South African medical-insurance companies, business organiSations and the government are developing a programME in which the private sector will help fund Covid-19 vaccines for people not covered by insurance. Legislation has been amended to allow the companies to fund shots for people who don’t have medical insurance and talks are now focused on the number of those who may benefit, said Stavros Nicolaou, head of the health workgroup for B4SA, a grouping of South Africa’s biggest business organiSations.

The rescue practitioners of South African Airways can continue with the lockout of pilots as long as it suits them or until the SAA Pilots’ Association agrees to their proposals, says Hugo Pienaar, a labour law expert at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. Members of SAAPA have been locked out by the rescue practitioners since 18 December, and this move has been declared lawful by the Labour Court.

Paper and packaging company Mondi will acquire a 90.38% interest in Turkish corrugated packaging company Olmuksan International Paper from International Paper for €66-million. The implied enterprise value on a 100% basis would amount to about €88-million, Mondi said in a statement on January 5.

Power plant company Scatec has launched its new logo and profile, with this transformation following the company’s broadened growth strategy and the name change to Scatec from Scatec Solar. “2020 was a monumental year for Scatec. During the crisis, we made the greatest expansion since our establishment, by broadening our strategy and acquiring SN Power. I am, therefore, pleased to start the new year by unveiling a profile and logo supporting our ambition to become a global large-scale player in solar... Читать дальше...

Pfizer and BioNTech offered to supply South Africa with their Covid-19 vaccine at a discounted $10 a dose, according to a person familiar with the talks, yet the president’s office still described the cost as prohibitive. The price was worked out according to South Africa’s status as a middle-income nation and is about half of what the drugmakers are charging in the US, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information hasn’t been made public.