Новости за 21.01.2021

Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) says organised business mourns the passing of Jackson Mthembu, who was "one of South Africa’s hardest-working Ministers and a reliable social partner to engage with". Mthembu passed away this week from Covid-19-related complications.

Japan and the UK are partnering to develop and deploy new automation and robotics techniques for use in both the decommissioning of nuclear plants and the development of nuclear fusion energy. The project, designated LongOps, will receive £12-million in funding and will run for four years. The funding is being provided equally by three entities. These are UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Britain’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). The project... Читать дальше...

Three factors will determine the trajectory of the global economy in 2021, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu chief global economist Dr Ira Kalish has said. Speaking during a virtual executive conference hosted by professional services organisation Deloitte on January 20, he said the path of the pandemic and how it is managed; the vaccine and how it is rolled out; and what governments do in response to this would determine the trajectory of the global economy.

A team of scientists from British and Dutch universities have, for the first time, used satellite imagery combined with ‘deep learning’ (data processing artificial intelligence) to successfully count large animals in complex and varied terrestrial landscapes. Previously, this approach had been used only to count marine mammals. The animals selected were elephants, chosen precisely because they are the largest land animals. The project made use of high-resolution imagery from the Worldview 3 and Worldview 4 satellites... Читать дальше...

With the National Development Plan’s (NDP’s) goals of achieving full employment and eliminating poverty by 2030 already out of reach ahead of the onset of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, which has since obliterated the plan’s objectives entirely, the outgoing National Planning Commission (NPC) has outlined recommendations for a “course correction” in a 170-page analysis. The document, titled a ‘Review of Economic Progress towards Vision 2030’, was first published in December and was formally canvassed... Читать дальше...

JSE-listed Massmart’s sales for the 52 weeks ended December 27 amounted to R86.5-billion, representing a decrease of 7.7% over the same period in 2019, while comparable store sales decreased by 7.5% year-on-year. Sales in the group’s South African stores decreased by 7.9% (comparable stores decreased by 7.6%), while sales from its stores in the rest of Africa decreased by 5.4% (comparable stores decreased by 6.6%).

Intergovernmental body the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) has launched its updated BioTrade Principles and Criteria, a set of guidelines for governments and companies to conduct biodiversity-friendly trade. The term “BioTrade” refers to the supply and commercialisation of goods and services derived from a country’s biodiversity. Examples include the production of jujube in Myanmar or farming of queen conch in the Caribbean.

Twenty-nine of South Africa's professional, contractor, supplier and other bodies within the construction industry have united to form a single umbrella organisation, called the Construction Alliance South Africa (CASA). Industry stalwart John Matthews has been appointed as CASA chairperson.

JSE-listed EPP has appointed Agata Sekula as the company’s executive management team member responsible for sales and acquisitions. Sekula will join EPP from March 1 and will be responsible for executing EPP’s divestment and investment plans, with a particular focus on acquiring institutional co-investors for EPP’s retail portfolio.

The commitment to tackling climate change is accelerating in all sectors of society, with net-zero pledges from companies, cities, States and regions having doubled in the past year. The World Economic Forum (WEF) says decarbonising supply chains is a major opportunity for companies to put these commitments into practice. New research published today by the WEF and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows how tackling supply chain emissions can be a game changer in the global fight against climate change.

A new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca) on women entrepreneurship, has found that educational attainment gaps limit the success of women-owned businesses in Africa. The report also offers potential solutions to tackle the imbalance.

Aluminium supplier and exporter Hulamin has appointed Meganathan (Mark) Gounder CFO and executive director, with effect from April 1. Gounder is an experienced finance professional with over 25 years’ experience, and he has held various senior finance roles within the Illovo Sugar Group, which involved extensive operational experience across Africa, as well as exposure to Europe, Asia and North America.

The National Union of Mineworkers on Thursday said it is unhappy with the load-shedding being carried out in South Africa and “very disappointed” with the performance of Eskom under the leadership of chief executive André de Ruyter. “The current management team has taken the country to stage 6 for the first time in the history of this country. This team is perpetually failing to produce sufficient power to avoid load-shedding. Under this leadership, load-shedding is expected to be with us for the next two to three years,” said Khangela Baloyi... Читать дальше...

The Aerospace and Defence Trade Show (ADTS) 2021, scheduled for late March at Lanseria International Airport, has been cancelled. This is consequence of the great uncertainties presented by the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, with South Africa now experiencing its second wave of the disease. “The decision to cancel was not an easy one, however the health and safety of all concerned, together with adhering to the prescripts of the law, is of absolute importance to us,” explained South African Aerospace... Читать дальше...

Long-serving precious metals consultant Dr David Davis has reached the conclusion, after a comprehensive study, that the demand for platinum group metals (PGMs) is poised to outstrip stagnant supply. Davis, who has spent several months carrying out a ‘deep dive’ into the future of PGMs for precious metals researchers in Singapore, Australia and the UK,  has concluded that PGM demand will overwhelm the balance in as few as two to three years.

The JSE-listed Motus group has kicked off the year with the launch of Motus Select, which replaces the long-standing Imperial Select as the retail motor group’s pre-owned vehicle brand. Traditionally Motus Select was the used-car brand for only the Motus Hyundai, Kia and Renault multifranchise dealers.

Industrial gases company Afrox has confirmed that it has adequate reserves of liquid oxygen in storage across South Africa and that it has supplied oxygen as required by public and private hospitals in all provinces at substantially higher than normal demand levels. In response to questions from Engineering News, Afrox corporate and marketing communications manager Nolundi Rawana explained that, in understanding medical oxygen supply, the supply chain of converting the oxygen contained in the atmosphere... Читать дальше...

In this tribute, Macsteel Global chairperson Mick Davis reflects on the life and contribution of Eric Samson, who he describes as  softly spoken, compassionate and generous. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the founder and majority shareholder of the Macsteel Group, Eric Samson.