Новости за 01.06.2021

South Africa’s Council for Geoscience went live on Tuesday with making geoscience data digitally available. During a panel discussion on the first day of the Junior Indaba, Council for Geoscience CEO Mosa Mabuza invited all to go on to the council’s website to find this data, the bulk of which, he said, was freely available.

Payments are increasingly becoming cashless and, as digital money draws stronger interest, the financial services industry must recognise the entire infrastructure of payments is being reshaped, with new business models emerging, advisory multinational PwC says. Given the key role digitisation plays in the financial lives of more of the world’s population, electronic payments are at the epicentre of this transformation, and the financial services industry’s role in fostering inclusion has become a significant priority, the firm states.

Applications for the 2021 Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer (JWO) Research Grant, worth $150 000, are now open for submissions. The JWO Research Grant is an initiative that seeks to support early-career African researchers focused on innovative research that will contribute to the advancement of environmental and allied sciences; and address relevant, real-world African issues of current and future importance.

Cement additives manufacturing company Chryso Southern Africa has installed a solar electricity generating system at its Jet Park premises, in Gauteng. The system will generate almost 240 MWh/y, says Chryso Southern Africa CEO Norman Seymore.

Steel merchant Macsteel has launched the third of its independently owned Macsteel Express franchise partnerships, in Nelspruit, on June 1. Macsteel launched the first of its two franchise partner concept outlets in February this year in Klerksdorp and Welkom, respectively.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on June 1 received a briefing from development finance institution the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) about the allegations of corruption, fraud and maladministration that were brought to Scopa by political party United Democratic Movement (UDM) president Bantu Holomisa. In a statement, Scopa said it had noted the remarks made by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, who is the executive authority responsible for the DBSA.

Ford has announced a series of leadership and organisational changes for South Africa, effective from June 1, “which are aimed at accelerating its strategic transformation plan and strengthening its automotive operations”. These changes will see government affairs executive director Dhiren Vanmali take up the role of sales operations director for Ford Motor Company Southern Africa (FMCSA).

The public statements made by Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu about whether Cuban water engineers will be employed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) are "materially different" from what is stated in documents submitted to the North Gauteng High Court opposing a review application lodged by trade union Solidarity, the union said on June 1. Contrary to the statements made by Sisulu in a public radio interview where she repeatedly said the 24 Cuban engineers would not be employees receiving a salary... Читать дальше...

New-vehicle sales jumped by 197.8% year-on-year to 38 337 units in May, reports Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. An estimated 33 642 units, or 87.8%, were dealer sales, with 8.2% going to the vehicle rental industry, 2% to government and 2% to industry corporate fleets.

International services, trading and distribution company Bidvest’s growth for the 2021 financial year is set to accelerate, compared with its performance in the prior financial year. The company on June 1 reported that the first ten months of the 2021 financial year has made it clear that “earnings will exceed that of the prior financial year”, mainly owing to limited demand and restricted trade activity that impacted on its performance in the last quarter of the 2020 financial year.

A tender for a new modern cadastre system to provide exploration information will be invited by the end of next week, Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) director-general Advocate Thabo Mokoena said on Monday. In his opening keynote address on initiatives to ignite the exploration sector delivered on the first day of the Junior Indaba, Mokoena promised that the new cadastre system would provide reliable information on precise locations of exploration and mining rights, and would be transparent and accessible to the public and... Читать дальше...

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has published a new regulatory clearing account (RCA) application from Eskom, through which the State-owned utility is seeking to recoup R8.4-billion in cost and revenue variances for the 2019/20 financial year. The application is the first made under the fourth multiyear price determination period (MYPD4), which governs electricity tariffs for the three financial years from 2019/20 to 2021/22.

State-owned power utility Eskom will again be implementing Stage 2 load-shedding from 16:00 on June 1 to 05:00 on June 2. This is owing to further breakdowns of generating units at the Kriel, Arnot, Majuba and Tutuka power stations over the past 24 hours, as well as delays in returning units to service at the Duvha and Tutuka power stations, Eskom says.

The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 57.8 points in May  from 56.2 the month before, with four of the five subcomponents remaining well above the neutral 50-point mark.  Only the employment index dipped back into negative terrain for May.

African food services franchisor Famous Brands reported a headline loss a share of 86c, and a basic loss a share of R12.37 for the financial year ended February 28 – largely owing to the adverse impact of Covid-19, which saw the food industry being among the worst hit sectors. CEO Darren Hele says that while the company is accustomed to trading in tough conditions, “nothing in [the company’s] history compares to the hardship as a result of the pandemic”.