Новости за 10.06.2021

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is providing grant funding for a feasibility study to evaluate the technical and economic viability of expanding Dark Fibre Africa’s (DFA’s) fibre network into periurban and rural areas. The study will support efforts by the wholesale open-access fibre infrastructure and connectivity provider to expand reliable and affordable Internet access and digital services to underserved populations living outside of South Africa’s major urban centres.

Cabinet has approved the extension of the national state of disaster on Covid-19 until July 15. Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni said in a post-Cabinet media briefing on June 10 that the extension is in terms of Section 27(5)(c) of the Disaster Management Act and would enable the country to continue with non-pharmaceutical interventions in the fight against Covid-19.

South Africa's monthly manufacturing output contracted in April and mining production slowed, as electricity outages hit the strong recovery in economic activity seen earlier in the year. Factory production was down 1.2% month on month in April, with a majority of sectors contracting. Mining activity grew by a meagre 0.3% from March's levels.

State-owned logistics company Transnet on June 10 reported that there was an average of 650 incidents of cable theft a month in the first five months of this year, while more than 600 arrests have been made since the beginning of the year. Transnet loses about 120 km of overhead cables a month owing to the high levels cable theft and vandalism of critical infrastructure. Over the past five years, the company reported a 177% increase in security-related incidents, resulting in an increase in volume loss, it said.

The uYilo Kick Start Fund has opened for applications for 2021, with successful companies or entrepreneurs to receive up to R1-million in grant funding, aimed at assisting promising e-mobility projects to reach commercialisation. The uYilo eMobility Programme first provided Kick Start funding to qualifying e-mobility and related projects in 2014.

The project to harmonise standards across the automotive sector in Africa is progressing well, reports the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM). The AAAM says the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is continuing its support to the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) as it works to harmonise standards in order to facilitate the accelerated development of the automotive industry across the continent.

South Africans can now track government’s progress in economic and employment growth with up-to-date information on the new Operation Vulindlela dashboard, launched this week. The new dashboard presents an overview of the milestones in 19 focus areas identified by government as priority reforms, spread out across five sectors. The dashboard can be accessed at www.stateofthenation.gov.za

In a surprise move, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that the licence-exemption cap on self- or distributed-generation plants would be raised from 1 MW to 100 MW to help address the country's electricity crisis, which has been weighing down economic growth and confidence for more than a decade. The increase would be facilitated by an amendment to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act “within the next 60 days or sooner”.

State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has appointed the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) as the implementing agent for the migration of the manganese terminal and the liquid bulk terminal to the Port of Ngqura, as well as their construction and operationalisation. The CDC and TNPA are working to implement the terminal relocation from the Port of Port Elizabeth, in Gqeberha, to the Port of Ngqura, within appropriate and realistic timelines.

Information and communications technology multinational Datatec on June 10 announced that independent nonexecutive director Maya Makanjee would succeed Stephen Davidson as chairperson from March 1, 2022. Makanjee joined the Datatec board on November 1, 2018. She has considerable experience as an executive and director of prominent companies including Vodacom, SABMiller and Nestle.

Financial technology (fintech) company Finch Technologies has made a further significant investment to become the majority shareholder in South African business finance marketplace FundingHub. This follows a previous investment in 2019  to boost small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) funding in South Africa.

The Embassy of France in South Africa on June 9 said auditing firm EY's 2021 France Attractiveness Barometer had confirmed France's position as the top European country for foreign direct investment (FDI). Despite the health uncertainty weighing on the global economy, France announced 985 new investment projects in 2020, pushing it ahead of the UK and Germany.

A coalition of investors overseeing a combined $41-trillion of assets have called on world leaders to set more ambitious greenhouse-gas emissions targets and end support for fossil fuels. DWS Group, Legal and General Investment Management and Pacific Investment Management Co were among 457 investors that wrote a joint letter to heads of State ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit that will start on Friday in Cornwall, England.

Real estate investment trust (Reit) Vukile Property Fund CEO Laurence Rapp on June 9 said the company had sold its remaining industrial assets, had secured an agreement to sell its remaining offices and was now a highly focused retail landlord. For the financial year ended March 31, the company declared a 101.04c-a-share dividend and reduced its debt by R3.1-billion, as a result of the sale of its stake in UK Reit Atlantic Leaf and the disposal of industrial assets.

Industrial engineered products and components manufacturer BMG has launched e-commerce services on its online shopping platform. The service has been designed to boost customers' buying experience of engineering consumables.