Новости за 14.07.2021

To strategically finance the transition to a net-zero economy, financial services provider Nedbank has once again approached the investment market to raise ‘use-of-proceeds’ green finance, this time through the issuance of the first listed green additional tier one instrument by a financial institution in Africa. The equivalent notional amount of funding raised through the green additional tier one issuance will be directed strategically to support the financing of new green infrastructure projects in South Africa.

The South African Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba) and the National Liquor Traders (NLT) have written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling on government to declare a state of emergency after more than 200 liquor stores were looted. Millions of rands worth of stock at warehouses and retail premises across Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng has been stolen and stores damaged.

Thirty-million jobs can be created through the introduction of the hydrogen economy to decarbonise the world, HyWealth founder and CEO Professor Katsuhiko Hirose said on Wednesday. While hydrogen is currently more expensive than fossil fuel, green hydrogen will be the cheapest solution by 2050, with blue hydrogen able to play a lower cost role in the interim, Hirose said during a webinar moderated by Nedbank CIB mining analyst Arnold van Graan. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Industry organisation the South African Canegrowers Association is calling on government to declare a state of emergency and to immediately deploy more South African National Defence Force troops to bring law and order in hotspot areas, following the outbreak of violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. “KwaZulu-Natal is not only ground zero for the unrest, but also the heart of South Africa’s sugar industry. Gauteng has also been hit hard, with the destruction now extending to Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.

Industrial services company Barloworld has appointed Dr Nolulamo Gwagwa chairperson of the board, effective October 1. This is in addition to her appointment as independent nonexecutive director.

The United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) has launched a new financing programme that will help aid rural businesses in the food systems of the world’s poorest countries. The Private Sector Financing Programme aims to spearhead an increase in much-needed private investment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), farmers’ organisations and financial intermediaries servicing small-scale farmers, which are often neglected by investors.

The South African Insurance Association (Saia) calls on all policy holders who have suffered losses or damage to property and or business operations (which has been estimated to be in the billions of rands) to reach out to their respective insurance companies, brokers or financial intermediaries for assistance. The association has joined the scores of associations, businesses and councils who have condemned the recent acts of criminality and vandalism across South Africa and welcomed the call by... Читать дальше...

The South African Pharmacy Council on July 14 said it was “distraught and disappointed” at the looting sprees that have targeted pharmacies, among other establishments, in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. As at Wednesday, the council has received reports from pharmacists and pharmacy associations that, in both provinces, more than 90 pharmacies have been destroyed and looted beyond revival, with KwaZulu-Natal being the hardest hit.

Mass looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, as well as the wanton destruction of trucks and goods, has damaged the wholesale and retail sectors and their distribution centres in these provinces. The Road Freight Association (RFA) in a statement on July 14 pointed out that 80% of South African goods are carried by road, so when trucks stop, South Africa stops.

JSE-listed firms Allied Electronics (Altron) and Etion have extended the fulfillment or waiver date for the conditions precedent to the LawTrust acquisition until August 31. Altron subsidiary Altron TMT signed an agreement with Etion in April to acquire Etion’s cyber and information security subsidiary LawTrust for R245-million.

Imperial has halted operations in high-risk areas in South Africa, including KwaZulu-Natal and certain parts of Gauteng, following wide-spread looting, says corporate affairs and investor relations executive VP Esha Mansingh. This was done to “ensure the safety of our drivers and employees, and to reduce the risk of any further harm to our people and assets”.

An agreement for the development of a greenfield facility in Humansdorp, in the Eastern Cape, to manufacture zero-carbon e-methanol for sale locally and for export has been concluded by a consortium comprising Earth and Wire, ENERTRAG South Africa and 24Solutions. The proposed facility will produce e-methanol by combining green hydrogen, produced through an electrolyser using renewable electricity and desalinated seawater, with a synthesis gas, derived from a mixed feedstock of locally sourced biomass... Читать дальше...

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has published, for comment, a draft amendment report on a proposed ash and gypsum co-disposal facility owned by State-owned power utility Eskom. The Integrated Environmental Authorisation initially issued by the department in 2015 has since been amended three times.

Durban port has suffered major disruption after days of unrest, and operations have also been badly affected at the Richards Bay port and on a national freight rail line, logistics and freight companies said on Wednesday. The violence erupted last week in KwaZulu-Natal province, where Durban is located, after the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma but it has rapidly escalated in widespread looting and destruction in several other provinces. State logistics group Transnet said in a statement that... Читать дальше...

Telecommunications group MTN has maintained its position of South Africa’s best mobile network during the second quarter MyBroadband Insights report. The mobile operator achieved a network quality score of 9.79 during the second quarter of 2021, an increase on the score of 9.73 reported in the first quarter of the year, attributed to its R50-billion network investment, which helped it extend coverage, improve network quality and increase speeds.

Steel group ArcelorMittal has signed an undertaking with the Spanish government in support of a €1-billion plan to construct a green hydrogen direct reduced iron (DRI) plant and a new hybrid electric arc furnace (EAF) at its facility in Gijón, in Asturias, as part of a pioneering move to transition the company’s Sestao plant, also in Spain, to a net-zero facility by the end of 2025. The proposed development has been outlined in a memorandum of understanding, signed this week, in which ArcelorMittal... Читать дальше...

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has warned that the ongoing protests and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng will dampen investor confidence and derail economic recovery efforts. “The social costs of the damage might come in the form of increased unemployment and poverty in years to come,” he warns. In addition to looting stores and shopping malls, the destruction of infrastructure and trucks and blocking arterial routes such as the N2 and the N3, protestors have also burned down factories... Читать дальше...

eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda revealed on Wednesday that the loss of gross domestic product in the region could be over R20-billion if the protests taking place across KwaZulu-Natal do not end immediately. Protests against the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma turned violent over the weekend, with looting and violence continuing to plague parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The preliminary analysis estimates that there has been R1-billion in loss of stock and R15-billion in damage to property and equipment. Читать дальше...

Life in mining dependent countries has improved significantly in the 23 years leading up to 2018, with strong governance the key to improving socio-economic well-being, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) said on Wednesday. A report that analysed 41 social metrics grouped under 12 relevant United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) showed that there had been significant progress made on socio-economic development across three quarters of the metrics.

Crowds looted shops and businesses in South Africa on Wednesday, defying government calls for an end to a week of violence that has killed more than 70 people, wrecked hundreds of businesses and shut down a refinery. Protests that followed the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma last week for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry have widened into looting and an outpouring of general anger over the hardship and inequality that persist 27 years after the end of apartheid.

A new R12-million copper elution circuit at DRDGold’s Far West Gold Recoveries (FWGR) surface retreatment operation is expected to deliver an additional 1.2 kg to 1.8 kg of gold a month that would otherwise have been lost to refining charges. FWGR, south-west of Johannesburg, is currently retreating material reclaimed from the Driefontein No.5 dam. The material reclaimed contains high levels of copper which competes with gold and co-adsorbs on to activated carbon. Copper and gold are removed from... Читать дальше...

The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation has acknowledged a general improvement in governance at water boards following positive audit outcomes for Umgeni Water, Magalies Water and Rand Water. Magalies Water received a clean audit during the 2019/20 financial year, and the achievement of unqualified audit opinions by Umgeni and Rand Water was welcomed by the committee.

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has suspended production at its Prospecton plant, in Durban, as well as business operations at some of its dealerships in KwaZulu-Natal, as widespread looting and rioting continue in KwaZulu-Natal. Exports from the plant have also been halted.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has written to the National Joints Operations and Intelligence Services to prioritise the safeguarding and protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure and calls on communities to assist. This comes as the ongoing acts of violence, looting and arson currently under way across South Africa, particularly Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, disrupts communication services, shutters some community radio stations and leaves network facilities vandalised.