Новости за 26.07.2021

The KwaZulu-Natal government has committed itself to supporting businesses in rebuilding the premises that were destroyed during the civil unrest earlier this week. Premier Sihle Zikalala at the weekend addressed the media about the economic recovery efforts in the province.

As a result its geographic distribution across South Africa, the Anglo American group is collectively evaluating options to access multiple forms of renewable energy, Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) CEO Natascha Viljoen said on Monday. The JSE-listed company has already completed the design and build of the infrastructure required for the production of hydrogen, its storage and refuelling at its flagship Mogalakwena platinum group metals (PGMs) mine in Limpopo. (Also watch attached Creamer Media... Читать дальше...

The University of Pretoria (UP) Faculty of Veterinary Science's Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH) has acquired its first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. “In South Africa, the use of MRIs for diagnostic purposes is limited to small animals and most MRI scans are done in human facilities by special arrangement,” says OVAH director Dr Paul van Dam.

Cable theft and infrastructure vandalism across South Africa is costing billions of rands and, if not reduced, will lead to a slower economic recovery. The persistent challenge has led to R7-billion a year in direct losses for Telkom, Eskom, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Transnet, with a R187-billion knock-on effect to the economy.

JSE-listed Redefine Properties has launched a R1-billion sustainability-linked bond on the JSE, which marks the largest amount raised so far by a South African real estate investment trust in what is a growing sustainability bond space. The company explains in a release that the funds will be used to refinance upcoming bond maturities, which will allow Redefine to measurably increase the use of solar energy and enhance water efficiency at its South African assets.

The global representative body of the airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), announced on Monday that it had added an environmental sustainability training programme to its range of training initiatives. The new programme is being delivered in cooperation with Switzerland’s University of Geneva (Unige). Iata’s head office is in Geneva, and Unige is a long-standing academic partner of the association. The programme was launched after a recent survey of more than 800... Читать дальше...

Energy and chemicals company Sasol's Secunda operations has, in partnership with the Mpumalanga government, launched a five-day Covid-19 vaccination drive, starting on July 26. This formed part of the preparation for the operations' upcoming annual maintenance shutdown taking place from August 30 to September 24.

Audi Sport has started testing the new Audi RS Q e-tron, which it plans to enter in the 2022 Dakar Rally. Audi says it wants to be the first car manufacturer to use an electrified drivetrain in combination with an efficient energy converter to compete for overall victory against conventionally-powered competitors in the world’s toughest rally.

JSE-listed Aspen Pharmacare Holdings has confirmed it will soon receive new Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine supplies at its Gqeberha-based manufacturing site. The company will distribute the vaccines throughout South Africa, further into Africa and eventually into the European Union and other offshore markets.

To assist social grant recipients who live in areas where automatic teller machines (ATMs) and bank branches have been damaged in the recent riots, customers will be able to use any ATM, including those not operated by their own bank, without incurring additional charges, from August 1 to September 30. The Banking Association South Africa (Basa) says the damage done to banks in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng are steadily being repaired, but, in the meantime, it encourages customers who can do so to use digital banking services.

South African Airways (SAA) subsidiary Mango Airlines will enter a local form of bankruptcy protection known as business rescue, SAA's interim chief executive Thomas Kgokolo told eNCA television on Monday. The budget carrier is the fourth South African airline to be placed under business rescue since late 2019, with South African Express placed under provisional liquidation after rescue efforts failed.

Impala Platinum Holdings Zimbabwe unit Zimplats plans to build two solar power plants with generation capacity of 185 MW to power its operations, the country's energy regulator said on Monday. The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority said Zimplats, the biggest platinum group metals producer in Zimbabwe applied to build a 105 MW plant at Ngezi, southwest of Harare, where it has mines and two concentrators, and 85 MW at nearby Selous where there is a smelter and concentrator.

UK-based industrial technology group Rolls-Royce announced late last week that the generator and associated power electronics for the aerospace world’s most powerful hybrid-electric aircraft power and propulsion system had been delivered to its recently renovated Testbed 108 in Bristol in the UK. The generator was developed at Rolls-Royce’s Trondheim facility in Norway and was subject to a thorough development test programme before being shipped to Bristol. The generator will form the heart of the... Читать дальше...

Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSAf) has appointed Komane Pitso as its new senior VP for commercial operations at the vehicle conversion and distribution centre in Gqeberha.  The commercial operations department has been established to improve efficiency in supply chain management, localisation, procurement and supplier quality.

Ethekwini, DFFE helping UPL with Cornubia chemical clean-up efforts The eThekwini municipality, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and specialists from the municipality, the department and the private sector are advising and helping chemical company UPL to clean up the spill that happened in Cornubia, Durban, following the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal.

The strong operational and financial performance of platinum group metals (PGM) company Anglo American Platinum in the six months to June 30 translated into nearly R40-billion worth of benefits for stakeholders including the fiscus, local and doorstep suppliers and communities. In light of the impact of Covid-19 and the recent unrest in parts of South Africa, has committed an additional R400-million in funding to extend its WeCare programme. This will include mechanisms for financial assistance for employees who need additional support... Читать дальше...

JSE-listed real estate investment trust Liberty Two Degrees (L2D) has, notwithstanding a challenging operating environment, declared an interim dividend of 15.79c a share for the six months ended June 30. On releasing its results on July 26, L2D’s share price rose by 3.96% to 499c apiece.

JSE-listed Tiger Brands is instituting an immediate recall of certain canned vegetable products, following the identification of defective cans. A leak in a can presents a risk of secondary microbial contamination after the canned products are dispatched into the marketplace. Where such contamination occurs, it will present a low probability of illness and injury if the contaminated product is consumed.

The Labour Court on Friday again postponed the case brought by trade union UASA against financially-embattled State-owned defence industrial group Denel. The case will now only be heard on December 2. The reason given for the postponement was to give Denel more time to fully comply with a court order already issued against it last year. UASA expressed disappointment and concern at the decision. The union had originally taken the group to the Labour Court because it had failed to fulfil its contractual... Читать дальше...

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s July 25 address to the nation and the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions from adjusted Alert Level 4, to adjusted Alert Level 3, has been welcomed by Business Unity South Africa (Busa), while the South African Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba) has expressed concern that the domestic alcohol industry still remains vulnerable, despite alcohol sales being partially permitted. Busa CEO Cas Coovadia says the permitting of off-site and on-site alcohol sales, the moving of... Читать дальше...

Recovering from the destruction of property in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng following recent civil unrest and protest action, will require a multipronged effort between the public and private sectors, says Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso. However, for those who are insured, the State-owned insurer South African Special Risks Insurance Association (Sasria) will be playing a critical role, she adds, though she notes that it will take “a special effort to be able to process claims... Читать дальше...

South Africa on Sunday lifted restrictions on the sale of alcohol on weekdays and the movement of people between provinces as President Cyril Ramaphosa said a third wave of the coronavirus may have peaked. Africa's most industrialised country, which accounts for over a third of total Covid-19 infections and 40% of deaths related to the disease on the continent, had seen a severe third wave of infections over the past month spurred by the Delta variant but case numbers began to decline in recent days.