Новости за 18.08.2021

Information technology services firm EOH has partnered with volunteer network RebuildSA to deliver a communications platform from which to instantly engage the growing RebuildSA volunteer base nationally and connect them with businesses and communities impacted by the recent unrest. The communications platform, a WhatsApp-bot developed by EOH in partnership with Public Display Technologies South Africa, was designed to ensure that communications are disseminated in real-time to assist in getting volunteers to impacted areas around the country.

Competition Commission chief legal counsel Bukhosibakhe Majenge, during a hearing held by the Competition Tribunal and led by tribunal chairperson Mondo Mazwai, on August 18, said the commission endorses the proposed acquisition of Burger King South Africa by private equity fund ECP Africa Fund based on the amended conditions set out by the parties to the transaction. The hearing was split into two session, one a public session that discussed the non-confidential principles on which the amended conditions... Читать дальше...

In the next few weeks, Shallow Reefs Gold expects to be able to announce what it describes as a fairly significant capital raise out of North America after being very active in the capital markets. The target pipeline of the company that is intent on mining shallow deposits of South Africa’s historic Witwatersrand Gold basin is now focused on five initial projects.

South Africa has launched its first internationally recognised carbon offset programme for the agricultural sector. Environmental consultant Climate Neutral Group (CNG), which successfully listed the programme under the Verra Carbon Standard, on August 18 advised that farmers practicing regenerative agriculture could now earn extra income through the programme.

Greenpeace Africa volunteers have launched a petition to demand accountability from chemicals company United Phosphorus following a chemical spill in Cornubia, in KwaZulu-Natal, in July. United Phosphorus was storing chemicals in a warehouse, which was damaged and set alight during the July unrest. Chemicals from the warehouse is believed to have spilled into the environment when the fire department was working to extinguish the fire.

JSE-listed Emira Property Fund has declared a final dividend of 66.65c apiece, taking the dividend for its financial year to June 30 to 118.65c apiece – up 13.7% on the previous year. The company’s full-year distributable earnings of R649.1-million was 3.2% lower year-on-year, but Emira declared a cash-backed dividend based on its strong balance sheet and liquidity position.

The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) has reached a milestone in the construction of Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) with the breakthrough of two diversion tunnels on August 16. This marked the completion of the 1 870 m of tunnel excavation that the authority has been working on since June last year.

The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) has designated Theo Boshoff, currently head of legal intelligence within Agbiz, to take over the reins as CEO from January 1, 2022. The current incumbent, Dr John Purchase, will retire at the end of December after more than 14 years of service to Agbiz.

Dr Ranajit Sahu, an engineer with more than three decades of experience in power plant design, has found that large quantities of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions are “unavoidable”, even if the cleanest available technology is used for new coal-fired power generation. South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) 2019 claims that new coal generation capacity will be cleaner because high-efficiency, low-emission (HELE) generation technology will be used, although it does not state which kind.

The National Treasury (NT), together with its implementation partner the Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation (SLF), has completed the first phase of its Metro Township Economic Development (TED) programme. The TED programme is a component of the Cities Support Programme (CSP), which is funded by the Treasury.

Transnet CEO Portia Derby says the State-owned freight logistics utility has had initial engagements with some international terminal operators and shipping companies regarding the potential to form partnerships to improve the performance of its container terminals at the ports of Durban and Ngqura. The group has formally released request for information (RFI) documentation for the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 and Ngqura Container Terminal (NCT) operations as a precursor to a competitive... Читать дальше...

To address the water and sewage challenges of the Emalahleni local municipality, in Mpumalanga, diversified miner Exxaro Resources’ Exxaro Coal Central (ECC) operation has handed the Thubelihle Ext 5 Sewerage Infrastructure project over to the municipality. The infrastructure project, which cost R6-million to complete, was designed to address the water and sanitation issues in the Emalahleni district and improve the quality of life in this host community by increasing access to basic services.

The Shoprite Group has officially unveiled its new digital business unit, ShopriteX, which it says “combines data science, technology and innovation with [the group’s] operational strength to provide increasingly enhanced customer experiences”.  Incubated over the past year, ShopriteX aims to create more of a personalised shopping experience for customers.

Development finance institution Investec’s Global Sustainable Equity (GSE) Fund prioritises investment into companies doing good, with the aim of helping investors do well. Through the fund, investors are able to invest in companies that it believes “can provide attractive investment returns over the long term”, through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and “ensure there’s a future for the planet and its people,” the company said during a virtual presentation on August 18.

Chinese car manufacturer Chery is returning to the South African market, this time as a wholly owned subsidiary of its parent company. The company’s previous foray into South Africa was through the then Imperial group, now known as Motus.

The UK government and UK automotive industry are jointly funding four projects intended to significantly advance low carbon emission vehicle technologies, it was announced on Wednesday. The total funding comes to £91.7-million (about R1.88-billion), and is being awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), a not-for-profit organisation that is a public private partnership. “By investing tens of millions in the technology needed to decarbonise our roads, not only are we working to end ...

Pilot investment programme UK Climate Investments on August 18 fulfilled its cornerstone commitment of R500-million to help establish Africa’s first dedicated renewable energy yieldco, which is managed by majority black-owned fund manager Revego Fund Managers. Revego aims to tackle the challenge of a lack of access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, and accelerate the deployment of new clean electricity generation capacity by acquiring equity in operational renewable energy projects across the region... Читать дальше...

South Africa’s inflation rate fell to the lowest level in three months in July, giving the central bank more leeway to delay raising interest rates. The monetary policy committee turned less hawkish on policy normalization at its meeting last month and warned that deadly riots in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province and the commercial hub of Gauteng would likely slow the economic recovery.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has appointed Farzana Badat and Katherine Gibson as deputy commissioners of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) for a period of five years. Badat is currently based in Switzerland where she is working as a senior policy adviser at the International Association for Insurance Supervisors, responsible for conduct risk, financial technology and digital transformation.

The Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment says it is generally satisfied with the compliance of chemicals company Sasol with its obligations on air quality; however, State-owned power utility Eskom is not complying with its obligations owing to delays encountered in its air-quality offset programme. This information comes from briefings received by the committee from the Department of Health on August 17 on the cost of air pollution in South Africa, as well as from Eskom... Читать дальше...

Using data from the National Income Dynamic Study’s Coronavirus rapid mobile surveys (NIDS-CRAM), the the University of Cape Town (UCT) Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing has examined the impact on jobs and income across the economic spectrum. Perhaps the biggest impact has been felt by those in poorly paid jobs, the study has found.

Women have a role to play in building the South African and African economy, and much can be gained by leveraging women leaders’ traits for the growth of others and organisations, speakers said during a webinar hosted by multinational food company Mondelēz International on August 17. Mondelēz West Africa MD Yimika Adeboye said women in leadership should aim firstly to do their job well and further the organisation, rather than their gender being the focal point of their achievements.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has outlined the case for leveraging South Africa’s transition to green energy to reverse the country’s “vicious cycle of deindustrialisation and unemployment” and to trigger a “virtuous cycle of local demand for local goods to create investment and jobs”. Delivering the Dr Hendrik Johannes van der Bijl Memorial Lecture during a virtual event hosted by the University of Pretoria and the South African Academy of Engineering, De Ruyter rejected the notion of South Africa abandoning... Читать дальше...

The mining industry is falling short on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions enough to limit global warming, even after stepping up efforts to help combat climate change. Only 11 out of 46 metal and mining companies analysed by Bloomberg Intelligence have carbon-reduction targets that match levels needed for the United Nations’ goal of limiting global warming to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence report. The group includes global giants such as Anglo American and Newmont Corp, the world’s largest gold producer.

The performance of JSE-listed freight and financial services company Grindrod’s core businesses improved during the first six months of this year, compared with the six months ended June 30, 2020, as operations recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company noted in a trading statement on August 17 that the Port and Terminals and Logistics divisions had benefited from the increase in cargo flows, high citrus and mining minerals exports and alternative solutions to the deep-sea shipping lines.