Новости за 14.09.2021

Since original-equipment manufacturer John Deere announced its expansion into the sub-Saharan African market with its construction equipment in March, it has added nine more machines to its portfolio. Among these additions is a 310L backhoe, which runs a 63 kW engine and has a four-speed PowerShift transmission, as well as digging capability of 4.2 m, a loading height of 3.1 m and a bucket capacity of 0.96 m3.

South Africa’s junior mining dearth is a result of savings no longer flowing through to primary capital raising and stock exchange listings, as the Jacobs Committee expected them to do. The unintended consequence is that there are no longer small investors for small companies. This has negatively affected retail investor numbers and liquidity in smaller stocks in general and junior mining stocks in particular. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

WEC Projects has been selected by the Water Research Commission (WRC), under the South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (Sastep), to test a new off-grid sanitation system with the intention of commercialising it in South Africa. The NEWgenerator, which was developed by the University of South Florida (USF), Is designed to turn sewage wastewater into clean water, energy and nutrients, providing water for reuse as toilet flushing water, as well as biogas-based energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser.

JSE-listed software, security and cloud services company Bytes Technology Group CFO Keith Richardson has informed the company of his intention to retire after having served nearly three decades with the company. Current COO Andrew Holden will assume leadership of Bytes’ finance function as acting CFO with immediate effect, while Richardson will continue to work with him as part of a managed handover period and controlled transition of responsibilities until October 31, when Richardson will step down from the board.

JSE-listed African Rainbow Capital’s (ARC’s) intrinsic portfolio value increased by 16.3% from R10.55-billion as at June 30, 2020, to R12.27-billion as at June 30, this year. Net fair value gains accounted for R909-million of the increase and net investments for the remaining R810-million increase.

The local sales trend towards smaller, less expensive vehicles saw Suzuki Auto South Africa (Suzuki SA) hit a new record in August, when it sold 2 470 vehicles. Just shy of 75% of sales were to private individuals and small businesses through the Suzuki dealer network.

Karooooo has acquired 70.1% of Picup Technologies (Picup) in a deal valued at R70-million.  Karooooo owns 100% of Cartrack, a mobility software-as-a-service (Saas) platform that maximises the value of automotive and workflow data by providing real-time data analytics solutions for smart transportation.

Cleantech company Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies has raised a further €50-million to scale and commercialise its technology. The oversubscribed funding round was led by JERA Americas, alongside Temasek, with Chevron Technology Ventures and Pavilion Capital investing for the first time.

A just transition towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 offers significant opportunities for a new growth path built on green industrialisation and could provide the anchor for a new “shared vision that binds us”, former Deputy Finance Minister and State Capture whistle-blower Mcebisi Jonas contends. Delivering a keynote address during a virtual meeting of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), Jonas argued that the just transition was not merely about reducing carbon emissions but also about... Читать дальше...

South Africa risks becoming an outlier in the global community if it pushes ahead with plans to develop new coal-fired power plants, says climate change think tank E3G. E3G says the country is driving these plans despite there having been a 76% reduction in proposed new coal power generation capacity globally, since the negotiation of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

An earned wage access (EWA) solution allows employees to access a portion of their earned wages at any time during the month, rather than borrowing from their employer or taking out unsecured loans to cover living expenses, says EWA financial technology organisation Paymenow co-founder and MD Deon Nobrega. An EWA solution means a flexible payment schedule that allows employees to cover financial emergencies or shortfalls and retain financial control while avoiding exorbitant fees.

South Africa’s government met Tuesday to discuss how to accelerate the country’s economic recovery and consider the most feasible way to provide further welfare grants. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has agreed in principle on the need for a basic income grant and the government is now considering the most sustainable way to implement it, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said in remarks broadcast by a  local broadcaster.

South Africa ranked eighty-fourth out of 165 countries and territories included in the ‘Economic Freedom of the World: 2021 Annual Report’ released by think tank the Free Market Foundation in conjunction with Canada’s Fraser Institute. In 2000, South Africa ranked fifty-eighth on the list of countries analysed, the foundation highlights. It mentions that South Africa has seven African countries ahead of it on the economic freedom list. The report measures the economic freedom by analysing the policies... Читать дальше...

The six-day hiking trail from Coffee Bay to Port St Johns, in the Eastern Cape, that is under construction forms part of the economic recovery efforts of the province’s tourism sector. MEC of Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mlungisi Mvoko made the announcement during the launch of Tourism Month at the Cradox Four garden of remembrance last week.

JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) Attacq has reported strong distributable income growth from its South African operations for the financial year ended June 30 However, group distributable income decreased by 35.9% year-on-year to 46.8c a share.

Financial services firm First National Bank (FNB) and the Bureau of Economic Research Building Confidence Index declined to 35 points in the third quarter of the year from 39 points in the second quarter, indicating that 65% of respondents are dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions. Further, while the composite index remains higher than the average of the past few years, the index, excluding the hardware retail and building material manufacturing sector, measuring the confidence in the core building sector... Читать дальше...

Power utility Eskom safely evacuated its employees that it claimed were being held against their will by angry residents of Morula View in Mabopane, north of Pretoria, over the lack of power supply in the area. According to Eskom, the hostage situation followed the community's demand for the replacement of a mini-substation in their area.

The South African government has launched an online Business Loss Portal for the registration of businesses that were affected by the unrest which took place during July 9 to 19 in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and other affected areas in the country. As part of the relief package announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 25, a range of measures are being implemented by national and provincial governments to help small and medium-sized businesses which suffered damage or losses to rebuild.

For Sipps Maswanganyi, a safari guide with 20 years of experience in the African bush, it was one memorable sighting that sold him on electric safari vehicles. “I could hear this buffalo panting heavily deep in the bushes,” recalls Maswanganyi, head guide at Cheetah Plains, a luxury outfit in South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Following those faint sounds, he found a 1,500-pound bovine on its last breaths, being taken down by seven stealthy lionesses. “If I was in a noisy diesel vehicle, I would have driven right past... Читать дальше...

The head of South Africa’s State power utility needs to substantially reduce its R402-billion of debt to realise his vision of transforming the coal-addicted behemoth into a leading green-energy producer and create as many as 300 000 jobs in the process. Eskom Holdings supplies more than 90% of the nation’s electricity, the bulk of it from coal, and emits more than two-fifths of the nation’s greenhouse gases. Andre de Ruyter, 53, its chief executive officer, wants to tap concessional loans from development... Читать дальше...

The imposition of a tax on the export of chrome ore would be high risk and the gain from such an intervention would likely be eroded fairly quickly by the high cost of electricity, which is the real problem. Chrome SA’s Alistair McAdam and Paul Anderson of Genesis Analytics highlighted this summary when they spoke to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview on Monday. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Information and communication technology giant Vodacom has invested more than R8-million to install new solar-powered sites in Polokwane, Vereeniging and Bloemfontein as the company continues to secure alternative energy sources to power its operations where feasible. The three new solar-powered sites will generate about 127 MWh a year of energy, helping to reduce Vodacom’s carbon emissions and lower its electricity consumption, as well as ease the load on the sites’ batteries in the event of load-shedding... Читать дальше...