Новости за 17.09.2021

Integrated energy and chemicals company Sasol and the National Research Foundation (NRF) are requesting research proposals on science and engineering projects that can enable Sasol’s and South Africa’s energy transition, as well as the development of the country’s green economy. Of interest to Sasol is research in hydrogen production, renewable energy, energy storage and carbon dioxide conversion to chemical and fuels – all key areas critical to enabling its environmental and business sustainability goals.

This year’s Africa Investment Forum’s Market Days – a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary platform that advances private and public-private partnership projects to bankability stage, raises capital and accelerates deals to financial closure – will take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from December 1 to 3. The yearly business gathering will showcase transformative investment opportunities across the African continent, many of which hold the potential to drive Africa’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Save the SA Smelters movement, which has thrown its full weight behind the decision of the Cabinet to impose an export tax on raw chrome leaving the country, on Friday responded to the analysis of ChromeSA that the imposition of such a tax would be high risk. ChromeSA was formed late last year after the Cabinet announced that a chrome export tax was in the offing. But the tax has not yet been implemented.

South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) has announced that the 2021 Annual Rail Safety Conference will take place from September 29 to October 1. Hosted under the theme “Embracing the new normal through innovative and sustainable rail safety solutions”, this year’s conference will be held virtually, at no cost to delegates.

The four largest banks in South Africa – Absa, FirstRand, Nedbank and Standard Bank – remain resilient, with healthy, stable and above regulatory minimum liquidity and coverage. Their results were also buoyed by underlying business momentum and risk profiles performing better than expected, advisory, assurance and tax services multinational PwC Africa's 'Major Banks Analysis 2021' report shows.

JSE-listed South African real estate investment trust (Reit) Redefine Properties recently certified and recertified 40 buildings in its property portfolio, under member-based organisation the Green Building Council South Africa’s (GBCSA’s) Green Star Existing Building Performance (EBP) rating tool. Redefine’s diversified property portfolio, which is valued at about R75.3-billion, includes a mix of retail, office and industrial space throughout South Africa, as well as retail and logistics property investments in Poland.

Over the past few years, South Africa’s tax landscape has undergone significant change, with a number of  leadership, structural and policy changes; and moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted government coffers, disrupted businesses and placed tremendous financial strain on individuals. In response to this, the government has introduced a number of  economic measures, including tax relief, to protect businesses and alleviate financial pressure on vulnerable employees.

Embattled State-owned gas-to-liquids refiner PetroSA is considering plans to harness geothermal energy from its mature or depleted gas wells to produce electricity and delay decommissioning. Addressing a conference in Cape Town this week, Central Energy Fund (CEF) CEO Dr Ishmael Poolo reported that PetroSA, which is a CEF subsidiary, was facing a “decommissioning liability monster” and that various prospects were being considered to repurpose the ailing operation.

US major aerospace and defence group Boeing has forecast that the global defence and space market will be worth $2.6-trillion over the next ten years. This prediction is pretty much the same as that made by the group in its market outlook report last year. Of this figure, 60% will be accounted for by the US alone. This stability in the outlook is a reflection of the stability of these markets. They are generally large and display long-term demand due to enduring security challenges and geopolitical conditions.

Trade union Solidarity announced on Friday that financially-embattled State-owned defence industrial group Denel had just paid it R4-million. The money is to cover the salary arrears of union members employed by Denel Dynamics and Denel Land Systems. “The payment of the salary money to Solidarity is a major victory for Solidarity and its members,” highlighted union CE Dr Dirk Hermann. “Their salaries have been looted for more than a year while the state institution refused to fulfil its responsibilities. Читать дальше...

Mercedes-Benz Buses has handed over the last unit in a 100-bus order from transport operator Putco. The delivery of this fleet was staggered into batches from December.

Development finance institution (DFI) the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) reports that its net profit for the financial year ended March 31 had increased by 182% to R1.4-billion, compared with the net profit of R504-million recorded for the 2020 financial year. CEO Patrick Dlamini says that managing profitability and efficiencies were the main drivers of the good set of results.

The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has been named as a respondent in an application filed by local renewable energy supplier Suntech Solar Power South Africa earlier this month. Suntech Solar has taken the decision to challenge the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme’s (RMIPPPP’s) decision-making process and the associated empirical data used that led to retrospective exemptions from designated local content (DLC) requirements.

Hyundai has a new flagship model in its range – the million-rand Palisade luxury large sports-utility vehicle (SUV). The Palisade, which is just short of five meters, takes its place in the local Hyundai SUV line-up next to its slightly smaller sibling, the Santa Fe, as well as the Tucson, Creta, Kona and the compact Venue.

Alternative fuel company DNG Energy’s petroleum division and energy company Masana Petroleum Solutions will test the feasibility of making liquefied natural gas (LNG) available to South Africa’s transport industry. The partnership comes as the world is seeking cheaper alternatives to traditional sources of fuel that pollute the world.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the International Chamber of Commerce have jointly launched Centres of Entrepreneurship in Africa. With strategic locations across Africa, the ECA - ICC Centres of Entrepreneurship will work with various stakeholders, including businesses, chambers of commerce, academic institutions, intergovernmental and governmental agencies, to connect local entrepreneurs to global markets and enhance regulatory conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to thrive.

The worldwide supply/demand imbalance for steel will return in 2022 and steel prices will gradually decline toward their historical averages from the unusual highs of this year, says Moody´s Investors Service in a new report. The report indicates that steel demand will ebb as buyers replenish inventories, stimulus spending wanes and consumers return more widely to spending on experiences as vaccinations become more widespread.

Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla stressed on Friday that the vaccination certificate touted by government is not being introduced to punish South Africans but rather to protect each other against the Covid-19 virus. Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address last Sunday many South Africans have voiced their dissatisfaction on the introduction of the vaccination certificate, or ‘passport’ as it is also called. Addressing the media during his visit in the Free State to monitor vaccination sites... Читать дальше...

Nasdaq-listed fast-moving consumer goods company PepsiCo has introduced an initiative called Pep+, which will inform the company’s end-to-end transformation strategy that has sustainability at the heart. The transformation will involve all aspects of the supply chain from how the company sources ingredients and makes its products in a more sustainable way, through to engaging people to make better choices for themselves and the planet.

The Competition Tribunal has unconditionally approved the large merger whereby Growthpoint Properties will acquire Joburg Stay from Feenstra Group.   This transaction involves an internal reorganisation of the Feenstra Group. As such, the target firms are Joburg Stay, seven Gauteng student accommodation properties and their rental enterprises that Joburg Stay will wholly own.

African Development Bank (AfDB) managed fund, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (Sefa), has approved a $1-million grant for the modernisation of Africa’s aging hydropower fleet. The grant will fund the mapping and evaluation of African hydropower facilities’ rehabilitation needs.

Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the need for South Africa to compile a clear country commitment to net-zero and to find a common vision and action plan around the just transition, as well as about the growth potential for hydrogen and energy storage.

A new web-based platform, which will showcase green stimulus projects across Africa, has been officially launched. The portal, which can be found at http://agsp.nepad.org/, was unveiled this week by South Africa’s Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy in her capacity as outgoing president of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).

The Covid-19 pandemic's impact on the South African Revenue Service (Sars) compressed a decade-long modernisation programme into two to three years, Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter noted on September 16. "The pandemic struck as we were starting our journey of rebuilding Sars and reigniting the modernisation programme. Because we had strategic clarity, instead of slowing down, it accelerated the transformation," he told delegates participating in a South African Association of Freight Forwarders’ conference.

A video round up of this week’s magazine, highlighting our cover story, features and Business Leader.