Новости за 27.09.2021

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations gazetted by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in December 2020 present opportunities for individuals and businesses in the energy sector, including young professionals, entrepreneurs and graduates in the engineering disciplines with the mindset to be a part of the energy efficiency solution, says Alliance Energy MD Vash Singh. Under the EPC regulations, buildings in South Africa need to have their energy performance assessed by an accredited party... Читать дальше...

Organisations can help to build trust and deliver sustained outcomes by implementing effective environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies and stakeholders tend to place more trust in organisations that demonstrate a sustained interest in communities, the environment and good governance, says assurance, advisory and tax services multinational PwC Africa ESG Africa leader Jayne Mammatt. "Increasingly, stakeholders of all kinds hold organisations accountable for delivering sustainable value. Читать дальше...

Introducing a mandatory truck booking system at South Africa’s port terminal operations has yielded benefits that the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) and Cape Town Multipurpose Terminal (CTMPT) will soon enjoy, Transnet Port Terminals says in a statement. “There are many challenges introduced when trucks all call the terminal at the same time unannounced, hence our roll out of the mandatory truck booking system, which we are pleading with industry to fully exploit,” says Cape Terminals managing executive Wandisa Vazi.

Africa’s lack of industrial development puts it in a strong position to develop low-carbon manufacturing without the costs of transitioning from fossil fuel-based factories, McKinsey & Co. said. In the process of striving toward net-zero emissions by 2050, the continent could create a net 3.8-million jobs, McKinsey said in its Africa’s Green Manufacturing Crossroads report, which was partially funded by the UK government and released Monday. However, to hit that level would require investment of $2-trillion in manufacturing and power.

Last month saw higher food inflation than expected, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has reported. South African food inflation came to 6.9% in August (in year-on-year terms), continuing a rising trend that started in February. Last month’s food inflation was 0.2% higher than that for July. And food inflation contributed 1.2 percentage points to August consumer price index headline inflation. The figure of 6.9% was the highest recorded since 2017. The price of the BFAP ...

State-owned electricity utility Eskom says it is “not feasible” for the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to make a revenue determination, for implementation on April 1 2022, on the basis of a new methodology that has yet to be consulted or finalised. On September 24, Nersa published a consultation paper on a possible new price determination methodology in which it states that the “current revenue-based methodology has fallen short in providing stable prices”.

NantAfrica, a division of US multinational NantWorks, has signed a collaboration agreement with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) for the transfer of biologic manufacturing technology for Covid-19 and cancer vaccines and next-generation cell-based immunotherapies. NantWorks founder and CEO Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong says the initiative will enable the rapid clinical development of next-generation vaccines for infectious diseases... Читать дальше...

University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has been appointed as Bristol University’s first Bristol Illustrious Visiting Professor to further promote African scholarship and strengthen international relationships. The newly established Bristol Illustrious Visiting Professorship scheme builds on the University of Bristol’s aim to unite and collaborate with international scholars.

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has highlighted the importance to the country, and indeed the wider world, of the now-authorsied programme to construct a new Multipurpose Reactor (MPR). It did so in its statement, issued on Sunday, welcoming the Cabinet’s decision to approve the acquisition and construction of an MPR. The MPR will be located at Necsa’s complex at Pelindaba, west of Pretoria, and will replace the State-owned entity’s current 20 MW SAFARI-1 research reactor, which first became operational in 1965. Читать дальше...

The rand is taking a bigger hit than most of its emerging-market peers as an energy crisis and Chinese growth concerns batter the South African currency and worsen the country’s inflation outlook. The currency declined for a second day on Monday to its weakest level in more than a month as oil prices soared, while traders fretted over China’s growth hurdles and how that would affect prices of the raw materials that account for close to half of South Africa’s exports.

Power supply from an Eskom substation, which negatively impacted water production in Gauteng, has since been restored. The power supply interruption, affecting transmission from Snowden substation, was caused by a veld fire on Sunday afternoon. This subsequently impacted Rand Water's Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Works, reducing its production capacity by 60%, according to a statement from Rand Water. In a voice note, Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi said that once the fires subsided, power... Читать дальше...

The Peugeot 2008 sports-utility vehicle (SUV) has been named as the 2021 Car of the Year by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ). The Toyota Hilux double-cab bakkie came in second, while the BMW 4 Series took the bronze medal.

Compared with traditional impact investment vehicles, which tend to be private equity, green bonds provide a “nice balance” in achieving a desired investment impact, environment, social and governance (ESG) advisory firm EBS Advisory CEO James Brice said during the Southern Africa Green Bonds Intensive webinar on September 23. Private equity in Africa has traditionally taken the lead on pioneering infrastructure investments in markets that other investors would find too risky and is the only formal... Читать дальше...

The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) announced on Monday that it had appointed a new CEO. He is industry veteran Aaron Munetsi and he replaces Wrenelle Stander, who is moving to Western Cape provincial tourism and economic development agency Westgro. Munetsi takes over with immediate effect. “I am looking forward to leading AASA and building on the solid base that has been prepared by my predecessors and the team,” he affirmed. “I intend to apply my broad industry experience to finding common ground with policy makers... Читать дальше...

The South African National Treasury’s succession planning is sufficient to ensure the exit of key personnel doesn’t disrupt plans to return public finances to a sustainable path, its top civil servant said. Tshepiso Moahloli, the head of assets and liability management and the most high-profile woman at the Treasury, last week became the latest senior official to resign -- as new Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana prepares to deliver the medium-term budget. Her departure follows that of Roy Havemann... Читать дальше...

A pilot study of office-based employees' stress and trauma levels at large professional services firms in September indicates that 66% of them are experiencing stress, says management and consulting firm IQbusiness. The study tested key empirical indicators of trauma including financial constraints, breakdowns in close relationships, retrenchments or caring for a loved one.

Businesses will now have to contend with the prospect of a major cut in bandwidth for those who connect through cellphone networks, as regulatory body Independent Communications Authority of South Africa  (Icasa) is moving ahead with a plan to terminate access to emergency spectrum at the end of November. “This will make it harder for workers to connect from home, leaving businesses with a difficult choice – either force workers back into the office, put them on leave or make them redundant.

As government increases its efforts to prevent corruption in the public service, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged on Monday that there was still a long way to go to instil a culture of ethics in the public service. It was recently revealed that about 17 000 public servants had applied for and received the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant meant for South Africans who are struggling financially owing to the pandemic. Ramaphosa said the “wilful intent” to steal public funds is “unforgivable”... Читать дальше...

Local fintech startup Payabill has developed a product where it takes the risk of settling the bills of international suppliers directly for qualifying small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which apply for the finance solution “using a simple and quick digital process”.   “Small businesses carry a high credit risk, and it is costly to assess their eligibility for finance, so they have been neglected by traditional lenders,” says Payabill CEO Eli Michal.

A total of 174 MW of clean, green renewable power is on the way for Sibanye-Stillwater’s platinum group metal (PGM) mines in South Africa. The total cost of the three project scheme will be in the order of R2.5-billion to R2.8-billion.