Новости за 03.12.2021

JSE-listed diversified investment management company Long4Life has received a formal proposal from Old Mutual Private Equity (OMPE) in relation to its proposed acquisition of all of the issued shares in Long4Life. The proposed transaction contemplates a cash offer by OMPE to acquire all of the ordinary shares in Long4Life at R5.80 per Long4Life share, by way of a scheme of arrangement in accordance with the Companies Act, and the subsequent delisting of Long4Life from the JSE.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier DNG Energy on December 3 announced its official entry into the South African market, after receiving its first gas shipment from the Netherlands at its plant in Germiston last week. The company is targeting the supply of LNG as an alternative fuel to diesel, and thereby a cleaner option for transport, industrial applications, power generation, mining and maritime transport.

The withdrawal of a portion of the National Environmental Management Act (Nema) has created a major challenge for mineral exploration in South Africa, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) co-sponsored exploration webinar highlighted on Thursday. Taking part in the panel discussion under moderator and seasoned geologist Dr John Bristow were IDC mining, metals, and beneficiation head Thabiso Sekano, IDC head of mining and metals, infrastructure and energy Reginald Demana, Minerals Council South... Читать дальше...

South Africa’s Environment Department has turned down an application to moor a floating, gas-fired power plant in the eastern port of Richards Bay. Anchor Energy LNG’s Nseleni power plant would have had the capability to produce 6 500 MW of electricity, according to Groundwork, an environmental activist organisation.

Judge Jody Kollapen has ordered that Eskom’s revenue application for the 2022/23 financial year be decided by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) by February 25 and that it be adjudicated in line with the multiyear pricing determination (MYPD) methodology published in 2016. The ruling follows Eskom’s application to have Nersa’s decision to reject the utility’s revenue application set aside as unlawful.

In this opinion article, SPEAR Capital partner Martin Soderberg writes about how African can achieve a just energy transition.

Of the 13 African cities included in management consulting multinational Kearney's 'Global Cities 2021' report, Johannesburg retained the highest ranking at 55, while Cairo climbed five places to 59. Cape Town, however, ranked seventy-seventh last year but dropped four places to 81 in the latest ranking.

Power utility Eskom has restored supply to the Bedfordview substation, two days ahead of schedule. Supply was restored to the substation and affected customers at about 22:00 on December 2.

The transport and logistics industry is being held captive, as the vital N3 route between the Port of Durban and the interior has been blocked again, with violence and looting having occurred, according to some reports, industry organisation the Road Freight Association's (RFA's) CEO Gavin Kelly reported on December 3. "Individuals have taken the law into their own hands to pull drivers from trucks to check their personal documents. The reports are that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is monitoring the situation.

Defence company Denel has again failed to comply with a Labour Court order, handed down on August 4, 2020, compelling the enterprise to honour all outstanding contractual obligations with Uasa members, the trade union said. Uasa spokesperson Abigail Moyo said the trade union was “disappointed” that the State-owned enterprise failed to comply with the court order and that it could show that the entity managed to comply with only half of its obligations, despite the lapse of almost 16 months since the court order was issued.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reappointed advocate Pansy Tlakula as chairperson of the Information Regulator. Advocate Lebogang Stroom-Nzama and Advocate Collen Weapond have also been reappointed as full-time members of the Information Regulator.

The high court has dismissed an urgent application to block Shell from proceeding with a seismic survey off the Eastern Cape coast. The ruling was delivered by Judge Avinash Govindjee at the Eastern Cape Division of the Makhanda High Court on Wednesday. Earlier this week, four environmental and human rights organisations - Greenpeace Africa, Natural Justice, the Border Deep Sea Angling Association and the Kei Mouth Ski Boat Club - filed an urgent application to block the seismic survey, given the... Читать дальше...

The University of Johannesburg announced on Friday its decision to institute mandatory vaccination at all its campuses and facilities from January 2022. It will consider religious and medical exemptions but stressed that collective rights will take precedence as per Section 36 of the Constitution. All staff, students and postdoctoral research fellows – as well as visitors, contractors and other stakeholders – will have to show proof of partial or full vaccination before entering any campus or facility.

The Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) has launched a review application in the North Gauteng High Court, in Pretoria, in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) and/or the principle of legality, for the previous alcohol bans imposed by government to be declared irrational, invalid and set aside. The application focuses on the decisions by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to enforce alcohol bans in July and December 2020, June 2021, as well as... Читать дальше...

South Africa's private sector business activity recovered in November after staff in its biggest metal-workers union returned to work after striking in October, a survey showed on Friday. IHS Markit's Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) jumped to a six-month high of 51.7 in November from 48.6 a month before, skipping back into expansionary territory after a month.

The Emalahleni local municipality in Mpumalanga has revealed that it owes Eskom over R5-billion for unpaid electricity. It has, therefore, handed over to its lawyers the accounts of some 30 defaulting customers, in a quest to collect the revenue and pay the debt. Emalahleni's communications manager, Lebo Mofokeng, said this week the municipality was experiencing a high rate of non-payment of various services by residents, businesses and some government departments. He said the current rate of unemployment in Emalahleni was high... Читать дальше...

Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the latest legal wrangle between Eskom and Nersa, why Eskom sought the court's intervention against Nersa, some of the highlights of the judgment and the way forward.

Some motorists unwittingly paid 6c/litre more per litre of fuel than they should have on Wednesday morning. This was before the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy admitted that it had made a calculation error on the announced 81c increase - saying that it was only meant to increase by 75c. The department attributed the error to a salary adjustment for service station employees that was already implemented in September's petrol price, but added again in this month's hike. Even with the reduced hike... Читать дальше...

South Africa, which is contending with a massive upsurge in coronavirus infections following the onset of the omicron variant, is readying a mandatory vaccine policy and is set to implement it early next year, a senior labour union official said. Broad agreement has been reached on the policy in the National Economic Development and Labour Council, a negotiating forum, although some details have yet to be ironed out. The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the country’s biggest labour group,... Читать дальше...

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

Ford South Africa (SA) is on schedule with its R15.8-billion expansion programme to significantly boost its exports from the Silverton plant in Pretoria as from next year, says Ford Motor Company Africa president Neale Hill. Ford SA will produce the new-generation Ranger pick-up at the Tshwane plant, starting in 2022.

Automotive company Ford Motor Company on December 2 announced an investment of R600-million into its Struandale engine plant, in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). This investment will support the launch of a new 3 litre V6 turbodiesel engine, as well as upgrades to the existing assembly line for the 2 litre single turbo and 2 litre bi-turbo diesel engines, which will be offered in the company’s recently unveiled next-generation Ford Ranger pick-up, slated to launch next year.