Новости за 10.12.2021

The private sector in Africa will play a critical role in speeding up industrial development and economic diversification, particularly in the context of the ongoing pandemic and other development challenges, as part of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), says logistics company Imperial Business Intelligence executive Mark Prommel and Imperial marketing and communications VP Melissa Arjoonan. The private sector accounts for about 80% of total production, 67% of investment, 75% of credit... Читать дальше...

Researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research briefed the media on Friday on some of the organisation’s research, development and innovation efforts aimed at addressing the HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis epidemics in South Africa. CSIR researcher Dr Advaita Singh shed light on an innovative plant-based, highly potent anti-HIV antibodies research initiative. CSIR lab technician Kanyane Malatji provided insight into a multiplex HIV and TB point-of-care diagnostic test being developed for use in remote and rural areas.

Recent issues experienced with listeriosis, leaking cans and expired nuts and fruit demonstrate the need for food manufacturers, producers, retailers and every organisation involved in the handling of the supply chain to be trained and certified in food safety systems, says South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Standards divisional head Dr Sadhvir Bissoon. “There are certain processes in the food value chain that need to be controlled despite challenges that may be experienced, such as excessive... Читать дальше...

South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope array has provided the data for yet another major astronomical discovery. This time it has enabled an international team of astronomers to discover an unprecedentedly large series of clouds of elemental hydrogen gas, without any associated stars. MeerKAT, located in the Karoo region, roughly west of the Northern Cape town of Carnarvon, has won enthusiastic plaudits from the global astronomy and astrophysics communities because of the unprecedentedly high resolution data it is providing. Читать дальше...

The National Treasury reports that, on aggregate, municipalities spent 21.5% (R111.9-billion) of the total adopted expenditure budget of R521.3-billion for the first quarter of the 2021/22 financial year ended September 30. As for revenue, aggregate municipal billing and other revenue amounted to 25.3% (R130.6-billion) of the total adopted revenue budget of R516.7-billion, while 22.9% (R103.8-billion) of the adopted operating expenditure budget of R452.3-billion, was spent.

An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) comprising only solar, wind and storage (SWS) would deliver not only a load-shedding-free electricity supply industry but also create the platform for new industries to be built on near-zero-marginal-cost excess green electricity, a South African energy expert shows. Detailed modelling undertaken by Clyde Mallinson outlines that this alternative SWS IRP would involve the deployment, between 2021 and 2040, of 40 GW of new wind, 230 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) and 35 GW/290 GWh of storage... Читать дальше...

State-owned Transnet has made significant strides to deliver on localisation, as part of the country’s industrialisation policy, and the logistics sector can support manufacturing demand within South Africa for key components and equipment essential for its operations, it said in a release on December 9. This will be an important contribution by Transnet to increasing inclusive growth in South Africa, which itself will enhance the group's business, it added.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has issued the final Invitation To Apply (ITA) for the licensing process for the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum. Interested stakeholders are required to submit their applications by January 31, 2022, with the announcements of qualifying bidders and start of the actual auction phase scheduled for February 21 and March 8 respectively.

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has responded to an open letter submitted to him by the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa), dated November 23. In the open letter, Seifsa wrote on behalf of 18 employer organisations, representing 170 000 employees, asking for his assurance that corruption at the power utility is being rooted out , as well as asking for Eskom to effect greater predictability on blackouts for businesses going forward.

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has established a Water Political Steering Committee in KwaZulu-Natal to tackle water challenges in the province. The committee, chaired by the Minister, includes Premier Sihle Zikalala, Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers Dikeledi Magadzi and David Mahlobo and executive mayors of municipalities in the province.

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has collected R115-billion through compliance activities, to date, this year. About 33% of the R115-billion was collected as a result of the automatic risk profiling of taxpayers using data and machine learning.

A 48-hour flash survey by the Southern African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Southern Africa) shows that 75% of the respondents, which are members of the chamber, indicated that staff or project personnel are required to travel to the European Union (EU), Germany or South Africa within the next three months and may be unable to do so at the current point in time. The 'Travel Restrictions between South Africa and Germany/the EU' survey also showed that 87% of respondents are worried... Читать дальше...

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has set aside more than R3-billion to benefit local small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs), in Mpondoland, in the Eastern Cape, as part of the construction of the N2 Wild Coast Road. About 8 000 direct jobs and up to 20 000 indirect jobs will also be created, says Sanral N2 Wild Coast Road project manager Mbulelo Sonqishe.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has appointed Thabi Nkosi as the nonexecutive chairperson of the Land and Agricultural Development Bank (Land Bank). He also appointed Pamela Mondliwa as his special adviser on economic policy and Nokwanda Mahori as the Parliamentary liaison to the Ministry of Finance.

Property price growth has been on a positive trajectory, which is expected to gain momentum in 2022, says real estate company Rawson Property Group MD Tony Clarke. Lenders are expected to remain bullish in 2022, with up to 105% mortgages likely to be available for some time to come, he notes.

Nongovernmental organisation (NGO) Innovation: Africa has set itself the ambitious goal of impacting more than ten-million people positively by the end of 2026, through the installation of solar power in schools and medical centers and the implementation of solar water pumping systems in rural African villages. To date, the organisation has completed over 600 solar and water projects and over the next five years, aims to complete more than 2 000 projects. This goal equates to one project, or installation, a day.

Mine safety and productivity technology company Schauenburg Systems has, through its partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES), donated R800 000 towards the establishment and construction of a digital laboratory to help young, unemployed people learn critical skills in the technology field. The company’s donation for the establishment of a digital lab at the Netcare Ulusha Hub at the Alex Mall, in Alexandra, will enable the digital lab to offer courses aligned with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

While international climate agreements and local initiatives, such as the updated National Waste Management Strategy, help to spur businesses to pursue zero emissions and waste to the environment, 45% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are generated by the way people make and use products, says waste management and recycling company Averda MD Justice Tootla. Local businesses need to start looking at how they can contribute to reducing waste and emissions, he says.

Airbus Defence and Space, a division of the Europe-based global major aerospace group Airbus, has been contracted by the European Space Agency (ESA) to build the spacecraft for the agency’s latest mission in its ‘Cosmic Vision’ programme. That mission, which is the fourth medium-class mission within Cosmic Vision, is designated ‘Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey’ (Ariel). The contract is worth some €200-million. Exoplanets are planets found outside our Solar System, and ...

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

Producing ‘green steel’ in South Africa might be a distant dream, but exporting ‘green iron-ore’ is achievable in the medium term, says Afriforesight materials engineer and project innovation manager Dr Brandon Davoren. Amid the global trend towards sustainability and in the wake of the twenty-sixth United Nations’ Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP26, mining companies and steel producers are considering the viability of ‘greening’ the steel industry and, as a result, the iron-ore sector.