Новости за 29.02.2024

Trade statistics for January, released by the South African Revenue Services (Sars) on February 29, show a preliminary trade deficit of R9.4-billion, an improvement from the R24.4-billion trade deficit recorded for the comparable period in 2023. The trade balance is attributable to exports of R144.3-billion and imports of R153.7-billion, inclusive of trade with Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho and Namibia.

The global representative body for the airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has reported that Africa’s aviation safety performance last year was a significant improvement over that for 2022. The association has released its 2023 Annual Safety Report. African carriers did not suffer from any fatal accidents last year, whether on jet or turboprop airlines. They also experienced no jet hull losses last year. There have been no jet fatal accidents or jet hull losses in Africa since 2020. Читать дальше...

JSE-listed engineering and contracting services company Murray & Roberts (M&R) on February 29 said it has made meaningful progress towards implementing a sustainable capital structure. In a trading statement for the six months ended December 31, 2023, the group noted that it would provide further details when it publishes its interim results on March 6. It noted that this would include details about several cost rationalisation and restructuring decisions that had to be taken following a thorough cost review.

The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) will study the findings of two independent research reports on youth unemployment and consider how the research proposals can help it create and retain jobs. The findings of the two reports, which were commissioned by the DEL, were presented by Nelson Mandela University and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) at this year’s Labour Market Research Seminar, held on February 28.

The debt owed by municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal to Eskom have increased by R818-million between March 2023 and January this year, resulting in municipalities in the province now owing Eskom R1.5-billion. The State-owned power utility supplies electricity in bulk to these municipalities, which, in turn, sell it at a profit to their customers.

State-owned utility Eskom will resume direct loadshedding for City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) customers after the city's repeated failure to adhere to its obligations in this regard. Eskom said in a statement on February 29 that it would take over the role of loadshedding for the CoE's customers from March 1.

To address the impending skills shortage in the artificial intelligence (AI) and automation space, technology company IBM has launched initiatives to train two-million learners globally, focusing on underrepresented communities, in AI over the next three years. This follows on the back of research from IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV), which has found that executives estimate about 40% of their workforce will need to reskill over the next three years owing to the rise of AI and automation.

Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 has reached stability as performance improvements gain traction, confirms Durban Terminals managing executive Earle Peters.

Hino South Africa (SA) has completed an order for 33 mobile offices for the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Home Affairs. The fully equipped mobile offices will service some of KZN’s most remote rural areas.

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWA) has officially opened its new R20-million airbag deployment centre, following a construction period of nearly two years. The facility, based at the company’s B Plant in Kariega, in the Eastern Cape, will boost the assembly plant’s airbag testing capacity to 150% of its previous output.

Last year saw aviation safety, in several parameters, record its best-ever results, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported. IATA, which is the global representative body for the airline industry, has released its 2023 Annual Safety Report. There was not a single fatal accident involving jet airliners last year. Not one jet airliner became a hull loss. In all the world, commercial aviation suffered precisely one fatal accident, which involved a single turboprop airliner, which cost 72 lives... Читать дальше...

Both Cabinet and organised business have lauded the five-year public-private partnership agreement between Sasol and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), under which the energy and chemicals group will fund the maintenance and repair of a dedicated fleet of 128 ammonia tankers. In a statement following its February 28 meeting, Cabinet welcomed what it described as a “first-of-its-kind” partnership agreement, which it said would advance the country’s Freight Logistics Roadmap, drafted to turn around the underperforming sector.

Global digital transformation has reached a new stage of full intelligence driven by data and artificial intelligence (AI), said Huawei Hybrid Cloud VP Hu Yuhai. With this shift from moving applications to various clouds to data- and AI-driven industry intelligence, Huawei, at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, released its National Cloud 2.0 solution to assist government organisations worldwide in accelerating national digital transformations and promote intelligence. "The National Cloud ...

Johannesburg- and London-listed diversified mining and marketing company Anglo American announced on Thursday that jointly owned renewable energy venture with EDF Renewables, Envusa Energy, has completed the project financing for its first three wind and solar projects in South Africa. The terms and structure of this non-recourse project financing are typical of high-quality renewable energy infrastructure assets. These three renewable energy projects, known as the Koruson 2 cluster of projects and... Читать дальше...

South African scientists plan to examine about 8.5-million death certificates to ascertain how many people the country’s dependence on coal for electricity is killing. The review is the first of its kind in Africa in that it will depend on actual data rather than modeling the effects of air pollution on health. It’s the latest attempt to understand the health impacts of the country’s fleet of 14 coal-fired power plants that supply more than 80% of the nation’s power.

Tens of thousands of Mozambicans are fleeing their homes in the restive Cabo Delgado province amid a surge in deadly insurgent attacks since January. The attacks, despite a massive security clampdown, are continuing as French oil company TotalEnergies aims to restart a $20-billion liquefied natural gas terminal in Cabo Delgado in the coming months. The project was halted in 2021 after a deadly Islamic State-linked attack in a town near it.

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) says the appointment of a permanent executive team at Transnet – led by CEO Michelle Phillips, who has been acting in the role since September and who has been with the utility for 20 years – will enhance stability in the relationships between Transnet and the business sector and accelerate the implementation of the Transnet Recovery Plan. Phillips’ appointment was announced by Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan on February 28 alongside that of Nosipho Maphumulo, who has been appointed CFO.

India and South Africa have filed a formal objection against an investment agreement at a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Abu Dhabi, blocking its adoption in a move that observers say could block hundreds of billions of dollars in investment. The deal agreed by some 125 countries, or about three-quarters of the WTO's members, aims to simplify red tape, improve the investment environment and encourage foreign direct investment.

Green electrons are being generated as planned at Harmony Gold’s 30 MW first phase of renewable energy generation, which is now fully integrated into the mining company’s Tshepong South and North operations. This was made clear by Harmony FD Boipelo Lekubo, who spoke to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview on Wednesday, following the Johannesburg- and New York-listed posting a superb set of half-year financials and declaring a record interim dividend. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)