RDM News Wire

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RDM News Wire

Africa’s pharmaceutical industry grows, but needs funding

6th April 2016 Africa’s pharmaceutical markets are growing in every sector as the industry is undergoing a period of very significant transformation, but more funding was necessary to expand further. This was said at the high-level panel discussion on the theme “unleashing the potential of pharmaceuticals in... →

PRASA seeks refund in dodgy tender debacle

30th November 2015 Rail parastatal PRASA launched a dramatic court action this week to recover from one of South Africa's biggest ever tender debacles involving billions of rand‚ the newspaper reported. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa wants the Spanish company that provided the controversial Afro 4000... →

AfriForum moves against fracking regulation

27th November 2015 AfriForum has taken its fight against fracking a step further. The group released a statement on Friday saying it had‚ together with the Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG)‚ submitted documentation at the North Gauteng High Court “challenging the regulations with regard to petroleum... →

$AfriForum moves against fracking regulation$

Gigaba demands of critics: How are you keeping SA safer?

25th November 2015 If Home Affairs has to make concessions for a flagging tourism sector‚ the Department of Tourism must share how it is “assisting government to keep South Africa safe and prosperous”. Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba appeared to make this subtle stab at his Tourism counterpart Derek Hanekom in... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba

DA rejects R5bn SAA bailout

18th November 2015 The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the National Treasury to “immediately and publicly” reject South African Airway’s request for a further bailout of R5 billion. DA spokesperson on public enterprises Natasha Mazzone said the request was ludicrous given the financial constraints the... →

Scopa members irked by PRASA board’s lack of answers

18th November 2015 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) board was sent packing by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) committee after it failed to adequately answer questions about the procurement of new locomotives. Members of Parliament’s watchdog committee asked several... →

Rand falls to record low after Paris attacks

16th November 2015 The rand touched its worst level against the dollar on Monday afternoon at R14.44 following Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris‚ as did other emerging currencies. Its previous worst level against the dollar was R14.4286 on Friday. →

Jail for traders in illegal gold

13th November 2015 While illegal miners continue to face arrest and the possibility of losing their lives in violent turf wars or accidents‚ the traders who keep them in business are rarely apprehended. But three such men were brought to book this week. →

Fracking task team denied opportunity to address meeting

10th November 2015 Pro-fracking entrepreneurs brought the first public meeting of scientists studying the controversial attempt to mine gas buried deep under the Karoo to a sudden halt in Graaff-Reinet's Masizake Hall on Monday. In May‚ cabinet mandated five government departments and three science councils and... →

Eskom boosts electricity supply in Mpumalanga

9th November 2015 Eskom has installed and commissioned a new transformer at the Acornhoek substation in Bushbuckridge as part of its plans to upgrade electricity infrastructure and boost the power supply in Northern Mpumalanga. The R144-million project started in September 2014 and consists of two phases‚ which... →

PRASA: Government has final say on new CEO

9th November 2015 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has started the process of finding a new CEO in place of Lucky Montana‚ who was sacked earlier this year. In adverts for the post which appeared in newspapers last week‚ PRASA states that they are looking for “a results-orientated individual” “who... →

e.tv to take digital migration policy appeal to Supreme Court

6th November 2015 Free-to-air broadcaster e.tv has been given permission to take its fight against the government’s digital migration policy to the Supreme Court of Appeal. Pretoria High Court Judge Bill Prinsloo granted e.tv leave to appeal on Friday‚ signalling further delay to the country’s fraught attempt to... →

MTN Zakhele lists on JSE

5th November 2015 MTN Zakhele on Thursday became the the first company to list on the Empowerment Segment of the JSE this year. The listing of MTN Zakhele‚ which was “established as a vehicle for previously disadvantaged South Africans to invest in MTN Group”‚ follows a directive from the Financial Services Board... →

ANC rams anti-investment Bill through Committee‚ DA charges

3rd November 2015 The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the African National Congress (ANC) of ramming the Protection of Investment Bill through the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry‚ despite the objections of the DA‚ other opposition parties and the overwhelming majority of foreign investors in South... →

Nzimande looks to basic education budget to solve his problems

29th October 2015 Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has hinted that the answer to his department's future funding woes could lie in the Department of Basic Education's budget. Addressing Parliament's portfolio committee on Higher Education yesterday‚ he said that the funding crisis was the... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande

Water restrictions hit Harry Gwala district

28th October 2015 The drought in KwaZulu-Natal is intensifying. The Harry Gwala district Municipality in KZN has become the latest to announce major water restrictions‚ KZN MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube said in a statement on Wednesday. →

Tax the rich to fund education‚ says Nzimande

27th October 2015 Blade Nzimande thinks that the student protests are a sign of the success of the governments higher education programme‚ and that the rich should be made to fund the sector in the country. The Minister of Higher Education and Training delivered an address in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Blade Nzimande

Anglo denies owning any mines involved in silocosis lawsuit

22nd October 2015 Anglo American South Africa Limited on Wednesday asked the high court in Johannesburg to exclude it in the landmark silicosis class action lawsuit as it was not the owner of the mines being sued. Anglo American is one of the 32 companies which are opposing a bid by former gold mineworkers who... →

Mining companies hit back in silicosis lawsuit

16th October 2015 Gold mining companies have given their reasons for opposing former mineworkers’ bid to certify a silicosis class action that seeks compensation for contracting lung diseases at their mines. The 69 mineworkers want the Johannesburg high court to certify a class of claimants comprising of current... →

Peters calls for probe into bridge collapse

15th October 2015 Investigations into the collapse the bridge linking Sandton and Alexandra township have been announced by various agencies as the Minister of Transport called for an investigation on Thursday. Construction company Murray & Roberts launched a formal investigation into the collapse of the bridge... →

DA lays charges against previous Sapo directors

12th October 2015 The South African Post Office (Sapo) on Monday became the latest government-owned entity to become the subject of a criminal investigation. The Democratic Alliance’s Cameron Mackenzie said he was “laying criminal charges against…previous directors of Sapo for‚ among other crimes‚ their failure to... →

World Bank accedes to DA request to probe Hitachi payments

7th October 2015 The Democratic Alliance on Wednesday said The World Bank “will investigate the corruption scandal surrounding Hitachi and African National Congress front-company‚ Chancellor House”. In a statement‚ party leader Mmusi Maimane said the bank’s “integrity vice-president‚ Leonard McCarthy‚ has... →

Zuma fast-tracks compensation for Marikana families

30th September 2015 President Jacob Zuma has announced that he supports “swift compensation for bona fide claims” against government arising from the 2012 Marikana shootings. “What happened at Marikana hurt the whole nation and the time has come for healing to begin‚” the president said in a statement. →

DA to lay charges over Hitachi payment to ANC ‘front’

29th September 2015 Hitachi Ltd’s admission to having made improper payments to the African National Congress’ (ANC) investment company‚ “is clearly an admission of de facto corruption”‚ the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday The DA said it will be laying criminal charges against Chancellor House and writing... →

Africa must focus on oceans, power and ICTs – Zuma

28th September 2015 A focus on oceans, power generation and information and communications technology (ICT) will move Africa towards a new era of inclusive growth, President Jacob Zuma said in New York on Sunday. Zuma told the Pan African Students Association at Princeton University that the growth of the ICT sector... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Jacob Zuma

DA: Fire Muthambi over Motsoeneng pay raise

25th September 2015 The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it wants Communications Minister Faith Muthambi’s head to roll over Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s controversial pay raise. The party on Friday said it welcomed an African National Congress (ANC) statement “condemning” the South African Broadacasting Corporation (SABC)... →

Photo by GCIS
Communications Minister Faith Muthambi

Communities being stripped of their heritage by mining

24th September 2015 Communities in Sekhukhune, in Limpopo, were not only being stripped of their dignity‚ but of their heritage too thanks to mining‚ said Trevor Malope‚ a Bench Marks Foundation’s community monitor. “Our land is an incredibly important part of our culture and integral to our lives‚ but mining has... →

Photo by Anglo-American
Anglo-American’s Twickenham mine, Limpopo.

Unemployment compounded by lack of post-school education opportunities

21st September 2015 While unemployment in South Africa is exacerbated by a lack of appropriate skills‚ it is also compounded by the shortage of suitable post-school education opportunities‚ Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Sunday. He was speaking on the occasion of the release of the government's... →

SA Inc takes ‘tick the boxes’ appraoch to economic transformation

15th September 2015 “Corporate South Africa seems to be engaged in malicious compliance” rather than being committed to economic empowerment‚ the African National Congress’ Gauteng chairperson Paul Mashatile said on Monday night. In an address to the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation‚ Paul Mashatile said that the stability... →

Land claims threaten forestry company's viability‚ MPs told

14th September 2015 The land claims at Komatiland Forests‚ a subsidiary of South African Forestry Company Limited (Safcol)‚ threatens the viability of current operation‚ with 61% of the plantation being claimed by more than 50 groups of people‚ MPs were told. The Select Committee on Communications and Public... →

Treasury looking into infrastructure funding bottlenecks‚ says Nene

14th September 2015 The Treasury was engaging with various stakeholders to unlock any funding bottlenecks for infrastructure projects‚ Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said on Monday. The aim is to facilitate more investment in public infrastructure. Mr Nene emphasised‚ however‚ that he was not planning to compel... →

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene

US tariff threat as dispute drags on

11th September 2015 The Obama administration is actively considering the re-imposition of tariffs on a range of South African exports worth billions of rand including cars‚ ferromanganese‚ citrus and wine‚ unless South Africa moves rapidly to open its market to US chicken‚ beef and pork‚ Business Day reported.... →

US trade representative Michael Froman

Opposition leader requests meeting with president to discuss 'economic crisis'

10th September 2015 South Africa was facing an economic crisis and urgent action was needed to “arrest the backward slide of our economy and prevent any further deterioration in our economic outlook”‚ Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said on Thursday. He said that in order to find solutions that would... →

DA leader Mmusi Maimane

Government reaches groundbreaking deal with Alexandra stakeholders

9th September 2015 Government has reached an agreement with the Alexandra Property Owners which will bring to an end a 10-year-old land dispute which has prohibited government to undertake a massive development programme to rehabilitate and de-densify the old sections of the township. The Gauteng Provincial... →

Rand hits historic low of R13.98 against dollar

7th September 2015 The rand on Monday touched its weakest level to date against the dollar‚ at R13.9804‚ as possible interest rate hikes in the US and Chinese market uncertainty weighed on the local currency. Bidvest Bank said in a note that rand weakness had “accelerated at a remarkable pace” over the past two to... →

Nuclear the cheapest; subsidises renewables‚ says minister

3rd September 2015 Nuclear energy is the cheapest source of energy in South Africa‚ and is subsidising renewable energy‚ says Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson‚ on another day of heated parliamentary debate as ministers refused to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the proposed nuclear new build deal.... →

Minister should clarify position on nuclear build programme – DA

1st September 2015 “In today’s sitting of Parliament’s energy committee‚ the Minister of Energy‚ Tina Joemat-Pettersson‚ shamelessly contradicted herself as to the affordability of the nuclear build programme‚” Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Gordon Mackay said on Tuesday. “The minister stated that an affordability... →

DA MP Gordon Mackay

Transport department to run eNaTIS soon

31st August 2015 The high court in Pretoria has struck another blow to the technology company that is trying to hold on to the lucrative contract to operate the electronic national administration traffic information system (eNaTIS). Judge Wendy Hughes on Friday last week approved the Department of Transport’s... →

DA to request access to PRASA locomotive contracts

31st August 2015 The Democratic Alliance says it will on Monday submit an application in terms of section 18 (1) of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain the tender contract details of the acquisition of the Afro4000 diesel locomotives from the Spanish company Vossloh Espana. This comes as... →

Ramatlhodi mired in new mine rights row – newspaper

28th August 2015 Aquila Resources‚ a subsidiary of China’s state-owned Baosteel‚ which has had a long-running battle with the Department of Mineral Resources over a manganese deposit‚ is poised to approach the courts to seek a judicial review if a resolution is not reached‚ Business Day reported. If the legal... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi

Local government wage negotiations successfully concluded with no strike action – Salga

27th August 2015 The South African Local Government Association (Salga) said on Wednesday it had successfully concluded the salary and wage negotiations with trade unions in the local government sector‚ and that "strike action and its destabilising effects have been averted". "The agreement is a three year deal... →

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