Sashnee Moodley

https://staging1.creamermedia.com/

Sashnee Moodley

Sashnee Moodley is Senior Deputy Editor Polity and Multimedia.

Wits enters into trilateral agreement to boost opportunities for entrepreneurs

9th February 2015 The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), on Monday, entered into a trilateral partnership with Ryerson University, in Canada, and the Bombay Stock Exchange, in India, to increase entrepreneurial growth opportunities and fast-track start-up incubation in the three partner countries. →

Imperial Holdings warns of lower H1 earnings

9th February 2015 JSE-listed Imperial Holdings’ share price on the JSE fell nearly 5.7% on Monday afternoon as the company warned of lower operating income and earnings for the six months ended December 31. →

Photo by Duane Daws
Mark Lamberti

Financial benefits from renewable energy beginning to flow – study

6th February 2015 The renewable energy from South Africa’s first wind and solar projects last year delivered R800-million more in financial benefits for the country than it cost, according to a study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). →

Photo by Duane Daws
COST BENEFITS The CSIR study found that diesel and coal fuel cost savings were R3.7-billion, owing to the generation of 2.2 TWh of wind and solar energy

Ethos buys controlling stake in AutoZone

6th February 2015 Private equity investor Ethos has bought a controlling interest in Southern Africa-focused aftermarket automotive parts retailer and wholesaler AutoZone for an undisclosed amount. →

Photo by Duane Daws
STRATEGIC DEAL Black economic-empowerment investors and AutoZone’s management would retain a stake in the company

Gauteng names bidders for ‘open tender’ Cedar road upgrade

6th February 2015 The Gauteng Provincial Treasury and the Department of Roads and Transport last month revealed the names of the 12 bidders for the Cedar road upgrade tender, which formed part of the province’s open tender pilot project. →

Photo by Dylan Slater
BARBARA CREECY Lessons learned form the pilot will be used to improve the process and ensure greater public scrutiny of the tendering process

Kathu Solar PV project to deliver 179 GWh/y to the national grid

6th February 2015 The Kathu solar photovoltaic (PV) facility, in the Northern Cape, is expected to deliver 179 GWh/y of clean energy to the national grid. →

New technology used to restore damaged pipes

6th February 2015 Innovative technology has successfully been used in a rehabilitation project by pipe relining solutions provider Water Damage Services to restore corroded pipes at the Good Hope Centre, in Cape Town. →

Business debt improving – Experian

4th February 2015 The rate at which businesses have been paying off their debts over the last five years has been improving, with local businesses also having improved their balance sheets, despite slow domestic economic growth. →

Michelle Beetar

Construction starts on N$239m road project

30th January 2015 Multidisciplinary construction and engineering group Aveng Grinaker-LTA has started upgrading the B1 national road between Windhoek and Okahandja, in Namibia, to a dual carriageway at a cost of N$239-million. →

B1 NATIONAL ROAD Aveng Grinaker-LTA will upgrade a 10 km stretch of the road

Datatec expects 2015 FY revenue to exceed $6bn

30th January 2015 International information and communications technology group Datatec expects to report revenues in excess of $6-billion and underlying earnings a share of more than $0.40 for the financial year ending February 28, 2015. →

Trade conditions improved in December – Sacci

30th January 2015 The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (Sacci’s) seasonally adjusted Trade Activity Index (TAI) increased marginally to 56 in December, compared with 54 in November. →

Astrapak incurs R2m downtime costs as power cuts bite

30th January 2015 The “seriously disruptive” electricity outages in South Africa have cost packaging group Astrapak more than R2-million in “irrecoverable downtime costs”, the company said on Monday, adding that the power cuts were negating some of the benefit of energy saving initiatives. →

Photo by Duane Daws
ASTRAPAK The group highlighted that executive strategic interventions and other group-wide business improvement imperatives were progressing favourably

Aggreko extends contract for 200 MW Côte d'Ivoire power project

26th January 2015 Temporary power generation services provider Aggreko has extended the contract for its 200 MW gas-fired power project in Côte d'Ivoire by three years, with the option to extend this by a further two years. →

Public review period for KiPower water use licence report extended

26th January 2015 The public review period for the integrated water use licence application for the proposed construction of a 600 MW coal-fired independent power producer plant and associated infrastructure for Kuyasa Mining subsidiary KiPower will be extended until March 24. →

Eskom implements load shedding

26th January 2015 State-owned power utility Eskom on Monday urged consumers to save electricity as it implemented load shedding, owing to unforeseen technical problems at some of its power stations. The utility on Monday morning announced that it would start stage one load shedding, which allows for 1 000 MW of... →

Company increases African network through indaba

23rd January 2015 Oil condition monitoring company WearCheck, a member of Setpoint Group, hopes to increase its network on the African continent and reach a new market of mining customers, MD Neil Robinson tells Mining Weekly. The company will exhibit at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, which is... →

LAB WearCheck also aims to showcase its interest in wind testing, a deviation from its usual mining-related activities

Sishen solar photovoltaic plant connects to national grid

23rd January 2015 The 216-GWh-producing Sishen solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Northern Cape has officially connected to the national grid and will have the highest level of electricity output of all the operational solar PV plants in Africa, said Spanish stakeholder Acciona Energía, last month. →

SISHEN SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT The plant will produce electricity equivalent to the consumption of around 100 000 South African households a year and has a peak capacity of 94.3 MW and 74 nominal MW

Big business offers support to government as electricity crisis deepens

23rd January 2015 Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) last month welcomed Cabinet’s establishment of a technical team war room to undertake various interventions to improve electricity supply security over the short- and medium-term, but added that the private sector also had a role to play during the... →

Integrated transport planning key to meeting infrastructure objectives

23rd January 2015 In an effort to accelerate transport planning in South Africa, Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters officially launched the National Transport Forum (NTF) and Transport Sector Broad-Based Black Economic-Empowerment (BBBEE) Charter Council in Johannesburg last month. →

€625m financial backing for Lake Turkana wind project

23rd January 2015 International investors have arranged a €625m finance package for the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project, for which the construction of a 300 MW wind farm, in north-eastern Kenya is taking place. →

Solidarity wins in bargaining unit dispute with RDM

22nd January 2015 Trade union Solidarity’s three-year dispute with defence company Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) over the interpretation of a recognition agreement between the two entities has come to an end after the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) ruled in the union’s favour. →

Kathu Solar PV project to deliver 179 GWh/y to the national grid

22nd January 2015 The Kathu solar photovoltaic (PV) facility, in the Northern Cape, is expected to deliver 179 GWh/y of clean energy to the national grid. →

Municipalities’ R4bn debt to Eskom hindering electricity supply

22nd January 2015 Municipalities owe State-owned power utility Eskom more than R4.6-billion, an increase of more than R2-billion in the last year, a debt that is contributing to the pressure on Eskom’s ability to provide electricity. →

Gauteng govt reveals bidders for Cedar road upgrade

21st January 2015 The Gauteng Provincial Treasury and the Department of Roads and Transport on Wednesday revealed the names of the 12 bidders for the Cedar road upgrade tender, which formed part of the province’s open tender pilot project. →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Finance MEC Barbara Creecy

South Africa sees financial benefits from renewable energy in 2014 – CSIR

21st January 2015 The renewable energy from South Africa’s first wind and solar projects last year delivered R800-million more in financial benefits for the country than it cost, according to a study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). →

Ethos buys controlling stake in AutoZone

21st January 2015 Private equity investor Ethos has bought a controlling interest in Southern Africa-focused aftermarket automotive parts retailer and wholesaler AutoZone for an undisclosed amount. →

Electricity outages cost Astrapak R2m, restructuring initiatives progressing

19th January 2015 The “seriously disruptive” electricity outages in South Africa have cost packaging group Astrapak more than R2-million in “irrecoverable downtime costs”, the company said on Monday, adding that the power cuts were negating some of the benefit of energy saving initiatives. →

Social housing company launches two developments as it marks milestone

16th January 2015 The Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) officially launched Phase 2 of its City Deep Social Housing project, handed over keys to its Fleurhof units to new residents and celebrated its tenth anniversary in Johannesburg last month. →

CITY DEEP PROJECT The project aims to integrate mixed-income groups to achieve social, economic and spatial integration

Competition seeks to tap creative juices of engineering students worldwide

16th January 2015 Automotive component manufacturer Valeo invites engineering students worldwide to enter its Valeo Innovation Challenge and submit projects using the contest’s website by February 2. →

Govt rolls out streamlined licensing processes

16th January 2015 Government rolled out its One Environmental System to streamline licensing processes for mining, environmental authorisations and water use, in December last year, with the aim to improve the ease of doing business and further enhance South Africa’s global competitiveness as a mining investment... →

Company to roll out more water-recycling plants following award-wining projects

16th January 2015 Physical asset management company Pragma will continue to install grey-water recovery plants at petroleum group Shell’s various Ultra Cities, where possible, following the success of its award-winning recycling plant, which was installed at Shell’s Three Sisters Ultra City, next to the N1... →

Cell C plans to replicate Gauteng upgrade across other regional centres

16th January 2015 South Africa’s third-largest mobile operator Cell C has completed its intensive Radio Access Network (RAN) upgrade project in Gauteng and will be introducing similar projects in other metro regions countrywide to drive stability, quality and modernisation of the network. →

Sappi aims to launch pilot plant for nanocellulose solution by end-2015

16th January 2015 Pulp and paper producer Sappi and the UK’s Edinburgh Napier University have discovered a new low-cost process to make nanocellulose, following a three-year partnership, with Sappi planning to build a pilot-scale plant for low-cost cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) production. →

Strong demand forecast for diamonds, but access to finance a concern

16th January 2015 The diamond industry can expect a strong demand outlook in future; however, access to diamond financing – especially for traders, cutters, polishers and jewellery manufacturers – could hinder future market growth. →

Construction starts on N$239m road project

15th January 2015 Multidisciplinary construction and engineering group Aveng Grinaker-LTA has started upgrading the B1 national road between Windhoek and Okahandja, in Namibia, to a dual carriageway at a cost of N$239-million. →

Improved trade conditions in December – Sacci

15th January 2015 The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (Sacci’s) seasonally adjusted Trade Activity Index (TAI) increased marginally to 56 in December, compared with 54 in November. →

Datatec expects 2015 FY revenue to exceed $6bn

15th January 2015 International information and communications technology group Datatec expects to report revenues in excess of $6-billion and underlying earnings a share of more than $0.40 for the financial year ending February 28, 2015. →

Photo by Duane Daws
Datatec CEO Jens Montanana

BLSA offers business support during electricity crisis

12th December 2014 Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) on Friday welcomed Cabinet’s establishment of a technical team war room to undertake various interventions to improve electricity supply security over the short- and medium-term, but added that the private sector also had a role to play during the... →

‘Africa’s highest producing’ solar plant connects to national grid

12th December 2014 The 216-GWh-producing Sishen solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Northern Cape has officially connected to the national grid and will have the highest level of electricity output of all the operational solar PV plants in Africa, says Spanish stakeholder Acciona Energía. →

Electronics group aims to ramp up SA television assembly

12th December 2014 Electronics company LG South Africa expected to increase its manufacturing output to 320 000 units by 2015 at its Johannesburg manufacturing facility – the only one in South Africa – said LG production manager Noelin Pillay during a media tour of the facility earlier this month. →

Photo by Duane Daws
NOELIN PILLAY LG’s manufacturing facility currently produces 280 000 units a year

New programme seeks youth-employment remedy in education

12th December 2014 The Deutsche Bank South Africa Foundation launched its Born To Be programme in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, last month to help tackle youth unemployment in South Africa. →

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