Irma Venter

https://staging1.creamermedia.com/

Irma Venter

Irma Venter is a Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.

VW Africa expands solar array at Kariega plant to more than 12 000 panels

20th November 2024 Volkswagen Group Africa (VWA) has added an additional 3 MW solar power to its local grid, bringing the total output of renewable energy to 5.9 MW. This is enough energy to power at least 2 000 two-bedroom houses with geysers and electrical appliances. →

Frank discussion needed about 30% local procurement rule – Macpherson

19th November 2024 The country must have a frank discussion about the 30% local procurement rule, which has been abused by the so-called construction mafia, says Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. Macpherson spoke at the National Construction Summit on Crime-Free Construction Sites, held in... →

Dean Macpherson

Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa announces Dakar 2025 line-up

18th November 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) has announced that it will field four crews, each driving the latest iteration of the GR Hilux IMT Evo, in the 2025 Dakar Rally. The vehicle won top honours in the 2024 South African Rally-Raid Championship in the hands of Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings. →

Afrirent secures lease to develop prime site next door to Cape Town convention centre

18th November 2024 Afrirent Holdings has secured the winning bid to develop a prime site located next to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The right to construct a mixed-use development, valued roughly at R1.2-billion, follows a public lease auction, with Afrirent Holdings submitting the... →

The area earmarked for development

Public Works to blacklist ‘criminal’ contractors as delayed projects reach R3-billion

15th November 2024 Out of the 206 infrastructure projects overseen by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) this financial year, 164 projects are experiencing delays, says Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. Addressing Parliament this week, he said this represented a 79%... →

Dean Macpherson

Automotive Industry Transformation Fund distributes R596m to 67 companies

15th November 2024 The Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) has since its inception in 2020 invested R596-million in 67 companies across the automotive value chain, says CEO Jabu Selumane. “Our goal is to support 90 companies by 2029, and we are well on our way to achieving that.” →

South Africans mostly keen on EVs, but infrastructure concerns persist – Ford study

15th November 2024 More than 40% of South Africans are considering purchasing an electrified vehicle (EV) in the next five years. This is according to a survey by Ford Motor Company, with most respondents preferring hybrid technology. →

Kia unveils its long-awaited one-ton bakkie

15th November 2024 Korean vehicle manufacturer Kia has lifted the veil on its long-awaited one-ton bakkie, the Tasman. The vehicle, the first of its kind for Kia, had its global premiere at Jeddah International Motor Show, in Saudi Arabia, in October. →

Construction mafia remains a major problem, warns MBA North

15th November 2024 The problem posed by the construction mafia on the ground remains a major stumbling block in the recovery of the construction industry, and especially its ability to create more jobs, says Master Builders Association (MBA) North executive director Mohau Mphomela. “The construction mafia remains... →

Volkswagen rolls out electric tractors, with battery swapping, in Rwanda

14th November 2024 Volkswagen Group Africa (VWA) has announced the start of operations of a modern farming pilot project in Gashora, Rwanda, that will see the rollout of specially developed VW-badged electric tractors (e-tractors) for use by farmers in the area. The GenFarm Project aims to facilitate... →

The Volkswagen electric tractor

FAW to upgrade Coega truck plant in R200m investment

13th November 2024 FAW Trucks Southern Africa will invest R200-million in upgrading its Coega assembly plant, in the Eastern Cape. “We are planning to level up our productivity,” says FAW SA assembly plant GM Peng Lei. →

Cape Town’s Mayco greenlights release of prime Green Point site for mixed-use development

13th November 2024 The City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) Mayoral Committee (Mayco) has greenlit a public participation process to release prime property in Green Point for mixed-use development, including affordable housing and commercial opportunities. The property is situated at 1 Three Anchor Bay road, Green Point,... →

The proposed development site

R5.2bn Potsdam upgrade on track for completion in 2027 – City of Cape Town

12th November 2024 Twenty months into the large-scale upgrade of the Potsdam wastewater treatment works (WWTW), the City of Cape Town (CoCT) says the R5.2-billion project is on track to be completed in 2027. The upgrade is being executed through two construction contracts – one for civil infrastructure and another... →

Construction work at Potsdam WWTW

Chery notches up record month as Chinese vehicle sales continue to gain traction

11th November 2024 Chery South Africa (Chery SA) achieved a new monthly sales record in October, with 1 831 vehicles finding new owners. This is a 33.7% jump compared with October last year, reports the Chinese importer. →

Suzuki breaches 6 000 new-vehicle sales mark for the first time

11th November 2024 Suzuki Auto South Africa (Suzuki SA) set a new sales record in October, when it breached the 6 000-unit-a-month mark for the first time. The local arm of the Japanese budget brand recorded sales of 6 006 new Suzuki vehicles, which places it third in total new-vehicle sales by manufacturer, with... →

The new Suzuki Swift

SA’s ferroalloy industry has ‘entered the final stages of dying’, unless govt, industry step in, says ARM’s Bouwer

8th November 2024 While Zimbabwe has taken steps to ban chrome-ore exports in favour of beneficiation, vast ore volumes are leaving South Africa without being beneficiated, says African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) technology executive Henk Bouwer. “The South African ferroalloy industry has entered the final stages of... →

Henk Bouwer

Balancell moves into bigger, new factory, seeks strict regulations on imports

8th November 2024 Energy storage company Balancell has cut the ribbon on its new R80-million assembly plant in Ndabeni, Cape Town. The lithium ferro-phosphate battery assembler’s previous facility was limited to 250 MWh capacity a year, with the new operation scaled up to 1 GWh. →

Ford seeing progress in southern corridor development, albeit slow – Hill

8th November 2024 The automotive industry is “definitely seeing progress” in its discussions with Transnet on developing the southern rail corridor between Gauteng and Gqeberha and Coega, in the Eastern Cape, says Ford Motor Company Africa president Neale Hill. Discussions on this project started in 2019 already. →

Nissan is at work to make and sell more vehicles in South Africa – Klenkiewicz

8th November 2024 Nissan South Africa (SA) will see production drop to under 20 000 units this year, down from almost 25 000 units last year, but it is not the end of local assembly at the Rosslyn plant, says MD Maciej Klenkiewicz. The drop in production follows the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which railroaded... →

Mining industry to ‘push back strongly’ against Eskom’s proposed tariff hikes – Pienaar

7th November 2024 South Africa’s mining industry will “certainly push back strongly” against Eskom’s proposed tariff hikes, says Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) chief economist Hugo Pienaar. If granted, Eskom’s tariff-hike application at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the 2025/26... →

Hugo Pienaar

Chromium secures bigger share of SA’s mining revenue

6th November 2024 Chromium accounted for 8% of South Africa’s mining revenue in June 2024, says PWC South Africa lead economist macro analysis Dr Christie Viljoen, up from 5% in 2023. Quoting Stats South Africa data, Viljoen showed that platinum group metals dropped from 28% in 2023, to 22% this year, with coal... →

Chromium

Cruise industry gives Western Cape economy R1.32bn boost

5th November 2024 The cruise industry contributed R1.32-billion to the Western Cape economy during the 2023/24 season, up from R1.2-billion in the previous season, despite a slight drop in ship calls. This is according to Cruise Cape Town, powered by Wesgro, as it released the Western Cape Cruise Liner Industry... →

R7bn second phase MyCiTi rollout 50% complete, includes SA’s first-ever sky circle

5th November 2024 The R7-billion rollout of the second phase of Cape Town’s MyCiTi bus service, linking Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and other communities across the metro south east corridor, is 50% complete, says City of Cape Town (CoCT) Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Work on the 44-month project started in 2022. →

An artist's impression of the sky circle, once completed

Passenger-car sales show signs of recovery; exports continue to plummet

4th November 2024 New-vehicle sales in October picked up some long-awaited momentum and increased by 5.5%, to 47 942 units, compared with the same month last year, driven by a recovery in passenger-car sales. naamsa | The Automotive Business Council CEO Mikel Mabasa says the new-passenger-car market reached 34 228... →

Transport industry, unions sign two-year wage agreement

1st November 2024 The National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI) has concluded a two-year wage agreement, and ensured the extension of the agreement by the Minister of Employment and Labour to non-parties. The agreement will see industry workers receive an across-the-board... →

EPWP open to abuse, must be reformed – Macpherson

1st November 2024 The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has become open to abuse, says Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, despite it also being an “important stop-gap opportunity to many people caught in the cycle of poverty”. Macpherson spoke during the launch of the EPWP ‘listening... →

Dean Macpherson

Rail masterplan to be finalised by October next year

1st November 2024 The Department of Transport (DoT) aims to have the interim National Rail Masterplan (NRMP) ready by February next year, says DoT chief director Jan-David de Villiers. This will be followed by an eight-month consultation process, with the final NRMP to be delivered by October 2025. →

Consumers to be subsidised to buy electric vehicles – Ramaphosa

1st November 2024 South African consumers should receive some form of subsidy to buy electric vehicles (EVs), in the nearer future, as has been the case in most major markets in the world. The subsidies are aimed at assisting car buyers to transition to these cleaner, but still more expensive, vehicles. →

Bring forward policy review, drop luxury tax on new-energy vehicles – Toyota CEO

1st November 2024 The midterm review on the second iteration of government’s Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) is scheduled for 2026, but the local automotive industry wants to bring this forward, says Toyota South Africa Motors CEO Andrew Kirby. The APDP 2 provides duty and investment support... →

First electric minibus taxis to be piloted in Cape Town next year

1st November 2024 By this time next year, it will be possible to tell whether electric minibus taxis are viable people movers within the South African transport landscape. By then, newcomer to the domestic automotive landscape flx EV aims to have 40 battery electric taxis up and running in and around Cape Town,... →

First electric minibus taxis to be piloted in Cape Town next year

1st November 2024 By this time next year, it will be possible to tell whether electric minibus taxis are viable people movers within the South African transport landscape. By then, newcomer to the domestic automotive landscape flx EV aims to have 40 battery electric taxis up and running in and around Cape Town,... →

South Africans mostly keen on EVs, but infrastructure concerns linger – Ford study

31st October 2024 More than 40% of South Africans are considering purchasing an electrified vehicle (EV) in the next five years. This is according to a survey by Ford Motor Company, with most respondents preferring hybrid technology. →

Construction mafia remains a major problem, warns MBA North

31st October 2024 The problem posed by the construction mafia on the ground remains a major stumbling block in the recovery of the construction industry, and especially its ability to create more jobs, says Master Builders Association (MBA) North executive director Mohau Mphomela. “The construction mafia remains... →

Kia unveils its long awaited one-ton bakkie; SA debut set for next year

30th October 2024 Korean vehicle manufacturer Kia has lifted the veil on its long-awaited one-ton bakkie, the Tasman. The vehicle, the first of its kind for Kia, had its global premiere at Jeddah International Motor Show, in Saudi Arabia, in October. →

The Kia Tasman

Automotive Industry Transformation Fund distributes R596m to 67 companies

29th October 2024 The Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) has since its inception in 2020 invested R596-million in 67 companies across the automotive value-chain, says CEO Jabu Selumane. “Our goal is to support 90 companies by 2029, and we are well on our way to achieving that.” →

Jabu Selumane

Ford seeing progress in southern corridor development, albeit slow

28th October 2024 The automotive industry is “definitely seeing progress” in its discussions with Transnet on developing the southern rail corridor between Gauteng and Gqeberha and Coega, in the Eastern Cape, says Ford Motor Company Africa president Neale Hill. Discussions on this project started in 2019 already. →

Neale Hill

Balancell moves into new factory, seeks strict regulations on imports

25th October 2024 Energy storage company Balancell has cut the ribbon on its new R80-million assembly plant in Ndabeni, Cape Town. The lithium ferro-phosphate battery assembler’s previous facility was limited to 250 MWh capacity a year, with the new operation scaled up to 1 GWh. →

Ian de Vries

Construction begins on Cape Town solar PV plant, battery storage tender released

25th October 2024 The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has started construction on a R200-million, 7 MW solar PV plant, located in Atlantis, with the first electricity to be delivered by the end of next year. The tender for the engineering, procurement and construction of the plant has been awarded to the Lesedi... →

Chinese vehicle sales accelerating rapidly in South Africa

25th October 2024 If you think you are seeing more Chinese vehicles on the road, you are correct. Chinese vehicle brands accounted for 9% of all passenger and light commercial vehicles (light vehicles) sold in South Africa this year, until the end of July, up from 2% in 2019, says research group Lightstone Auto. →

Off-grid EV charger programme launched in the Eastern Cape

25th October 2024 Zero Carbon Charge (Charge), in partnership with the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC-EC), and together with the Eastern Cape provincial government, has broken ground on what it describes as an off-grid, ultra-fast, green electric vehicle (EV) charging network. Once... →

Metair to acquire AutoZone chain

25th October 2024 Metair is set to acquire the entire issued share capital of AutoZone Holdings. The JSE-listed Metair is a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of automotive components and energy storage solutions. →

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe