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Legislative Environment News

Eskom corruption: Scopa gives top cop 'last chance'

By: News24Wire 10th October 2023 Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts has resolved to request retired South African Police Service Brigadier Jap Burger one more time to voluntarily appear before the committee on matters related to corruption at Eskom or face a subpoena. It is rare for Parliament to use its powers... →

Ministerial meddling in SOE leadership sparks dysfunction – BLSA

By: Darren Parker 9th October 2023 Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso has voiced her concern over Ministerial meddling in State-owned enterprise (SOE) leadership decisions. “Good governance starts with a board being able to hold the executive management to account. To do that, the board needs to have... →

Rail industry needs all hands on deck if it is to be saved – industry association

By: Darren Parker 6th October 2023 The resignation of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) CEO Siza Mzimela just days after Transnet group CEO Portia Derby announced that she will be stepping down has highlighted the urgent need for key stakeholders across the industry to come together to craft the solutions necessary to save the country’s... →

African Rail Industry Association CEO Mesela Kope-Nhlapo

Salba welcomes ban on duty-free alcohol, tobacco sales to foreign diplomats

By: Darren Parker 6th October 2023 The South Africa Liquor Brand Owners Association (Salba) has welcomed Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s amendment to the Customs and Excise Act and Value-Added Tax Act, banning the duty-free sale of alcohol and tobacco products to foreign diplomats, calling it a turning point in the enforcement... →

Green hydrogen developments in South Africa

By: Creamer Media Reporter 6th October 2023 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the latest update on the creation of South Africa's Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy; the launch of a green hydrogen proof-of-concept initiative in the transport sector; and what developments may be next on the green hydrogen front. →

Green hydrogen developments in South Africa

Local sector facing pressures

By: Sabrina Jardim 6th October 2023 Amid power outages, poor service delivery, a depressed global economic environment and a declining domestic economy, the South African steel and engineering sector is described as a “sector in distress”, with supply-side and demand-side pressures becoming increasingly prevalent, says Steel and... →

TAFADZWA CHIBANGUZA The trends driving the steel and engineering sector’s performance – domestic economic growth and gross fixed capital formation – have recorded poor outcomes

Seifsa celebrates eightieth anniversary

By: Sabrina Jardim 6th October 2023 The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (Seifsa) – after 80 years of representing and promoting the interests of the South African metals and engineering industry – attributes its success to strong leadership through the direct involvement of individual member companies in... →

LUCIO TRENTINI In light of its anniversary, Seifsa aims to continue offering its members – and potential new members – products, services and training across traditional industrial relations, economics, human capital, safety, health, environmental and quality platforms

EPR regulations positive for waste reduction

By: Bridget Lepere 6th October 2023 The amended Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, instituted in November 2020, require product importers and manufacturers in the packaging industry to contribute towards the recycling of product packaging, which has had a significant impact on waste production, says Zero Waste... →

Image of a backhoe loader loading organic waste

DUMP DIVING The Western Cape government implemented a regulation in 2022 to divert organic waste out of landfills by imposing a 50% ban on organic waste dumping to landfills in preparation for a 100% ban in 2027

Lax regulation poses threat to S Africa’s e-waste initiatives

By: Bridget Lepere 6th October 2023 The producer responsibility organisation (PRO) Circular Energy is taking a strong stance concerning the rise in illegal electronic-waste (e-waste) dumping and calls on government, industries and consumers to collaborate to eradicate illegal e-waste dumping. E-waste comprises mostly of electrical... →

Image of a woman in a black satin shirt and blazer

PATRICIA SCHRÖDER Individuals should take responsibility for their small electronic devices and embrace sustainable disposal practices

Tackling S Africa’s plastic waste crisis through art

6th October 2023 Researchers from the University of Portsmouth’s Revolution Plastics team and the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs partnered with UK-based charity WasteAid to pioneer the Masibambisane pilot study to divert 7 t of plastic waste, changing behaviours... →

Sustainability reporting to be even more ubiquitous going forward

By: Darren Parker 4th October 2023 The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation’s International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) board member Dr Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien has emphasised the undeniable ongoing significance of sustainability and associated reporting in the business world, stating that "nobody can... →

DBSA highlights its contribution to infrastructure development in Africa

By: Cameron Mackay 29th September 2023 Development finance institution (DFI) the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) head of energy, environment and information and communications technology (ICT) Mathapelo Malao has emphasised that the DFI’s energy, environment and ICT division holds strategic value for infrastructure... →

Empowered group keen to see Gautrain run by South Africans from 2026

By: Martin Creamer 20th September 2023 The Strategic Partners Group (SPG) is the empowerment partner in the Gautrain, the rapid rail link owned by the Gauteng provincial government and run by the Bombela Concession Company (BCC). When the current concession expires in 2026 will SPG continue to be a Gautrain participant, is the... →

Strategic Partners Group executive chairperson Mzolisi Diliza interviewed by Engineering News’ Martin Creamer. Video: Darlene Creamer.

Finnish Embassy launches funding for circular economy, good governance projects

By: Darren Parker 15th September 2023 The Embassy of Finland has launched its support for several South Africa-based projects – two circular economy projects and two projects focused on promoting good governance under its Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC), with a focus on supporting female-led enterprises. "Being a startup... →

participants of the FLC at Finnish embassy

In this video, Finland Ambassador Anne Lammila and Good Governance Africa CEO Chris Maroleng speak about the support offered by Finland’s Fund for Local Cooperation for female-led circular economy and good governance projects.

Govt has more work to do – Minister

By: Simone Liedtke 15th September 2023 The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (Misa) last month celebrated ten years of “building a stronger and more resilient nation”, as it continues to deliver municipal services that are thoughtfully planned, designed and maintained and which contribute toward the foundation of vibrant and... →

BASIC NEEDS
Misa remains an important vehicle for government to advance its efforts towards meeting the basic needs of South African citizens

Photo by Adobe Stock
BASIC NEEDS Misa remains an important vehicle for government to advance its efforts towards meeting the basic needs of South African citizens

Cabinet approves new SOE plan - which may mean JSE listings, private investments

By: News24Wire 14th September 2023 A radical new model for South Africa’s troubled State-owned enterprises could be on the cards, with the approval this week of the draft National State Enterprises Bill, which would lay the basis for private equity investment in state companies and listings on the stock exchange. This will... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

New report highlights how imported cement destabilises the economy

By: Darren Parker 13th September 2023 The negative impact on the South African economy caused by substituting local cement production with imported cement was highlighted in a report released by cement manufacturer PPC in conjunction with the Centre for African Management and Markets (CAMM) at the Gordon Institute of Business Science... →

CAMM founding director and GIBS economics lecturer Dr Adrian Saville, Business Unity South Africa CEO Cas Coovadia, Industry Insight CEO Elsie Snyman, PPC South Africa and Botswana MD Njombo Lekula, CAMM research associate Francois Fouche, and Cement and Concrete South Africa CEO Bryan Perrie

In this video, we witness highlights from a panel discussion hosted by CAMM founding director and GIBS economics lecturer Dr Adrian Saville, PPC South Africa and Botswana MD Njombo Lekula, CAMM research associate Francois Fouche, Cement and Concrete South Africa CEO Bryan Perrie, Business Unity South Africa CEO Cas Coovadia and Industry Insight CEO Elsie Snyman.

Just Share reports slow progress on gender diversity in leadership roles at JSE Top 40

By: Cameron Mackay 12th September 2023 Nonprofit organisation Just Share has released the results of a study assessing gender equality at board and executive level at the JSE Top 40. “While women make up 46% of South Africa’s economically active population – and despite a significant increase over the last 20 years in representation... →

Unresolved problems dog manufacturing

By: Bridget Lepere 8th September 2023 The machinery and capital equipment industry is “very quiet” and many businesses are reluctant to spend on marketing or new procurement, owing to challenges such as power failures, water cuts, crime, protests and logistics disruptions, says industry organisation South African Capital Equipment... →

Image of stocks displayed on graphical interface

MAKING MOVES The country needs a steady 4% to 5% GDP growth rate for a couple of years to grow the economy

SAB CEO calls for greater excise tax increase certainty to protect the beer industry

By: Darren Parker 6th September 2023 Beer maker South African Breweries (SAB) CEO Richard Rivett-Carnac has called on government to create greater certainty around excise tax increases going forward, stating that yearly increases that surpass inflation undermine the beer industry's growth. "We need, as an industry, strong policy... →

Second shift at Rainbow’s Hammarsdale facility to boost capacity, jobs

By: Cameron Mackay 4th September 2023 Local poultry company Rainbow on August 28 “revived” a second operational shift at its Hammarsdale P2 processing plant in KwaZulu-Natal, while also commemorating the facility’s 60th year anniversary. Rainbow MD Marthinus Stander tells Engineering News this “revival” forms part of a signficant... →

Rainbow’s R220-million investment was used to increase capacity at Hammarsdale

Pieter Smit appointed acting director of FIC

By: Darren Parker 4th September 2023 Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has appointed Adv Pieter Smit as the acting director of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), in accordance with Section 8 of the FIC Act. Smit's tenure as acting director will span six months – from September 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024 – or until a new... →

BLSA funds new anti-corruption guide

By: Darren Parker 4th September 2023 Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has provided funding for the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to produce a guide for South African companies to fight corruption. BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso said in her weekly newsletter on September 4 that combatting crime and corruption,... →

BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso

Steel industry vital for South Africa’s industrialisation, Majola says

By: Cameron Mackay 31st August 2023 Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Fikile Majola has stressed the impact of the local steel industry and its importance to South Africa’s industrialisation, and the challenges that the sector is facing from local and global pressures, emphasising the need to build an “inclusive... →

A steel slab in ArcelorMittal South Africa's Vanderbijlpark plant

Western Cape legislature left fuming after Ramokgopa's 11th-hour cancellation

By: News24Wire 29th August 2023 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has once again snubbed the Western Cape legislature's ad-hoc committee on the energy crisis. Ramokgopa was expected to brief the committee on the impact of loadshedding on the province on Tuesday, but informed the committee chairperson at the eleventh... →

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

Rainbow celebrates 60 years of processing excellence, embarks on new growth chapter

By: Cameron Mackay 29th August 2023 Poultry company Rainbow on August 28 marked the commemoration of its sixtieth anniversary with an event held in Hammarsdale, in KwaZulu-Natal. This occasion served as a tribute to Rainbow's six decades of “unwavering dedication to shaping the poultry processing landscape”, the company says. →

With the Rainbow Hammarsdale expansion, Rainbow has re-instated roughly 750 jobs, with an additional 100 jobs to be initiated by June next year

Sarem progressing towards implementation

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th August 2023 The South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (Sarem) will hopefully be finalised by October or November, as it is critical that this be done before the end of the year so that implementation can begin. This was stated by Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) senior economist Gaylor... →

Photo by Adobe
Sarem is positioned as “an industrial and inclusive development plan for the renewable energy and storage value chains by 2030

Urgent electricity bill - key to solving SA's power crisis - finally tabled after delays

By: News24Wire 24th August 2023 The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill, an urgent piece of legislation that is key to overcoming South Africa's energy crisis, has finally been tabled in Parliament nearly five months after being approved by Cabinet. There are significant doubts that the bill, which is a crucial next step in... →

State slammed for ‘dereliction of Constitutional duty’ over failure to protect Intercape buses

By: Cameron Mackay 23rd August 2023 The Makhanda High Court has slammed the South African government for the “dereliction of its Constitutional duties” in quelling the violence directed at long-distance coach company Intercape. “It boggles the mind why it is so difficult for a law enforcement agent to appreciate that when armed... →

Intercape states that it’s operations have run a gauntlet of concerted attacks, with a number of incidents in which coaches were shot at or stoned in and around hotspots towns in the Eastern Cape

Just Share, amaBhungane request details on corporate climate lobbying

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd August 2023 Nonprofit organisation Just Share and investigative journalist organisation the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism have launched access to information requests to promote transparency around behind-closed-door engagements between business and government which influence South Africa’s... →

Legislation bungle reveals much of govt is not serious about delivering change, says BLSA

By: Marleny Arnoldi 21st August 2023 Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso has expressed her dismay over the delays to the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) Amendment Bill that became apparent last week, which she says leaves considerable risks that the Bill will not be promulgated before the end of the year. She... →

Work-at-height industry facing uncertainty as training standards expire

By: Simone Liedtke 18th August 2023 The South African work-at-height industry, which has relied for years on National Qualifications Framework (NQF) unit standards to provide proper training programmes, now faces a critical challenge following the expiration of these standards at the end of June 2023. Professional body Institute... →

CERTIFICATION SHORTAGE This potential shortage could result in a deceleration of project execution and leave workers without the necessary certifications

Company offers solutions for safer work-at-height practices

By: Simone Liedtke 18th August 2023 Solar system installations in South Africa must prioritise safety and proper planning, with height works specialist Height Safe 360 emphasising that training is an imperative to ensure implementation of the right fall protection plan and the choice of suitable access solutions. This will assist... →

Competition Commission engages stakeholders on exchange of sensitive information

By: Cameron Mackay 11th August 2023 The Competition Commission on August 11 hosted a hybrid workshop for trade associations, business stakeholders and sector regulators in Fourways, Johannesburg, to raise awareness of the permissible exchanges of competitively sensitive information within the framework of the Competition Act. The... →

Valuer numbers need boosting to avoid possible crisis

By: Bridget Lepere 4th August 2023 South Africa has fewer than 1 500 registered professionals in residential and commercial property valuation, and fewer than 650 valuer candidates; this demonstrates that property valuation is an untapped career path, says real estate property custodian South African Institute of Valuers (SAIV)... →

Image of South African Institute of Valuer president Dianne de Wet.

DIANNE DE WET Commercial property owners with properties above 2 000 m2 have been given a two-and-a-half year reprieve to measure their properties’ energy compliance or risk paying fines of up to R5-million and/or face imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years

Market hindered by interest rates, economic stagnation

By: Bridget Lepere 4th August 2023 The commercial property market experienced a 5.6% decline in sales activity in the first quarter of 2023, compared with the same quarter in 2022, owing to numerous factors, including rising interest rates and the oversupply of office space, says property valuations custodian South African... →

REDEFINING VALUE The industry is battling major challenges with the construction which is costing the economy billions of rands

Procurement clarity and prosecutions key to tackling construction site disruptions

By: Cameron Mackay 4th August 2023 Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has emphasised the importance of unity in condemning and addressing construction site disruption and extortion affecting the industry. “It is important that we act together to root out these illegal practices, which are driving away... →

SIHLE ZIKALALA Contractors must refuse to pay bribes to public officials and extorters. We must protect whistleblowers, and ensure that people who indicate potential for disruption are protected

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