The North West provincial government says the Bojanala Special Economic Zone will create an estimated 2 500 jobs and attract about R8-billion of investment. High on the agenda is mineral beneficiation; the creation of an industrial zone and a logistics park; and investment in information and communications technology.

Giant US aerospace and defence group Boeing announced on Monday that it had been awarded a $1.6-billion sole-source service contract by the US Air Force (USAF). Under the contract, the corporation will service and maintain the guidance systems of the USAF’s land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The duration of the new contract is [...]

Cabinet has approved a revised – and more ambitious – Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) carbon mitigation target range for 2030 ahead of the upcoming COP26 gathering, which will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. In a statement, Cabinet announced that South Africa had revised its 2030 climate change mitigation target range to 350 - [...]

By investing in operating manganese, bauxite and copper assets, the new Exxaro Minerals business could represent 50% of expected coal earnings within ten years, Exxaro CEO-designate and MD Minerals Dr Nombasa Tsengwa stated on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed coal company’s website on Monday. Exxaro outlined its strategy in response to climate change while hosting a [...]

Cabinet has approved the setting up of the multi-purpose nuclear reactor project to replace the current SAFARI-1 nuclear research reactor, owned by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). The research reactor, located at Pelindaba, west of Pretoria, is a leading global producer of medical radioisotopes used to treat cancer.

Vodafone Group and the United Nation’s (UN’s) International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have partnered to launch an initiative aimed at identifying policy, commercial and circular-economy interventions to increase smartphone access. Of the 3.7-billion not connected to the Internet, 3.4-billion that live within range of mobile networks are currently not accessing the Internet in part owing to [...]

South Africa’s cabinet adopted the lower greenhouse gas emission target recommended by a panel set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The target, known as the country’s nationally determined contribution, is to keep annual emissions at between 371 and 420 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, according to a cabinet statement on Monday. The environment [...]

In this week’s Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) newsletter, CEO Busi Mavuso bemoans the UK authorities’ decision to keep South Africa on the “red list” for travellers. The UK imposed a traffic light system to determine the correct Covid-19 precautions related to travellers, which is reviewed by the government every three weeks.

Talks about reducing the South African state power utility’s R402-billion debt to a manageable level are taking too long, its CEO Andre de Ruyter said. Eskom Holdings, which produces most of South Africa’s power, can’t meet its running and debt service costs and is dependent on government handouts to keep operating. It also needs to [...]

South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) has announced that the 2021 Annual Rail Safety Conference will take place from September 29 to October 1. Hosted under the theme “Embracing the new normal through innovative and sustainable rail safety solutions”, this year’s conference will be held virtually, at no cost to delegates.

JSE-listed South African real estate investment trust (Reit) Redefine Properties recently certified and recertified 40 buildings in its property portfolio, under member-based organisation the Green Building Council South Africa’s (GBCSA’s) Green Star Existing Building Performance (EBP) rating tool. Redefine’s diversified property portfolio, which is valued at about R75.3-billion, includes a mix of retail, office and [...]

Trade union Solidarity announced on Friday that financially-embattled State-owned defence industrial group Denel had just paid it R4-million. The money is to cover the salary arrears of union members employed by Denel Dynamics and Denel Land Systems. “The payment of the salary money to Solidarity is a major victory for Solidarity and its members,” highlighted [...]