Namibia requires as much as N$25-billion ($1.4-billion) over the next decade to fulfil water-security requirements, its water minister said. The semi-arid nation of about 3-million people also needs N$10-billion to secure bulk water supply until 2037, with operating costs expected to rise at about 5% to 6% annually, Calle Schlettwein said at a conference in [...]

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), together with government agency Infrastructure South Africa (ISA), has opened a novel project preparation bid window to invite submissions from national and provincial government departments, State-owned entities, public entities and municipalities to apply for project preparation support. The project preparation support aims to expand the readiness of [...]

A policy decision to allow electricity-intensive companies operating in South Africa to enter into negotiated pricing agreements (NPAs) with Eskom is set to contribute 5.7% to any tariff increase approved for implementation on standard-tariff customers on April 1 next year. Eskom has included an application for 10 additional NPAs in its larger submission to the [...]

The World Steel Association (worldsteel) expects global steel demand to decrease by 0.9% to 1.75-billion tonnes this year. “2024 has been a difficult year for global steel demand as the global manufacturing sector continued to grapple with persistent headwinds such as declining household purchasing power, aggressive monetary tightening, and escalating geopolitical uncertainties.

South Africa’s rapid switch to become a net importer of fuel creates supply risks requiring infrastructure to store and transport the fuel, according to State-owned logistics firm Transnet. Africa’s most industrialised nation relied on imports for 61% of its petroleum product supply in 2023 compared with 22% four years ago due to the shutting of [...]

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has expressed confidence that tariff and non-tariff solutions can be found to ensure that Eskom is able to meet the obligations set by the National Treasury as part of the R256-billion debt-relief package while still allowing the entity to invest in new generation capacity. In a briefing called [...]

The construction of a chrome recovery plant at Bokoni Platinum Mine has been approved by the board of African Rainbow Minerals (ARM). ARM acquired Bokoni from Anglo American Platinum and Atlatsa Resources in September 2022.

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) says its 2023/24 financial year was characterised by resilience and agility, to conclude with a strong financial performance, an unqualified audit report and accelerated investment in road infrastructure. The total spend on toll roads came in at R4.1-billion, while expenditure on non-toll roads came in at R23-billion, [...]

Following the recent High Court judgment on the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2, which halted the contract between Transnet and International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), the Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) has highlighted the key role it believes the private sector could play in South Africa’s logistics network. While the court’s decision [...]

A multibillion-dollar plan to expand South Africa’s electricity transmission network could throw a lifeline to the country’s corporate bond market as it struggles to recover from a post-pandemic slump. The National Transmission Company South Africa, a state-owned company that will operate separately from parent Eskom, said this week it plans to spend R112-billion on transmission [...]

An initial assessment by business into what it would involve to raise yearly freight rail volumes to 250-million tons, estimates that Transnet’s recovery alone could lift yearly volumes to about 190-million tons, leaving 60-million tons to be met through reforms aimed at opening the rail network to private-sector participation (PSP). The assessment also indicates that [...]

Johannesburg Stock Exchange Alternate Market AltX-listed company Mantengu Mining has been provided with a platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome mining industry opportunity by PGMs major Sibanye-Stillwater, the State-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), through the company's acquisition of the dormant Blue Ridge Platinum Mine. “Without the support of [...]