Of the R51.8-billion budget allocated to the Department of Defence and Military Veterans (DDMV) for the current financial year, R1.4-billion has been allocated to the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (Armscor) to manage the acquisition of defence prime mission equipment, development and maintenance of critical defence technologies, and the management of strategic defence facilities as regulated [...]

UK-based global major propulsion and power (including nuclear power) systems group Rolls-Royce has announced that it has been awarded £4.8-million by the UK Space Agency, to further develop and demonstrate core technologies in its space nuclear micro-reactor. The grant was made under the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme. This is the third tranche [...]

The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa’s (CGA’s) Orange Focus Group (OFG) has revised its forecast export figures for Navel and Valencia oranges further downward owing to extreme weather events in prominent growing regions. The group’s expectation for Navel oranges decreased from 25.6-million 15 kg cartons in May to 22-million cartons in June and 21-million [...]

Minerals Council South Africa, whose members account for 90% of this country's annual mineral production by value, supports beneficiation where the economics make sense. “Therefore, we welcome the call for a more conducive policy environment for beneficiation processes," Minerals Council CEO Mzila Mthenjane stated in a media release to Mining Weekly.

The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (Chieta) has opened a new Smart Skills Centre in Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo, to bridge the digital skills divide, bringing to six the number of Smart Skills Centres opened in rural South Africa since October 2022. Chieta plans to have opened a Smart Skills Centre in each of the country's [...]

Financial services firm Standard Bank has signed an agreement to make a total $1-million contribution over the next five years to the African Union Peace Fund (AUPF) to help the AU in its resource mobilisation efforts for peace across the continent, says Standard Bank Africa regions CE Yinka Sanni. Development finance institution the African Development [...]

The Port of Richards Bay, in KwaZulu-Natal, is progressing with planning for infrastructure and terminal investments aimed at consolidating its position as a bulk export hub for key minerals such as coal and chrome, while also diversifying its activities to include more containers, as well as the importation and storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) [...]

JSE-listed Vodacom on Wednesday reported that its group revenue expanded 1.5% to R36.2-billion, impacted by foreign exchange rate headwinds, but boosted by its operations in Egypt, during the three months ended June 30. Group service revenue increased 10% on a normalised basis, as Vodacom’s revenue diversification strategy – by product and geography – starts bearing [...]

Eskom will replace its declining coal capacity with clean-energy options in line with country policy and the Just Energy Transition, Eskom GM for primary energy Dan Mashigo told participants at a conference on coal and the energy transition. Speaking on behalf of Eskom CEO Dan Marokane, Mashigo reported that the State-owned company had a 20 [...]

The University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and the University of Antwerp, Belgium have launched the 2025 edition of the Winter School ‘From Mine to Finger: A deep dive into the world of diamonds’, set to start in February 2025. The programme provides an immersive experience, [...]

Diamond miner De Beers’ new rough diamond sorting, valuation and sales building Sky Park, in Johannesburg, has received a five-star interior green rating and two four-star green building ratings from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). The ratings were awarded for the sustainable design elements proposed and approved by the GBCSA, as well [...]

Petrochemicals giant Sasol has reported a 3% year-on-year increase in mining productivity for the 2024 financial year ended June 30, with productivity of 983 tons per continuous miner per shift (t/cm/s) having improved on last year’s 951 t/cm/s. Saleable production in the mining segment, however, was 2% lower year-on-year at 30.2-million tonnes, which Sasol attributes [...]