Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is looking to President Cyril Ramaphosa for answers on the delay of the national Rail Devolution Strategy, which could save lower-income families R932-million every year. Hill-Lewis pointed out that Ramaphosa had promised that the strategy would be out in 2023, this after national Department of Transport director-general James Mlawua also [...]

Noise-induced hearing loss has displaced tuberculosis (TB) and silicosis as the top priority health threat of the South African mining industry. “I’m emphasising noise-induced hearing loss because the other diseases have gone down markedly whereas as noise-induced hearing loss has not gone down as much,” Minerals Council South Africa health department head Dr Thuthula Balfour [...]

Energy Council CEO James Mackay has welcomed the decision of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to extend the comment period for the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2023 by a month and has also called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to use his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) emphasise government’s commitment to “open [...]

Telecommunications group MTN and Mastercard have signed a definitive agreement for a minority investment of up to $200-million into MTN Group Fintech, at a valuation of $5.2-billion on a cash and debt-free basis. This followed the August 2023 signing of a memorandum of understanding between the parties.

The domestic mining industry is looking at 2024 as a year of stabilisation, rather than growth, says Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane. The industry continues to face persistent challenges such as loadshedding, an ailing logistics sector, and a declining commodity market.

Business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to show a clear commitment to the hard work of reform implementation during his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Thursday evening. South Africa's electricity crisis remains a significant constraint, despite some progress having been made, and its logistics [...]

JSE-listed industrial, automotive and electronics distributor Hudaco has increased turnover by 9.1% for the financial year ended November 30, 2023, to R8.9-billion, and its operating profit by 5.1% to R1.07-billion. The group's operating profit margin was 12%, down from 12.5% in the 2022 financial year.

Sanlam, South Africa’s biggest insurer by market value, is buying smaller rival Assupol Life for R6.5-billion to help cement its footprint at home. The proposed transaction will see the 110-year-old Assupol become part of Sanlam’s insurance empire, boosting the latter’s offering when combined with Sanlam Sky, Safrican and a Capitec joint venture that’s set to close [...]

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) is urging the energy community to critically analyse the revised draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) to provide constructive inputs that will improve the country’s energy future. SAWEA says it appreciates the information sessions hosted by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to delve deeper [...]

Telecommunications giant Vodacom on Friday reported that it has increased group revenue by 26.8% to R38.9-billion during the quarter ended December 31, 2023, with a positive impact from the company’s Vodafone Egypt acquisition. The group’s service revenue, including Vodafone Egypt on a pro-forma basis, increased 8.8%, supported by a 29.1% growth in Vodafone Egypt’s service [...]

A tight balance is expected for this year’s National Budget as South Africa’s woes continue; however, a significant, or fundamental, raising of taxes is not expected, with a tightening hold on revenue collections to bridge the budget gap foreseen instead. South Africa’s 2024 Budget precedes a watershed election, companies are in a “zombie zone” and treading water, [...]

Many of the submissions the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has received from the first round of public engagements about the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) in January have revealed new sources of data to consider in the plan’s modelling, DMRE energy planning specialist Sonwabo Damba said on January 31. He [...]