Steel production down by 15.1%

[Helmo Preuss] South African steel production fell by 15.1% year-on-year (y/y) in April to an estimated 570‚000 tons after dropping by 16.6% y/y in February to 515‚000 tons‚ according to World Steel Association data. 22 May 2013 09:14

Cape Town wins Winelands court battle

A South African court on Tuesday (21 May) froze plans to charge motorists using two roads from Cape Town to the country's scenic winelands 22 May 2013 08:05

TotallyConcrete to honour women in construction

The TotallyConcrete Expo is scheduled to host the Women in Construction Excellence Awards on Wednesday, 5 June 2013. The ceremony will recognise pioneering women whose expertise and innovation are transforming the face of construction in Africa. 22 May 2013 08:49

Grohe SA architects visit parent company in Germany

Grohe South Africa recently sent a group of architects and designers to Germany to visit the Grohe factory in Hemer, the Red Dot Design Museum, as well as listen to a presentation given by the senior vice-president of design of Grohe, Paul Flowers. 22 May 2013 06:26

Netcare moans about competition probe

[Tamar Kahn] Private hospital group Netcare's chief executive Richard Friedland says he is disappointed that the Competition Commission's planned enquiry into the private healthcare sector will exclude the pharmaceutical sector. 21 May 2013 10:44

Barloworld's share earnings up 31%

[Mark Allix] Barloworld‚ a diversified industrial group‚ saw revenue rise 11%‚ operating profit increase 14% and headline earnings per share shoot up 31% for the interim period that ended in March. 21 May 2013 10:04

SOEs exploring set-asides for small firms, black industrialists

Minister of Public Enterprises Malusi Gigaba is considering putting in place set-asides from the growing procurement spend of state-owned enterprises for small businesses and black industrialists to help transform the economy. 16 May 2013 06:57

Coface report highlights strain on SA's growth

The Coface Group, a worldwide leader in credit insurance, has released its latest report on South African growth prospects, taking into account the mining and export slumps. Overall, economic activity remains generally sluggish while upside risks to inflation have increased due to a weaker rand. Coface believes that this will persuade the Monetary Policy Committee to keep policy neutral over an extended period, with interest rates remaining unchanged for most of 2013. A reversal in policy easing is likely only late in the year or even in 2014. 15 May 2013 14:50

Get off the roads, use trains

South Africa needs to increase its use of rail freight to boost economic growth and preserve the country's roads, deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe said in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, on Monday (20 May). 21 May 2013 09:30

Sanral's notice "not legal" court hears

[Emsie Ferreira] Sanral's public notice on the winelands tolling project was unlawful because the national roads agency never took a proper board decision committing to the project, the Western Cape High Court heard last week. 20 May 2013 08:13

Poor won't be hurt by tolls says Sanral

A proposed toll system in the winelands in the Western Cape will not impact on the poor people of South Africa, the SA National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) said on Sunday (19 May). 20 May 2013 08:00

Omwieco to redevelop Onverwacht Estate as secure environment

Omwieco has been approached by Investec Private Bank to take over the development of a liquidated estate and has agreed to embark on this venture as the project developer for the Onverwacht Estate. Its vision for the estate is for it to become the catalyst in integrating the Eastern Growth Region of the Helderberg Basin. 20 May 2013 14:43

KZN Institute for Architecture inducts new president

The KwaZulu-Natal Institute for Architecture (KZNIA) has inducted Kevin Bingham of FGG Architects in Durban as its new president. The ceremony took place on 16 May 2013 at the KZNSA Gallery in Glenwood. 20 May 2013 16:29

Lesotho Highlands scheme gets the nod

[Linda Ensor] The R12bn phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which will secure a continued supply of water for SA and hydroelectric power for Lesotho, was approved in principle by the two countries this week. 17 May 2013 12:29

Quick fix? Not for Astrapak

Astrapak optimists are betting heavily on the new chief executive Robin Moore's ability to restore the troubled packaging firm to health. Reflecting this confidence, Astrapak is trading on a 75,5 price:earnings ratio despite a 61% fall in headline earnings per share for the year to February and a 90% fall in earnings over the past three years. 17 May 2013 11:16