Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan has said that the
fiscus can't sustain the uncertainties around e-tolls. Well, a great many motorists and companies are also uncertain of what impact e-tolling is going to have on their monthly costs. After much to-ing and fro-ing, the monthly bill was capped at R550 per month for light vehicles, but in this report, Gordhan is reported as saying "statistics derived from the gantries on the highway showed that people would not be paying more‚ on average‚ than R150 or R100 a month. He said inflated numbers were being put out to the public." Clear as mud?
These tolls are going to impact on every one of us, everywhere in the country, because every company based in Gauteng, having operations in or through Gauteng or dealing with any such company, will face increased costs. And guess who will have to pay...
On the mobile front, Lax Faure discusses
the technology tsunami... No other development in the history of the world has caused so much change, in such a short time period, he writes.
Food-crop improvement by conventional plant breeding, without resorting to GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) technology, is the goal of the African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) and its work has borne fruit and
African farmers can now select seeds for their needs.
Thinking of travelling to the US? Think again...
Travel chaos is looming as the US cancels flights thanks to Cyclone Sandy. Air France, British Airways, Virgin and other European airlines cancelled all flights into New York, Baltimore, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia on Monday, while US airlines called off thousands of domestic flights and diverted planes away from Sandy's path. There is likely to be a knock-on effect, so check with your travel agent or airline if you're due to travel to the US.
Rod Baker, content director
Submit your company news to
automotivenews@bizcommunity.com. Exclusive contributions may be sent to
contributors-automotive@bizcommunity.com.
Oil-independence is the dream of many countries that lack raw materials. Nevertheless, black gold still retains its dominant role as a power source, and also serves as a basic material for the chemical industry. In order to change this, researchers started the 'Integrated BioProduction' project. 
Suzuki Auto South Africa is promoting its new Grand Vitara with a road trip that will place shoes on underprivileged South African feet through the Put Foot Foundation. 
The new Mercedes-Benz Actros has won two prestigious design awards - the German Design Award 2013 in the Transportation and Public Space category, and the Focus in Gold 2012 award from the Design Centre Stuttgart. 
Launched almost a year ago to the local market, Nissan's daring sub-compact crossover has seen demand consistently far out-strip supply in South Africa. The innovative and unconventional Juke - which has created its own genre in the market - has proven to be an instant success the world over, including in South Africa. 
Following the announcement in July that current CEO and MD of Chrysler South Africa, Trent Barcroft, will also become CEO of Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa, the two companies will be joining forces in a new office campus in Midrand, Gauteng with effect from 1 November 2012. 
The Competition Commission has referred a case of price fixing and market division regarding the supply of diesel to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication. The case involves Chevron SA, Engen Limited, Shell SA, Total SA, Sasol Limited, BP SA and South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA), it said. 
African countries need to tighten their road traffic enforcement laws or risk losing more lives in avoidable road crashes. This was one of the issues that emerged at the two-day road safety conference, which ended in Johannesburg on Wednesday. 
