Research Channel | Advanced Search - Research Channel Africa

Back NEWS

Alley Roads’ Riverstone Mall kickstarts R600m development injection for Meyerton

Published: 05 Jun 24

As part of its pipeline of 175 000 m2 of retail space earmarked for township and peri-urban areas across South Africa, property developer Alley Roads has unveiled its first retail development Riverstone Mall in Meyerton. Sabrina Jardim tells us more.

Sigfox SA appointed to support South Africa’s transition to smart water meters

Published: 05 Jun 24

National Treasury has selected Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity service Sigfox South Africa’s network to underpin South Africa’s new smart water meter ecosystem. The tender, commonly known as “RT29” awarded to various system integrators, will see existing meters adapted or replaced to become smart meters to improve revenue collection and service delivery.

Think tank outlines five priorities for new government and for shaping coalition talks

Published: 05 Jun 24

The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has released a list of five priorities for South Africa’s yet-to-be-formed new government and which the think tank also argues should help guide ongoing coalition negotiations. The priorities have been canvassed with various business, academic and civil-society stakeholders and have been packaged into what CDE has dubbed ‘Agenda 2024’, and include:

Unctad outlines reforms to avoid impending global public debt crisis

Published: 05 Jun 24

Global body UN Trade and Development (Unctad) has urged action to deal with the alarming surge of global debt and proposed reforms to international finance systems to safeguard “a prosperous future for people and planet”. A report published by Unctad on June 4 shows that global public debt hit a record $97-trillion in 2023, up by $5.6-trillion from 2022.

SABS expresses appreciation for voluntary technical committee chairpersons

Published: 05 Jun 24

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has acknowledged and recognised the voluntary work of committee chairpersons during an engagement session and workshop to synchronise the approach to chairing committees at the SABS, in Pretoria, on June 5. The event included the welcoming of new members of chairing committees, which is critical in the development, maintenance and publication of South African National Standards (SANS), the SABS said.

Green Connection petitions court to ‘force’ Nersa, DMRE to supply Karpowership information

Published: 05 Jun 24

Environmental activist nonprofit organisation the Green Connection has taken the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to court in an effort to “force” them to supply key information regarding the Karpowership deals. Karpowership uses powerships, or floating power plants, that can anchor at ports and provide electricity facing power supply constraints.

Paratus, Starlink see success in Mozambique

Published: 05 Jun 24

The integration of Starlink’s service offering in Mozambique has been highly successful, particularly for businesses in need of dependable Internet connectivity in remote areas, Paratus Mozambique said in a statement on Wednesday. Paratus Mozambique embraced the addition of Starlink to its suite of solutions, and has received an unprecedented response from customers wanting reliable connectivity, following the appointment last year of Paratus Group as an authorised reseller of Starlink business services in numerous African countries.

New SA Canegrowers chair calls on govt to fulfil its promise of a sugar tax review

Published: 05 Jun 24

With major sugar mills remaining in business rescue and a possible increase in the Health Promotion Levy (HPL), or sugar tax, still looming, the sustainability of the sugar industry remains under threat, industry body SA Canegrowers has said. It noted that the sugar tax has suppressed the market for locally produced sugar and cost the industry more than 16 000 jobs since its implementation in 2018.

South Africa business activity grows again in May, PMI shows

Published: 05 Jun 24

South African private sector activity grew in May as new order volumes stabilised and business confidence improved, a survey showed on Wednesday. The S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose slightly to 50.4 in May from 50.3 in April. A reading above 50 denotes growth.

Carbon removal needs to quadruple to meet climate goals, researchers say

Published: 05 Jun 24

Governments need to plant more trees and deploy technologies that will quadruple the amount of carbon dioxide removed each year from the atmosphere in order to meet global climate goals, a team of researchers said in a report published on Wednesday. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) refers to a range of interventions that sequester CO2 already in the air. It includes conventional methods such as reforestation as well as potentially large-scale solutions like biofuels, cultivating algae in oceans and the use of filters that capture atmospheric CO2 directly.