Macaelin Padayachee, whose girlfriend Denisha Govender was killed with her mother and younger sister, posted an emotional tribute to her on Facebook. view more

The owner of uMhlanga's upmarket Barrio Restaurant vanished from outside the court on August 30, after attending a civil case over a financial dispute view more

MPs have commended detectives for the arrest of a suspect in the murder of a mother and her two daughters in their Phoenix home. view more

The mother of Baby X who was found guilty of murdering the 3-year-old has no previous conviction, Durban High Court heard. view more

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed the creation of a public-private infrastructure fund at the heart of an economic stimulus and recovery plan, otherwise constrained by South Africa's serious fiscal constraints. In unveiling the plan during a briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday, Ramaphosa reported that the South Africa Infrastructure Fund would be established immediately, supported by an executive team within The Presidency, comprising individuals drawn from the public and private sectors. view more

President Cyril Ramaphosa's newly-announced economic stimulus package has a specific focus on implementation, say economic cluster ministers Pravin Gordhan and Ebrahim Patel. Ramaphosa on Friday morning announced a raft of measures in an effort to reignite growth, restore investor confidence, prevent further job losses and create jobs. view more

Swedish aerospace and defence group Saab has proposed to the South African Air Force (SAAF) than it adopt the latest incremental update developed for the JAS39C and JAS39D Gripen fighter. The update is designated MS 20. "The Gripen was developed with the concept of continuous upgrades - small upgrades every second or third year," explained Saab Senior Marketing Executive: Middle East and Africa Mats Lundberg to Engineering News Online at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2018 exhibition. "This was a requirement of the Swedish Air Force. They want to be ahead of the threats and have the latest technology. We believe we can do this best through continuous small upgrades." view more

Britain was committed to further developing and strengthening partnerships with South Africa in the defence and security sectors, and not least with the South African defence industry. "The Prime Minister's [Theresa May's] recent visit here highlighted the importance the UK places on its defence relationship with South Africa," UK Department for International Trade Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) senior spokesperson Adam Thomas told Engineering News Online at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2018 show on Friday. "We have a high regard for the South African defence industry and for what it has achieved," he highlighted. "We are here [AAD] to promote partnerships between South African and British defence and security companies." view more

The dramatic advances in information and communications technology, electro-optical technologies and digitalisation have enabled a revolution to take place in terms of airport air (and ground) traffic control. This was highlighted in a briefing at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2018 exhibition by Saab VP: Civil Security (Middle East and North Africa region) David Shomar. Saab had played a leading - in some cases the leading - role in these developments. He pointed out that remotely-controlled digital air traffic control (ATC) was now operational in Sweden, the Republic of Ireland and in the State of Virginia in the US. view more

The Centres of Specialisation pilot programme has been launched by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to develop a focused and industry-led apprenticeship structure for 13 priority trades needed for infrastructure development. The objective is to test the effectiveness of direct private-sector involvement in the training of artisans to ensure that up-to-date training, which fulfils the necessary practical experience requirements of their qualifications, is provided. view more

Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) chief economist Dr Michael Ade has declared Africa's metals and engineering sector open for business. Ade was addressing delegates on the second day of Seifsa's fourth annual Metals and Engineering Indaba, in Johannesburg. view more

Beverage multinational subsidiary Coca-Cola Bottling South Africa (CCBSA) uses 10% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) and has completed technical and production validation of 25% rPET content, but are constrained by the availability of rPET, Coca-Cola Bottling Gauteng and Inland regional supply chain manager Henry Peek said on Friday. CCBSA energy and sustainability manager JP Blumenthal detailed the company's engineering work to make their PET beverage bottles lighter, called lightweighting, which has seen the weight decrease from 54 g for a 2 litre bottle about 11 years ago to 45.7 g currently, with a wall thickness of about 0.3 mm. The company has validated further lightweighting and can reduce the weight of a 2 litre bottle to 41.8 g, which it would phase in over the next six months. view more

Avinash Desmond Maharaj has been appointed CFO and executive director of ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), effective October 1. He has a Master's degree in Finance and is a qualified chartered accountant. view more

The Franchise Association of South Africa (Fasa) has partnered with Proudly SA to increase the local procurement of goods and services within the franchising sector by facilitating collaboration between suppliers, franchisors and franchisees. This joint enterprise development initiative was pursued after Fasa identified the need for transformation in the franchise industry, owing to the size of the sector and its contribution to the country's gross domestic product. view more

Franchising continues to show growth and resilience despite challenging socioeconomic and political challenges in the country. The industry has an estimated turnover of R721-billion in the last financial year, the Franchise Association of South Africa (Fasa) reported on Friday. view more

World Bank Group executive director for Angola, Nigeria and South Africa Bongiwe Kunene says a roundtable event taking place on September 24, will enable South African businesses and investors to explore the growth opportunities in Angola created as a result of the 2017 election of that country's new President Joao Lourenco. The event, sponsored by the Angolan government and World Bank Group affiliate IFC, in Angola, is aimed at presenting business opportunities to the South African private sector. view more

Cape Town has felt the shock of the taps nearly running dry and the shock of floods. It has felt the chronic stress of crime and being the murder capital of the country. The daily stress of hours in traffic congestion and being stranded on trains. The stress of poverty and 450 000 people who want to work but cannot find jobs. Now Cape Town is looking at a different way of tackling these issues. Two years ago, Cape Town was selected with 99 other cities worldwide to be part of an international ... view more

International food distributor Bid Corporation Ltd (Bidcorp) said on Friday the prospective buyer for its UK logistics business is no longer interested in buying it, citing internal reasons. In August the South African company said is was finalising an agreement to sell that business to an unidentified global company, moving a step closer to removing the loss-making, non-core asset. view more

Creamer Media's readers continue to be part of the mobile revolution.  Over 20% of Creamer Media's online readers view the websites on their mobile devices. To cater for this growing mobile readership Creamer Media offers an Engineering News Online app for iPhone and Android users.  These apps offer access to all content available on the Engineering News Online website and also offers additional benefits such as push notifications to alert the reader of breaking news items and the opportunity to save articles for a later read through the app's bookmarks functionality. view more

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the names of his 10-person advisory panel on land reform.  The president announced the establishment of the panel when he unveiled the state's stimulus package on Friday morning in Pretoria.  view more

Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the new economic, stimulus and recovery plan for South Africa and whether it will help South Africa in its economic recovery. view more

The final Mining Charter would be gazetted next week by Mineral Resources Minister, Gwede Mantashe. The Charter was approved with minor amendments by the September 19 Cabinet meeting. view more

It is imperative that South Africa restores investment and exploration levels in the mining sector as mining and mineral beneficiation activities have significant potential to drive long term growth, exports and job growth, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his economic stimulus and recovery plan speech on Friday. He said that following extensive consultation that involved industry players, communities, labour and government, the Cabinet had approved long-awaited revised Mining Charter, which will be gazetted next week. view more

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a raft of policy reform plans on Friday, including re-prioritising R50-billion ($3.5-billion) of public spending to boost economic growth and create jobs. Africa's most industrialised economy entered recession in the second quarter for the first time since 2009, in a blow to Ramaphosa's pledge to turnaround the economy after a decade of stagnation. view more

The rand started Friday off on the front foot, adding to Thursday's 2% gain against the US dollar on good CPI data, healthy inflow in the bond market and as traders await President Cyril Ramaphosa's stimulus package. The local unit added 0.5% to R14.21 to the US dollar before retreating to the previous session's closing of R14.28. view more

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Saturday travel to New York where he will lead a South African delegation at the 73rd session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, his office said on Friday. In his first participation at the assembly as head of state, Ramaphosa will take part in an annual general debate as world leaders discuss global issues under the theme: "Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful equitable and sustainable societies". view more

There is a growing acknowledgement of the central role that a transparent real estate sector plays in providing healthy, productive and competitive environments for communities and businesses, investment management company JLL global research head Jeremy Kelly said on Thursday. Market transparency, he explained to delegates at the ninth annual Africa Property Investment Summit and Expo, in Sandton, is the foundation which allows investors and corporate occupiers to operate and make decisions with confidence. view more

Minergy CEO Andre Bojé is full of praise for Botswana's regulatory authorities, who he says use legislation to assist mining investment. Minergy, which is listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange, has begun work on its maiden 390-million-tonne Masama, located in the Mmamabula coalfield, 50 km north of the capital city Gabarone. view more

There has been a very good increase in the value of buildings completed in larger municipalities during the second quarter of this year, to the tune of almost 7%, which presents a recovery from the sluggish growth of the first quarter of the year, the latest Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) shows. The ACI is a composite index of the level of activity within the building and construction sectors and is compiled by economist Dr Roelof Botha on behalf of openpit mining company Afrimat. view more

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has awarded the Concor Mota-Engil joint venture (JV) the second of two megabridge construction contracts as part of the N2 Wild Coast project. The R1.65-billion bridge will be built near Lusikisiki over the Msikaba gorge. view more

The South African Reserve Bank announced on Thursday afternoon that it will keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5%.  The announcement was made by the central bank's governor Lesetja Kganyago at a media briefing in Pretoria.  view more

The Life After Coal Campaign contends that two proposed independent power producer (IPP) coal-fired power stations will never be built. The organisation is opposed to the construction of the proposed 557 MW Thabametsi project, near Lephalale, in Limpopo, and the proposed 306 MW Khanyisa project near eMalahleni, in Mpumalanga. view more

South Africa's largest commercial aerospace manufacturing company, Aerosud Aviation, announced at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition on Thursday that it was offering its business solutions capabilities to other companies. This formed part of the company's new Growth Strategy, stated Aerosud Aviation MD Johan Steyn. The company originally developed its business solutions capabilities to meet its own in-house requirements, which included the need to manage long and complex supply chains on the one hand, and to fit into, and coordinate effectively with, the supply chains of global major aerospace groups, in particular Airbus and Boeing. view more

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has established a biorefinery research consortium (BRC) to create new value chains from waste biomass. The consortium is a partnership between the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Tshwane University of Technology, the University of the Witwatersrand and rural-based bioenterprise Sekolong Sa Dimelana. view more

Investment holding company African Rainbow Capital (ARC) Investments has subscribed for a 25%interest in black-owned and women-controlled investment company Moloto Capital Investments, which is focused on driving empowerment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors in the country. The transaction is in line with ARC's strategy to develop partnerships with enterprises that can expand its footprint in nonfinancial services businesses. view more

Former African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Mathews Phosa made a forthright appeal on Thursday for the creation and implementation of a credible economic strategy, centred on growth and job creation, rather than "vague, ill-timed, conflicting and populist" policies. Speaking at the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa's (Seifsa's) fourth annual Metals and Engineering Indaba in Sandton, Phosa said South Africa was in "serious trouble" and that the proposal for land expropriation without compensation was "dangerous" for job creation and investment. view more

Coca-Cola is moving ahead with plans to take over Nigeria's leading juice company Chi and aims to complete the deal early next year, a senior executive told Reuters. The acquisition for an undisclosed price is one of several steps the US company is taking in a global strategy to diversify from its core business of sugary sodas. view more

In a Ministerial declaration issued on Thursday at the closing of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, African governments agreed to enhance innovative solutions and build human capital to achieve sustainable development in Africa around the environment. "The environment is the foundation and the basis of the social and economic development of our countries," said Kenya environment Cabinet secretary Keriako Tobiko. view more

Shares in South Africa's MTN rose 5% on Thursday, after Nigeria's central bank said on Wednesday that it was reviewing information provided by the telecoms firm and four banks over a dispute on the repatriation of dividends. "The statement suggests there are some talks going on and the market welcomed the less harsh tone by the Nigerian central bank," said Ruhan du Plessis, telecoms analyst at Avior Capital Markets. view more

The South African Cabinet has approved the latest version of the long-delayed mining charter which lay outs requirements for black ownership levels and other targets, a cabinet minister said on Thursday. Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane told reporters that more details about the charter would be announced on Friday by President Cyril Ramaphosa when he unveils a new economic stimulus package. view more

President Cyril Ramaphosa will unveil a stimulus package that he hopes will kick-start South Africa's lagging economy on Friday morning.  Cabinet has signed off on the measures, which they hope will reignite economic growth, said Minister of Communications Nomvula Mokonyane on Thursday morning. view more

Vodacom has officially launched its standards-based, commercial fifth-generation, or 5G, service in Lesotho, delivering early access technology initially to two enterprise customers, with ambitions of eventually launching the service commercially in South Africa. Natasha Odendaal tells us more. view more