Infrastructure fund's investments reach R550-million, additional R1bn sought
The South African Infrastructure Fund (SAIF) is the largest dedicated infrastructure focused equity fund in Southern Africa. With current investments at R550 million, and an additional R1-billion fund-raising on foot, SAIF looks set to strengthen its position as a significant funder of South Africa's infrastructure.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Future looks good for Growthpoint
PROPERTY loan stock company Growthpoint may soon join the few listed property funds on the JSE Securities Exchange SA with a property asset base of more than R2bn.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Laser sells off properties
LASER Group has sold a portfolio of industrial properties to property loan stock company, Growthpoint, for R50m. In an announcement yesterday, Laser said all conditions precedent of the deal had been fulfilled, and the transaction had gone through.To Laser, the transaction means freedom from noncore financial obligations while it feeds growth objectives for Growthpoint.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Redefine results positive despite securities loss
Property loan stock firm's strategy pays off. Property loan stock company Redefine suffered a setback of R84m in the value of its listed securities portfolio in the year ended August, because of the negative rerating experienced by the listed property sector in the past few months.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Bellandia set to beat target
CAPE-based residential property developer Bellandia aims to defy the slowdown in Cape Town's construction activity.It is engaged in four major projects which have put the group on track to beat its target by 25% this year, and three or four good prospects in the pipeline could see a further turnover increase in the first half of next year, says Bellandia MD Drew Danford.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Shilowa now has something to sing about
Gauteng has made great strides in service delivery in several areas, although challenges remain.One thing that government spin-doctors did when Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa took office was to tell him to stop singing.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Rentsure, Daisy portfolio destined for Fairvest
THE property portfolio that is changing hands in a complex transaction between Rentsure Holdings and Daisy Street is destined for property loan stock company Fairvest Property Holdings.While the transaction serves Rentsure's strategic objective of reducing exposure to the property market, it also feeds into Fairvest's ambitions of growing its portfolio and achieving critical mass.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Now Sutherland hopes to show any tourists an absolutely stellar time
Telescope construction is unlikely to dent unemployment in the town.The bleak Karoo town of Sutherland is the sort of place from which most young people try to escape as fast as possible. A cursory midweek walkabout finds the two disconsolate coffee shops deserted, the dusty supermarkets bare of custom and the town almost devoid of visible activity.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Trying to keep the sparkle in the crown jewels
NORTH West inherited a jewel in the crown of apartheid's bantustan policy in the form of Bophuthatswana in 1994.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Leisurenet cash is from private deals'
Cape Town. Sums paid by architect Dawid Rabie in 1999 to offshore companies associated with former Leisurenet CEOs Rod Mitchell and Peter Gardener stemmed merely from a private property deal between the three individuals, despite the liquidators' attempts to create a conspiracy around it, according to evidence given by Rabie, the founder of Keystone Architects.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Transnet CEO's proposal on assets causes concern
Two processes could trigger contradictions. Commercial property professionals fear that fragmentation of the process governing the rationalisation of public property assets could undermine state efforts.
(©www.bday.co.za)

PWC urges motor industry to act quickly to ensure continued foreign investment
Johannesburg - The South African motor industry needs to take urgent action if it is to continue attracting foreign investment and ward off increasing international competition, according to global professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Gas key to iron project's success
The decision as to whether Mintek's hot-briquetted iron (HBI) project should be located in Saldanha Bay or in Kathu, the metropolitan area in which Sishen resides, is being negotiated at present, reports president and CEO Paul Jourdan.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Challenging market showing lack of consistent growth
Two of the notable changes to have occurred in the challenging lift and escalator market in South Africa in recent years have been the lack of consistent growth in general, and the introduction of economic empowerment and affirmative action initiatives from both the manufacturing companies and requirements in terms of certain tenders.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

ABB in talks to sell stake in airport
ABB is in talks with several black economic empowerment groups to sell 40% of the shareholding in its new Mpumalanga international airport, which becomes operational next month. This follows an announcement by the global engineering group yesterday that it had sold a 20% share of its SA operation, ABB SA, to women's empowerment firm Wiphold.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Aluminium offset project launched in Maritzburg
The Germany frigate consortium, which is supplying corvettes to the South African Navy, has launched a significant aluminium offset project in KwaZulu-Natal.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

SA petrochemical firm in Germany pipeline deal
German chemicals group BASF said on Monday it and Sasol Germany had acquired a third of ethylene pipeline company ARG, which oil major BP was obliged to sell for antitrust reasons.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

SAFCEC NEWS

CPAF INDICES – AUGUST 2002
The CPAF Indices for August 2002 have been published by the STATSSA and an amended schedule is available here.
(©www.safcec.org.za)

SAFCEC 2003 CALENDARS
ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS! Orders may now be placed for the SAFCEC 2003 calendar. The calendar consists of 12 pages, each depicting two months, featuring the 12 winning photographs from the 2002 Photographic Competition. Members may choose from the standard calendar printed with SAFCEC details, or overprinting on the personalised option, which allows for your company’s logo and contact details. Please submit your orders AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (click here for order form) to facilitate early delivery of your calendars.Should you have any queries, please contact Anna Botha on (011) 455-1700.
(©www.safcec.org.za)

SITE VISIT
NELSON MANDELA BRIDGE
SAFCEC, in conjunction with the Construction Division of SAICE, has organised a site visit to the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg to take place from 14:00 on Friday, 1st November 2002.This unique cable stayed bridge is being constructed by Grinaker-LTA who have kindly offered to sponsor the site visit. The contract has reached a critical stage with the commencement of cable spinning.The site visit will take place in Grinaker-LTA’s site office in the Old Transnet Museum at the T-junction of Carr and Becker Streets, Newtown, Johannesburg, and then on site. There will be light refreshments served after the site visit.Attendance is limited to 25 delegates and will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Applications to attend should be faxed or emailed to Howard Richardson on 011 450 1715 or contract@safcec.org.za by no later than 25 October 2002.
(©www.safcec.org.za)

EIA – N2 WILD COAST TOLL ROAD
The draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the N2 Wild Cost Toll Road is now available. Members are invited to review the draft EIA, which is available at various venues as detailed on the attachment to this Newsletter. Public Feed back Meetings will take place from 15 to 17 October. Click here for details.
(©www.safcec.org.za)

SHE RISK MANAGEMENT
The SAFCEC Occupational Health & Safety Committee has recently developed a pro-forma report in an attempt to standardise the reporting of Safety, Health and Environmental Risk Management performance. Click here for an example of the report.
(©www.safcec.org.za)

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Congress to look at retailing trends
LATEST trends in the shopping centre retailing business will come under the spotlight at the African Congress of Shopping Centres in the Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton, between October 16 and 18. Expected to draw delegates from across Africa, the "retailing with soul" conference comes as the commercial viability of some of the latest developments on SA's shopping centre market including the R1,4bn Gateway Theatre of Shopping in KwaZulu-Natal and the R1,2bn Canal Walk in Century City, Cape Town is debated, with players asking whether they are adding value to the retailing market.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Shoprite critical of central bank's monetary policy
CAPE TOWN. Group is upbeat on its long-term prospects. A second major retailing group has voiced its criticism of the SA Reserve Bank's approach to combating inflation, with Shoprite saying it was difficult to appreciate why the bank had raised interest rates.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Edcon makes its play for stationery chain CNA
CLOTHING and related goods retailer Edcon yesterday tossed its hat into the ring for the liquidated stationery chain CNA. Edcon said in a statement its bid for CNA was part of its strategy of expanding beyond the clothing, footwear, textiles and accessories market.
(©www.bday.co.za)

SARS takes restrictive line on trademarks
THE SA Revenue Service (SARS) has taken a harsh approach to the tax treatment of trademarks, says Werksmans director Paul Ferreira. The unfavourable treatment of trademarks arose in the light of abusive intellectual property schemes used by taxpayers in the past.
(©www.bday.co.za)

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Iscor runs the gauntlet on pollution claims
SIXTEEN residents and small-scale farmers in the Vanderbijlpark area have had their patience tested by ongoing pollution of the air and water by steel group Iscor, which dominates their landscape. This week the group asked the Johannesburg High Court for an interdict to stop Iscor polluting the underground water system, which they claim is a health hazard. The residents live in Linkholm and Steel Valley on smallholdings adjacent to Iscor's Vanderbijlpark plant.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Iscor accuses residents of greed
ISCOR has accused residents who have demanded that the steel firm to stop polluting their drinking water of trying to force the steel giant to buy their properties at inflated prices.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Suspicious farmers avoid government census
Agriculture Correspondent FARMERS have shunned government's census of the agricultural sector, with only 3,5% of commercial farmers participating in the survey, which ended last month.
(©www.bday.co.za)

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A helping hand for projects in Africa
IDC expands its focus under Nepad.The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), an important participant at Saitex this year, is expanding its focus throughout Africa as part of its role in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). Central to the Nepad concept is that Africans themselves must take ownership of developmental initiatives and programmes aimed at repositioning Africa in the global economic arena, and placing African countries on a path to sustainable growth.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Opportunity for growth
NEWS of increasing involvement by General Electric (GE) in Africa can be seen as a vote of confidence in the continent. The company, whose main activity is supplying power equipment, now generates R5bn from its activities in Africa, and this is growing at about 5% a year.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Going forward in learning from Zimbabwe
A FUNDAMENTAL problem in dealing with the Zimbabwean situation is that key partners see the crisis in totally dissimilar ways. This reflects different interest. But a review of mistakes made might assist in finding future common ground. How do key actors see the Zimbabwe crisis?
(©www.bday.co.za)

Pandering to Mugabe will not benefit Africa
Apartheid government argued for noninterference, saying it was a domestic issue. It is popular wisdom that "the more things change, the more they remain the same".
(©www.bday.co.za)

Energy Africa adds to its oil production
SA OIL and gas group Energy Africa said that new oil production in the North Sea and Gabon had added 6000 barrels a day to the company's net production.This represents a rise of about 23% in production levels, which are now close to 22000 barrels a day. Energy Africa chief operating officer Adrian Nel said the cost of developing the new production sources was $4 a barrel on average.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Direct African investment is spurred by Agoa
The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), promulgated by former US president Bill Clinton in 2000 to give certain imports from qualifying sub-Saharan African countries duty- and quota-free entry, has resulted in investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars across the region, the latest edition of the World Investment Report states.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Plans to rehabilitate Nacala rail line on the cards
Malawi – The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking funds for the repair of the Nacala rail line to facilitate the speedy transportation of imported food items from the Mozambique port of Nacala to Malawi, which is experiencing an acute food shortage.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

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Mbeki's promise: Govt won't nationalise mines
President Thabo Mbeki says the government has no plans to nationalise South Africa's mine assets. His announcement follows the release of a final draft charter aimed at increasing black ownership of the mining industry.
(©www.news24.com)

Privatisation of gem miner moves ahead
The restructuring of State-owned gem miner Alexkor is well under way, with five bidders on the shortlist, CEO Rain Zihlangu tells Mining Weekly Online. The privatisation process has now entered its final stage and the bidders are expected to submit bidding documents – for a 51% stake in Alexkor’s mining assests – on November 28.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

AngloGold seals empowerment deal
ANGLOGOLD said yesterday it had sold its Stone & Allied Industries for R5m to existing management working within a black empowerment grouping.The deal is likely to be just one of a number of agreements to be announced by the SA mining sector in coming months.Established mining companies are increasingly moving to show they are playing their part in broad-based empowerment in the industry.
(©www.bday.co.za)

State notes steady improvement in mine safety
Parliament - The implementation of the Mine Health and Safety Act in 1997 has resulted in a steady improvement in the safety performance of the mining industry, according to the minerals and energy department.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Gold Fields not overly worried about ownership issues
Chief Executive Officer of Gold Fields, Ian Cockerill said on Wednesday he believed negotiations over South Africa's draft mining document would come up with a fair plan.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

SA gold No.1 aims to raise production, reserves
Speaking at the Denver Mining Investment Forum conference Wednesday, AngloGold CEO Bobby Godsell announced that the company was on track to produce six-million ounces of gold in 2002 and that AngloGold was looking to increase production over the next three to four years to a possible 6,5-million ounces, as anticipated expansion projects came on stream.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Definition of beneficiation a cloudy issue
New bill tightens rules for companies wishing to process minerals outside the country.A definition of beneficiation in the context of SA's mining industry remains a moot point, especially with regard to the new Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development bill.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Exploration push from global gold major
Mineral giant Newmont Mining plans to spend between $80-million and $85-million on exploration next year, up from $73-million this year, CEO Wayne Murdy said on Wednesday.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

State agency willing to swop technology for equity
State minerals and metallurgical research agency, Mintek, is continuing to advance its commercialisation goals and is in the process of identifying projects and businesses in which it may even take an equity stake.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Drill campaign completed at PGM prospect
The pre-feasibility evaluation drilling programme of Harmony Gold Mining’s Kalplats PGM Project in the North West Province has been completed by Geosearch International.One diamond rig capable of drilling shallow (less than 300 m deep) inclined boreholes was used to complete the required work.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Miner not to renew gem contract with DTC
The world's largest diamond miner, De Beers, said on Tuesday that miner BHP Billiton had decided not to renew an agreement whereby De Beers markets diamonds unearthed from BHP Billiton's Ekati mine in Canada, Reuters reports.The contract, which entitles De Beers to sell 35% of Ekati production to the DTC, is due to expire at the end of this year.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Positive news on nickel-mine expansion
South African mining company Anglovaal Mining (Avmin) is convinced that it has a viable plan to expand operations at its highly successful Nkomati nickel joint venture, in Mpumalanga, and is working to finalise financing and construction details.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Anglogold on track to produce 6m ounces of gold
Johannesburg - Anglogold was on track to produce 6 million ounces of gold in 2002 and looking to increase production over the next three to four years to a possible 6,5 million ounces as anticipated expansion projects came on stream, CEO Bobby Godsell said on Wednesday.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Company scoops R58-million contract at local coal-mine
As part of one of the largest materials- handling mining projects in South Africa this year, engineering and project-management company Senet, was awarded the contract for the construction of two run-of-mine (Rom) coal crushing tip arrangements for Ingwe's Kwagga project in Mpumalanga.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Study begins on Botswana gold prospect
Botswana's one prospect for future gold production will be confirmed by a bankable feasibility study being carried out by Gallery Gold near Francistown in the Tati greenstone belt. The study should be completed within a year and, if results prove favourable, the mine should begin production in 2004.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

UN highlights Tanzania's mining code success
Tanzania has won praise from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) as one of the least-developed countries which have gone out of their way to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). One of the beneficiaries of the new policy has been the minerals sector, which now accounts for more than half of FDI inflows.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Mining can be catalyst for Africa’s development
The South African government believes that South Africa’s inaugural Mining Week, taking place this week in conjunction with the Electra Mining exhibition, will dispel suggestions of the mining industry’s decline and highlight its catalytic role in the revival of the African continent.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

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Electricity prices under upward pressure - Minister
Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka forecasts that electricity prices in South Africa, which are among the lowest-cost globally, will come under upward pressure in the medium term, and that this pressure could be mitigated only by the introduction competition.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

New homes at: Two Oceans Estate
World-reknowned golf course designer Peter Matkovich has turned his talents to an exciting - and affordable - new golf estate development in the southernmost region of Africa, on the outskirts of the little country town of Bredasdorp.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Rate rises will re-balance the market
The interest rate rises that have so displeased homeowners and buyers this year actually came just in time to stop the residential market from overheating and, quite possibly, collapsing.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Spotlight on: Bluewater Bay
Improving prospects for the development of the multi-billion rand Coega deep water harbour have strongly boosted property demand in Port Elizabeth's northern suburb of Bluewater Bay.
(©www.property24.co.za)

SA sellers should stick to SA pricing
South African home sellers, especially in middle-income suburbs, should concentrate on attracting South African buyers - and price their properties accordingly.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Banks do not inspect for you
Homebuyers should not confuse a bank's valuation of a property with a home inspection. Bank valuations are performed to see whether there is sufficient value in the property to secure a home loan, and not specifically to identify possible defects.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Realty Executives opens in W Cape
The franchise drive recently launched by the Realty Executives estate agency group has already resulted in the opening of several new offices - including the group's first foray into the Western Cape.
(©www.property24.co.za)

10 new Aida offices launched
The combination of stock market volatility and rising interest rates is fuelling franchise sales in the real estate industry as investors turn to property and a growing number of existing agencies seek the security of a national group.
(©www.property24.co.za)

An educated guess creates new buying patterns
Call them the new colonials: hundreds of teachers and nurses from the Eastern Cape and Europe are buying homes around Margate on the KwaZulu Natal south coast. It is all due to one estate agent, who has created a unique market and a career for himself.
(©www.fm.co.za)

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Colour in architecture
Colour is one of the most important and least understood aspects of our environment. As more architects begin to experiment again with the power of colour, these pages, brought to you by Corus in conjunction with The Architects' Journal, offer a mixture of inspiration and practical advice. It is time to enjoy colour again. And each week we will bring you a feature from this site.
This week: Colour lessons from cars
Today's automotive trends will appear on tomorrow's buildings
(Note : to view the articles requires a quick registration on the AJ site.)
(©www.aplusj.co.uk)

All about images
AutoCAD is essentially a vector drawing application. However, there are occasions when it would be useful to display raster images as part of your drawing. It would also be useful if you could make basic modifications to images and to be able to scale them. Using such tools, you could use an image to trace some base information.
(©www.techtutorials.com)

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Rand falls back after earlier advances
THE rand ended unchanged yesterday, after export dollars helped it gain 8c earlier in the day. It firmed again in afterhours trade and was last at R10,38 against the dollar, with foreign players helping it along.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Time for rich aid donors to end flag planting
IN DEVELOPING countries, foreign aid arrives with the best intentions but often with too little co-ordination among donors. The result can be a raw deal for both the recipients of aid and the taxpayers who fund it.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Tax, not just an employees responsibility
Matthew Lester a professor of taxation studies at Rhodes University wrote a very interesting article for the Sunday Times recently. He said that there has been a large increase in the inspection teams at SA Revenue Services. He said that this means it is no longer a question of whether or not a business will be audited, but when.
(©mymoney.iafrica.com)

Excel 2000 Tutorial
This tutorial will help you get started with Microsoft Excel and may solve some of your problems. It also contains links to all the other Microsoft Office programs and is an excellent source of reference. Make sure to bookmark it.
(©www.bcschools.net)

Seen in Classifieds:
Final Year Student Seeking Employment
I am a fourth year quantity surveying student at the University of the Witwatersrand, and hereby seeking employment since I am finishing my degree at the end of November 2002. I can use WINQS32, MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint.

Wanted Duet stands to buy. Pretoria vicinity.

The Complete Steel Solution Conference
The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) will be hosting a 3CR12 Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre on the 10th & 11th of October. This conference will address recent developments, new applications and opportunities for the specification, design, and cost
effective use of 3CR12 corrosion resistant steel in a wide range of industry
sectors. Click here for registration form and programme.

Remember: Visit the ASAQS website for new updates!

New members to the CUG

New members listed next week

Please note : Only paid-up members of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors are allowed entrance to the CUG. We still receive a number of applications every month from non-members. If you have any questions regarding membership contact Mrs Barbara Morgan on 011-3154140

Also note that your registration to the CUG will remain in force as long as you remain a member of ASAQS and there is no need to register every year. If you have not received an e-mail confirming your registration contact ASAQS.

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