Change heads Sapoa agenda
SPEEDY transformation was top of the agenda at the 34th convention of Sapoa the commercial property owners' association held in Durban last week. The organisation has been bombarded with appeals for rapid transformation. The keynote speakers public works director-general Thami Sokutu, Transnet chairman Bongani Khumalo and newly elected Sapoa president Papi Mphahlele delivered presentations focusing on transformation to the largely white male audience.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Railway station rezoned for development
CAPE Town city council has approved an application by SA Rail Commuter Corporation for the rezoning of Cape Town station, paving the way for a commercial development. The rezoning will allow for the development of 140000m² of office, retail and residential space.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Redefine goes on R300m spree
PROPERTY loan stock company Redefine Income Fund moved closer to the R2bn asset mark with a R300m shopping spree last week. The group acquired 3,5-million linked units in property loan stock company SA Retail from Sanlam Investment Management for R164m.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Redefine builds up asset base to R1.8bn
Pretoria - Redefine Income Fund, the listed property loan stock company, has boosted the value of its hybrid asset base of listed securities and directly owned properties to R1.8 billion through two transactions worth a total of R300 million.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

New urbanism heralds a return to the old
NEW urbanism, the concept that produced Melrose Arch, a R3bn mixed-use development north of Johannesburg, is a return to the socially friendly settlement of old, says Paul Murrain, director of UK group Urban Design.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Past, present and future at Dinokeng
BIG FIVE game viewing rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard has been recognised as an essential component in Gauteng's pursuit of business tourism.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Foskor aims for turnover of R3bn a year
THE Industrial Development Corporation's (IDC's) Foskor fertiliser operation in Richards Bay is about to enjoy a R1,1bn expansion, boosting Foskor's turnover to R3bn a year.
(©www.bday.co.za)

The future of Coega
AFTER many false starts, the concept of building a deepwater port and industrial development zone at Coega now looks closer to becoming a reality than ever before.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Coega skills drive kicks off a South African first
Port Elizabeth - The Coega Development Corporation's innovative approach in the current pre-recruitment skills registration in preparation for construction work and investor recruitment in the IDZ is proving a big success.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Total SA to build R60m dual-sided petroport
Durban - Total SA, the country's fifth-largest oil company, has announced plans to build a R60 million dual-sided petrol station along the N2 freeway, just north of Durban.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Eskom Enterprises to shed some non-core assets
Absa Corporate and Merchant Bank, through its Corporate Finance Division, and Nations Capital have successfully submitted a joint bid to act as advisors to Eskom Enterprises in its efforts to dispose of certain of its non-core assets.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Murray & Roberts pulls 1.8km oil line into place
Johannesburg - Murray & Roberts, the industrial holding company in the construction, capital development and industrial markets, said yesterday it had successfully pulled a subsea pipeline into place as part of a processing unit upgrade project at the state-owned PetroSA refinery in Mossel Bay.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Cocktail' of plus factors helped to lift Ozz revenue
ENGINEERING group Ozz said a "cocktail" of factors boosted turnover 18% to R553m and operating profit 50% to R81,5m for the year to March.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Rejuvenation of historic Kliptown
KLIPTOWN, in the heart of Soweto, was the scene of the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955. Today, what deserves to be a venerated site is a dilapidated collection of small traders, a run-down informal settlement and a polluted river bank that offers no hint of its historical significance.
(©www.bday.co.za)

The disappearing act of Gauteng's golden dumps
The Hloekisa Project is a proposal to reprocess all gold mine dumps on the Witwatersrand, not just the profitable ones, as an environmental remediation programme.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Metboard faces 8% vacancies
STRAINS facing the property industry left property loan-stock company Metboard Properties with a gross lettable vacancy of 88248m² at the end of the group's financial year in March.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Apartheid prison becomes beacon of hope for justice
CONSTITUTION Hill is a project resonant with symbolism for the democratic miracle that brought SA to its first one-man one-vote elections in 1994.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Delta aims at housing from waste
Pretoria - Delta Motor was conducting experiments with the Port Elizabeth Technikon to convert paint sludge into an inert, non-toxic material that could be used in wall slabs and pavers for low-cost housing, Michael Pearton, Delta's vehicle assembly operations director, said on Friday.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Auto coatings test facility opened
Paints developer AECI Coatings has completed a re-engineering and repositioning programme, which has seen the company exiting the wood-finish and industrial-coatings businesses and focusing on the core activities of coatings for the automotive manufacturing and repair sectors as well as resin manufacturing.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Leisurenet execs ordered to shed light on company's affairs
Cape Town - Peter Gardener and Rod Mitchell must answer questions about the affairs of LeisureNet, the commissioner of the inquiry into the collapse of the fitness chain ruled on Friday.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Gauteng aims to reduce peak hour traffic
Plans may see trucks off the highways
(©www.bday.co.za)

Big contract as the Kelvin refurb begins
Kelvin power station has kicked off its much-awaited refurbishment programme with the letting of R20-million-worth of contracts for essential maintenance and safety systems.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Home loans, equities the best move
Johannesburg - Individuals should favour home loan and debt repayments as well as equities over any other asset class for long-term investments, Franco Busetti, the investment strategist at JP Morgan, said yesterday.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Backing for Addo Elephant Park project
The council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) will contribute $5,84-million to a project that will expand the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, making it the third-largest national park in South Africa.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

New research-base plan for Marion Island
An environmental impact assessment and concept design for a new research base at Marion Island have been completed, and the project now awaits budget approval from Cabinet.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Britain targets 16 key SA sectors
Britain’s newly-appointed trade and investment director for South Africa, Michael Mowlam, is hoping to strengthen relationships between UK and South African business through the selection of 16 priority industrial sectors.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

BoE keeps rates steady despite concerns of property pricing effects
London - The Bank of England kept its main interest rate on hold at 4 percent Thursday, despite concerns that surging property prices might destabilize the economy.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

IMF rethinks just how low inflation should be
THE last International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook contained a section entitled "Can inflation be too low?". The suggested answer was "Yes". Coming from an organisation regularly attacked as a pillar of western capitalist orthodoxy, the conclusion is pretty remarkable. It is also very topical when so many central banks are pondering when to lift interest rates.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Poor business culture threatens innovation
South Africa’s ambition to become an exporter of indigenous value-added products is endangered by a culture of disregard of intellectual property rights found in some large SA technology companies.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Ten SA manufacturers show the way in the export market
South Africa’s exports grew from R210-billion in 2000 to R251-billion last year in what should not be regarded as an exceptional year for exports but as part of a sustained pattern of export growth.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

SA entrepreneurs seen as too naive
ENTREPRENEURS in SA have been criticised as too naive to succeed in the international market, by US venture capitalists on a fact-finding mission.
(©www.bday.co.za)

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LEASE LANGUAGE: Carts, kiosks & compromises
In situations where retailers are becoming more selective, lessors are challenged with maintaining rents, and retail landlords have to be creative and resourceful in order to maintain and increase revenues.
(©www.industryclick.com)

SPECIALTY LEASING: Screams & Dreams
Sometimes seasonal, sometimes charitable, specialty leases fill vacant space with temporary tenants.
(©www.industryclick.com)

Sign Language
Environmental graphic designs incorporate innovative concepts and materials.
(©www.industryclick.com)

Roof-Savvy Retailers
The old expression “out of sight, out of mind” no longer applies to retailers and retail building owners as it once did. Today, both groups are more educated than ever about roofing. “Retail is getting smarter about roofing — smarter about specifications, about maintenance and repair — and they're hiring better,”
(©www.industryclick.com)

Dealmaker's delight behind the scenes
Close on 1 000 property people and their hangers-on gather in Durban this week for the SA Property Owners Association (Sapoa) annual convention.
(©www.fm.co.za)

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Land Bank now properly transformed
CAPE TOWN The Land Bank had met the challenge of transforming the racial profile of its clientele to something more diverse, Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said in her budget vote speech in Parliament last week .
(©www.bday.co.za)

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Mbeki vows to spell out Nepad projects
President Thabo Mbeki has pledged that by the end of the year there will be clear details of the implementation programme for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad)
(©www.news24.com)

Society's worries on Nepad are 'legitimate'
President Thabo Mbeki concedes that civil society is raising "legitimate questions" about its not being involved in the shaping of the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development
(©www.news24.com)

Kenya projects two percent growth
Kenya's economic performance is expected to continue with record 2 percent growth in 2002, up from 1.2 percent in 2001, with no sign of funds from the international donor community
(©www.news24.com)

Protea opens hotel in Chingola
Unlisted Protea Hotels, which is active in southern Africa, Nigeria and London, has launched a new hotel in Chingola, Zambia with a local partner to take advantage of the upsurge in business likely to stem from the privatisation of the copper mining industry in the northern copperbelt mining area, it said yesterday.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Zimbabwe economy to lose 10% this year
Durban - The Zimbabwean economy would shrink 10 percent in 2002 from an estimated 7.3 percent contraction in 2001, the country's finance minister, Simba Makoni, said yesterday.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Egypt circumvents red tape with e-government
Cairo - Egypt will next month launch an 18-million dollar e-government project to allow citizens to settle utility bills, pay traffic fines and apply for permits over the Internet, a government newspaper reported.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

Zambia plans to diverisfy economy away from copper
Zambia drew up a four-point plan to diversify its copper-reliant economy and Finance Minister Emmanuel Kasonde said he would present it to Western donors next month for financing.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Ghana firm signs West African gas deal
Ghana’s energy minister said the State power company signed the first big supply contract for the West African Gas Pipeline in an important boost for the $500-million project led by ChevronTexaco.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

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Minerals bill deters investment - law firm
Parliament - The draft Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Bill as it now stands could very well deter foreign and local investment in South Africa's mining industry, says leading business law firm Webber Wentzel Bowens (WWB).
(©www.busrep.co.za)

SA gold major quashes OZ mine deal report
South Africa’s AngloGold doused media speculation that it was close to making a pitch for full control of one of Australia’s largest undeveloped gold mines.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

First walking gem-mining platform by August
Seawalker, an eight-legged self-contained walking jack-up platform, will be shipped to South Africa in August this year to dredge and mine diamonds in the notorious West Coast surf.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Coal conveyor contract awarded
A turnkey contract for a 21 km overland-conveyor system at the Optimum Colliery has been awarded to Bateman by Ingwe.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

A US view on SA's mining law revamp
After more than a year of painstaking revision and top-level deliberation, the government here is about to alter the balance of power in the country’s mining industry.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Chile copper mines hit by storms
Copper production has halted at the Los Bronces mine in Chile, owned by a unit of Exxon Mobil, because of a power blackout caused by the worst storms in 100 years, a company spokesperson said.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Global firms bid for Zambia's Konkola
Three international mining companies have expressed official interest in taking Anglo American's recently vacated interest in Zambia's Konkola copper mine
(©www.news24.com)

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High rentals fuel home buying
Private landlords take note: rent resistance is growing in Johannesburg and the demand for rental property, which usually expands as interest rates rise, is currently doing just the opposite.
(©www.property24.co.za)

New homes in: Parklands
Property development continues apace in Parklands - one of the fastest growing areas in South Africa - from Milnerton to Koeberg via Sunset Beach, and to Blouberg and Melkbosstrand on the West Coast.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Spotlight on: George
Corporate 'rightsizing' has changed the profile of the property market in George, and most buying impetus in the southern Cape town is now coming from outside investors, retirees and holiday-home buyers.
(©www.property24.co.za)

New immigration law good for property
The new immigration legislation just enacted will have a positive influence on the residential property market.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Looking at the bigger picture
Homebuyers should not let the physical attributes of a property blind them to other issues which can also affect their lifestyle and ability to derive full enjoyment from their purchase.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Yellow Button appoints SPM
In a R50-million deal, Yellow Button Property Management has appointed Secured Property Management Services (SPM) to handle the maintenance and physical upkeep of all the sectional title schemes it manages.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Mackrell scoops top industry award
Johannesburg estate agent Shaun Mackrell has outstripped 13 other top agents from around the country to take the prestigious Property Professional of the Year 2002 award.
(©www.property24.co.za)

When no doesn't count
Pregeshni Govender, a young lawyer who is buying her first home, has fought off a bid by an estate agent to force her into a sale she did not want.
(©www.fm.co.za)

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Keeping Venice afloat
SAFEGUARDING Venice was made a ‘priority of national interest’ under Italian law after the disastrous floods in 1966. Yet the city still suffers regular flooding — and some forecasts suggest it might sink altogether within a century.
(©www.industryclick.com)

Zero Option
ALTHOUGH arguments rage over the reconstruction of the World Trade Centre site in New York, experts do seem to agree on one thing — whatever is built on the site known as Ground Zero will rise no higher than 50 or 60 storeys.
(©www.industryclick.com)

A perspective on Property’s place in multi asset management strategy
Briefly summarized, this multi asset strategy comprises various investment classes
against which property effectively ‘competes’. (Note: pdf format)
(©www.jhi.co.za)

FLAWLESS LAUNCH
Space shuttle Endeavour blasts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on a flight to deliver new residents to the international space station, following nearly a week's delay.
(©www.news24.com)

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Public sector ship's course unaltered
SA's huge economic policy dilemmas are evident from the first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures, released last week. On fiscal policy, the news is discouraging. Despite a shift to a more expansionary fiscal policy stance, government is still subtracting from economic growth. Statistics SA figures show government services fell 0,2% in the first quarter from the fourth. (All figures are real, seasonally adjusted and annualised quarterly growth rates, unless otherwise stated.) Over the whole of last year, government services output fell 0,8%.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Closing prices:
BUILDING, CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING

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Economic confidence soars in May
A survey shows that South African economic confidence surged to its highest level this year in May, and that this was spurred by optimism of marginal rand depreciation which shrugged off concerns over the near-term inflation outlook.
(©www.news24.com)

'Nepad is new colonisation'
Durban - The New Plan For Africa's Development (Nepad) is a little more than the re-colonisation of Africa, and is just an extension of Growth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy (Gear), protesters at a meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban said on Wednesday.
(©www.news24.com)

Rand headed to R10 to on Greenspan’s comments, bullion and stronger dollar
Domestic players left to lament demise of amazing stint of gold bulls, which had managed to push price of bullion above $330 level. Also, recent comment by Fed Chairman Greenspan along with positive confidence survey have placed USD back in run.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Another special download (in pdf format):

Global Property Markets and SA
World-wide events, conditions, experiences and trends have an important bearing on how your property is developed, used, managed and traded.
(©www.jhi.co.za)

CPD Seminar in Gauteng
How to create magic with your voice
Presented by the Voice Clinic, this dynamic personal enrichment seminar should not be missed.
Date: June 18, 2002
Time: 13h30 for 14h00
Place: University of Pretoria
Price: R150,00 per delegate
RSVP: to Inge Pieterse at fax: (012) 420 3598 or Tel: 083 454 8185 before 14 June 2002

In future, the Gauteng Chapter Newsletter will be delivered by e-mail:
E-MAIL ADDRESSES !!!!!!
In future the Chapter will distribute all notices, newsletters, invitations, etc. to members via E-mail. Obviously this can't be done if we don't have the E-mail addresses of ALL the members. Members are requested to E-mail their name and E-mail address to bert@netgro.co.za with GAUTENG MEMBER as the SUBJECT.

All E-mail addresses received before 30 June 2002 will be in a lucky draw and the winner will win a NORTON INTERNET SECURITY program, which includes NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2000

Remember: Visit the ASAQS website for new updates!

New members to the CUG

Names to be announced next week - the computers at Midrand were down most of the week due to renovations at the ASAQS offices

Please 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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