PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

Hard-hit Samrand decides to diversify
BELEAGUERED land development company Samrand is diversifying into commercial property investment. With this diversification the group, owned by Malaysian businessman Samsudin Abu Hassan, hopes to reverse the trend of losses, now in its third term. The group released interim financial results to end-September at the peak of the festive season on December 27. The interim operating loss was R3,3m against R1,2m in the prior comparable period.
(©www.bday.co.za)

FirstRand lodges R27m claim against chartered accountant
Pretoria - FirstRand, the listed banking group, has issued a summons for R27.16 million against chartered accountants BDO Spencer Steward for losses related to the collapse and liquidation of Shoredits Holdings, the listed construction company. BDO Spencer Steward has denied wrongdoing and is defending the claim.
(©www.busrep.co.za)

R2,7m building contract a first for women
The first Western Cape woman to be awarded a building contract under the Department of Public Works' Strategic Empowerment Programme for Women in Construction, Zulfa Allie, has vowed to finish the project on time.
(©www.iol.co.za)

Redefine striving to restore split in portfolio
PROPERTY loan-stock company Redefine Income Fund has been working around the clock to restore a 5050 portfolio split between directly held property and listed property securities and at the same time grow its overall portfolio.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Building a great new start
A construction industry training centre which offers unemployed people the opportunity to develop skills to find work and is set to improve standards was founded by three people who pooled their resources after being retrenched.
(©www.iol.co.za)

Genetic food battle may be on summit table
INDICATIONS are that the world summit meeting in Johannesburg on sustainable development may turn into a big battle for supporters and opponents of genetically engineered food.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Western Cape goes after environmental offenders
The Western Cape government has strengthened its capacity to act against environmental offenders with the first prosecution in SA under regulations of the Environmental Conservation Act due to take place within the next few weeks. A large company involved in making, handling or processing hazardous waste will be prosecuted for failing to obtain the necessary authorisation before constructing two plants "in flagrant disregard of the regulations".
(©www.bday.co.za)

Tax experts fear loss of foreign investment
TAX experts are concerned that rand weakness can make it hard to attract foreign investment. There are, however, divergent views on how the decline in the rand's value affects foreign investors subject to SA capital gains tax (CGT). The SA tax system measures capital gains in rands, but foreign investors measure their gain in their home currencies.
(©www.bday.co.za)

State warned to keep its pledges
LEADING industrialist Warren Clewlow has warned that the SA economy could stay stalled until government kept its promises to boost public-sector investment and shift the balance of state spending away from consumption. He gave this warning in the latest annual report of cement maker PPC, of which he is chairman. He also chairs the boards of PPC parent Barloworld and steel group Iscor.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Provident pulls out of SA
MICROFINANCING company Provident SA, a subsidiary of London-listed company Provident Financial, is pulling out of SA due to poor collection performance, bad debt and fraud.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Woolworths expands its franchising operations
GROWTH in convenience retailing in SA is encouraging Woolworths to expand its franchise operations. Two pilot projects have broadened Woolworths' franchise operations from concentrating on a handful of stores in a few towns to focusing on more urban areas.
(©www.bday.co.za)

LNM on course' to get Iscor shares
ANGLO-Dutch steel conglomerate LNM, the parent company of Ispat, confirmed yesterday that by Tuesday it would have acquired more than 10% of SA's leading steel producer Iscor. Iscor shareholders are due to meet on Tuesday to approve a "business assistance agreement" that Iscor has struck with LNM.
(©www.bday.co.za)

THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONS CONVENTION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 1-3 May 2002 Sandton, South Africa Click here to register

HOUSING NEWS AND LAND ISSUES

Land restitution going at snail's pace
THE handing over of the Boomplaats farm in Mpumalanga by former owner Willem Pretorius to the state yesterday as part of restoring lost land to victims of forced removals raises the question of how long it will take to settle all land-restitution claims.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Boomplaats farmer packs the kitchen sink
WILLEM Pretorius, who fought a bitter battle with government over the restitution of his farm, Boomplaats, to its original owners, finally handed it over to the authorities yesterday but not before carefully removing nearly all of the farmhouse fixtures. The handover took place amid animosity between the parties, made worse when a group of new owners arrived to find the farmhouse fixtures missing and parts of a shed stripped and removed.
(©www.bday.co.za)

NEWS FROM AFRICA

50 die in Nigerian land dispute
KANO More than 50 people have been killed in a land dispute between indigenous farmers and so-called settlers in northeast Nigeria in the past week, an official said yesterday.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Propaganda @ Zimday.com
STUNG by the volume of international criticism of Zimbabwe and unable to influence coverage of developments in the country in the local and international media, Harare has taken its propaganda war to the internet.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Guns fall silent in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN The United Nations' (UN's) peacekeeping force said it had disarmed all but a few of Sierra Leone's remaining fighters on Saturday, allowing one of the world's poorest nations to begin recovering from a civil war.
(©www.bday.co.za)

MINING NEWS

SA iron exports hit record high
Kumba made up the bulk of the export total, selling increased tonnages of iron ore from its Sishen mine.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Further consolidation expected in gold industry
CONSOLIDATION in the global gold industry is continuing apace both at home and overseas.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Tiffany's ban troubles Afgem
AFRICAN Gem Resources, a Johannesburg-based tanzanite mining company, is considering commissioning an independent inquiry into allegations that the illegal sale of tanzanite has been helping to support international terrorism.
(©www.bday.co.za)

AngloGold's Normandy bid gains on Newmont's
ANGLOGOLD's offer for Australia's Normandy Mining reached the same level as US-based Newmont Mining's bid yesterday, as the companies entered what many believe could be the final phase of the battle for Normandy.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Hot residential suburbs for 2002
This Financial Mail infographic will show you where the action will be at during 2002.

Comparing London/SA house prices
If the experts are right, SA property to 2010 will emulate US and European real estate in the Nineties. In America they called it the Goldilocks era - not too hot (boom), not too cold (bust), but just right - and it brought great wealth to property owners. Real house prices in London have risen 850% since 1981 and the number of listed property funds on the New York Stock Exchange has risen to 279.
(©www.fm.co.za)

Click down to our special reports to get a more detailed analysis on the future of the property industry in South Africa. Ed

Great season for South Coast
With upcountry schools re-opening next week, agents on KwaZulu Natal’s popular South Coast are cheerfully wrapping up an excellent sales “season” which saw the return to their shores of property’s long-endangered species - the holiday-home buyer.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Agents drawn into war on money laundering
The Ministry of Finance is to mobilise estate agents, the Estate Agency Affairs Board, attorneys, banks, and other institutions in its battle against money laundering.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Spotlight on: Albertville
Unknown and unsung as yet, Albertville promises to be the next great “discovery” for Johannesburg property buyers. It is well-located, secure and offers some of the best value for money in the metro.
(©www.property24.co.za)

The keys to successful renovation
In a property market where prices are rising steadily the appeal of buying a run-down house to fix up or renovate is strong. Young families see it as a way of getting much more property for their limited rand and speculators see it as a sure-fire way to make a profit.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Real estate and technology in 2002
Planning for the next 12 months is especially difficult in the real estate industry but, says Comcorp Online MD Richard Moss, there are certain, clearly identifiable trends that will have relevance for the whole industry - in 2002 and afterwards.
(©www.property24.co.za)

No lumps or wobbles, thanks
The property industry is on the cusp of change - and the good news for investors is that the change won't be too dramatic. If there's one thing that investment property thrives on, and helps create, it is stability. Experts foresee a decade of single-digit inflation, steady interest rates and regular growth in rents and values. "We are returning to a macro-economic environment not seen in SA since the Sixties," says property economist Francois Viruly. "The shift to low inflation has been painful but international experience shows that a stable, low inflation era creates a good basis for property investments."
(©www.fm.co.za)

Simulating Airplane Attacks
Using CAD simulation tools, a consulting engineer has adapted automotive crash study techniques to aircraft smashing into buildings. But instead of a vehicle hitting a wall, the tool simulates a plane engine flying into a column.
(©www.enr.com)

Featured Project Management Paper, Improving PM:
Linking Success Criteria to Project Type
The old axiom "On time, on budget" and later, "conformance to requirements" was once deemed the mark of project success. Yet the literature is rife with examples of projects that were either completed late or finished over budget, and were still considered successful. Less well documented are those projects that were completed on time and within budget but stand out as a monument to ineptitude.
A Personal PDF copy :Click here to FTP download a pdf copy of the paper.
(©www.pmforum.org)

Commemorating 30
Shopping Center World celebrates three decades of retail development — the booms, the busts, the fads and the future. Don't miss this concise history of shopping centre development in America. Will factory outlets become the focus of development in South Africa? What impact will the Internet have on our traditional shopping patterns? Click here to find out more.
(©www.industryclick.com)

Considering Australia?
Donald Cant Watts Corke Pty. Ltd. has offices in Melbourne (Head Office), Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Kuala Lumpur. The firm provides professional quantity surveying, asset management and project management services.As the third largest practice in Melbourne, they are looking for dynamic, young, professional senior quantity surveyors for their expanding Australian operations. Offering a rewarding career path, the positions are suitable for self-motivated, high achieving individuals with management aspirations.They currently have positions available for two senior quantity surveyors in Melbourne and one senior quantity surveyor in Sydney. Reporting to the directors, the successful applicants must convey the ability to work autonomously and have client liaison and management skills. A proven ability to attract and procure work would be considered an advantage.The firm will sponsor the successful applicants to achieve a Long Stay Business Visa for Australia. Please forward curriculum vitae via e-mail or facsimile to the following:E-mail: recruitment@dcwc.com.au or
Fax: + (61) (3) 9417-7686

Current and Future Trends in the Education in Project Managers
Project Management is becoming established as a profession, and an essential part of that is practitioners should have a theoretical knowledge of the subject, from which they can make predictions about which approaches will lead to better outcomes.
(©www.pmforum.org)

‘Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing!’
Improving facilities management with the Internet
(©www.buildingsmag.com)

New members to the CUG
A warm word of welcome to the following member who has joined us in the CUG during the past week:

Johan Havenga
Irvin Lungelo
Ruth Poppé

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.