Ruling in favour of those who default may backfire
THE ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal that tenants who fail to pay rent and buyers who default on bond payments have the same protection against eviction as illegal squatters could end in landlords and banks demanding higher rents and larger deposits. Eskel Jawitz Real Estate MD Herschel Jawitz said yesterday that property owners or investors who buy to let their properties played a critical role in the housing market by supplying rental accommodation.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Show re-examines skyscraper's future
After September 11, is there a future for the skyscraper? According to delegates at the Eighth Venice International Architecture exhibition, the answer is a definite "yes". While Britain's secret services were planning briefings for architects to design public buildings that offer maximum protection against suicide bombers, the exhibition opened at the weekend as part of the Venice Biennale.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Grass not always greener outside SA
ALTHOUGH the grass may appear greener across SA's borders, it may turn out to be a desert for contractors. Cross-border work is fraught with danger if contractors are unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the country they are working in. Typical risks include corruption, difficulty shipping plant in and out and sourcing a suitable workforce. Obstacles may be put in the way of setting up and disestablishing, unless appropriate palms are greased.
(©www.bday.co.za)

A neighbour to count on
Residents of Weavind Park in Pretoria's Silverton can smile: the real Big Brother - the 2 000-strong National Directorate of Public Prosecutions - is moving next door. Public Prosecutions has taken 30 000 m² of refurbished office space in the old SA Broadcasting Corp offices. Its administration chief, Nizaam Hendricks, says the site was chosen for the highway and support nearby. The national police logistics complex and Council for Geosciences forensic science laboratories are close. "It was simpler to be here than in the CBD," he says.
(©www.fm.co.za)

ApexHi wants to get government business
THE outsourcing of ApexHi asset management to a trust with a blackempowerment mix would benefit the property funds' vision to become a landlord of first choice to government, said ApexHi MD Brian Azizollahoff.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Zinc-air battery plant for Pretoria
German high-tech engineering company Zoxy Energy Systems has licenced Cross Continental Energy Storage Systems (CCESS) of South Africa to produce and market zinc-air energy cells using technology developed by the foreign firm.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

IDC secures funding for SA exports for Mozal II building
THE Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) announced yesterday that it had secured funding for SA exports to the Mozal II aluminium smelter in Mozambique which will earn this country R2,6bn.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Ceramic Industries revenue up 33%
Significant growth evident in sector amid soaring demand for tiles and a boom in local housing market.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Asbestos remains a concern
It is hard to believe the material used to make artificial arteries and veins for the human body is the same material used to seal equipment flanges and vessels
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Aveng expected to show gains in line with sector growth
ANALYSTS expect good results from construction company Aveng on Monday, in line with solid results reported by most companies in the sector in the past two months.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Coega, road repairs a major boost for economy, says PPC
CEMENT company PPC believes the building of the Coega harbour and industrial development zone in the Eastern Cape, combined with a planned R30bn public investment in road improvements, could bring a significant boost for SA industry, employment and growth.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Higher interest rates slows rise in house prices
HOUSE price growth slowed last month, according to Absa's house price index. This was in line with expectations, says Absa economist Jacques du Toit. Despite higher interest rates and inflation, the property market continued to perform relatively strongly. Average growth in house prices last month was 11,6% year on year, compared with 12% in July.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Potential property portfolio amounts to R6,5bn
CAPE TOWN The value of properties that potentially could be included in a consolidated property portfolio of Telkom, Eskom, Denel, the SA Post Office and Transnet amounted to an estimated R6,5bn, Parliament heard yesterday.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Aveng's workload limits growth of its order book
Work on hand exceeds the company's targets Industrial Correspondent SA's largest construction company, Aveng, said yesterday it would not grow its R9,8bn order book much further in the year ahead, because the work on hand was already exceeding the company's targets.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Iliad does well in declining market
BUILDING materials and related products retailer Iliad's share price rose 19,44% to close at 215c yesterday following the release of its interim results for the six months to June.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Portuguese group wants stake in SA cement firm
PORTUGUESE company Cimentos de Portugal (Cimpor) is making its first acquisition in SA in a deal that will place the company in control of more than 10% of the domestic cement market.Cimpor is in advanced negotiations with the owners of Natal Portland Cement, which has more than 10% of the 9-million tons-a-year SA cement market, and about 77% of the KwaZulu-Natal market.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Oil refineries at R10b juncture
The South African oil refinery industry is at a cross-road – refineries will have to spend about R10-billion before January 2006 to convert to technology that will enable them to change their entire production of leaded petrol to unleaded petrol and produce low-sulphur diesel; or face possible closure.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

R50-million project to reduce emissions
The Durban-based Engen refinery plans to spend about R50-million next year to install the most modern technology to reduce particulate emissions from its fluidised catalytic cracker (FCC) unit.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

R500m project spend yielding results for Cape Town refinery
Oil company Caltex’s refinery is located at Milnerton, Cape Town, in the Western Cape.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Plan to take chemicals sector downstream
South Africa's only national incubator, the South African Chemical Technology incubator (Chemin), which was established in April this year, has ambitious goals, one of which is to be the leading catalyst in South Africa’s drive to become the most diversified downstream chemical producer in the Southern Hemisphere by 2020.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

SAFCEC NEWS

MEASURING INJURY EXPERIENCE
Injury experience has traditionally been measured by the use of a disabling injury frequency rate, the so-called “DIFR”. The DIFR is calculated by multiplying the number of disabling injuries by 1 million and dividing by the number of man-hours worked. The SAFCEC OH&S committee recently decided to promote the use of a new frequency rate based on the number of compensation injury claims, as these are more difficult to hide or manipulate because the reporting of compensatable injuries is a legal requirement. The committee is hoping that adoption of this new measurement of injury experience will enable the Construction Industry to monitor itself as far as work related injuries are concerned. For more information click here.

SAFCEC AGM
The 63rd SAFCEC Annual General Meeting will take place immediately after the SAFCEC Convention, to be held at Spier Conference Centre, Stellenbosch, on Monday, 7th October 2002. Click here for the formal notice.

SAFCEC CONVENTION 2002
Important notice to all members! The 9th SAFCEC National Convention will take place on 6 – 7 October 2002 at Spier Estate, situated 25 minutes from Cape Town. This exceptional venue is perfectly suited to the SAFCEC convention and offers a variety of exciting activities; indeed, delegates would be well advised to take an extra day to experience the various leisure aspects of the resort. Click here to register.
(©www.safcec.org.za)

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Wooltru buys warehouse to get out of lease
LIQUIDATION-bound Wooltru has taken desperate measures to get out of a multimillion-rand lease by buying a distribution warehouse in Jet Park in the East Rand for R32,4m, only to resell the property at a cheaper price. Wooltru is expected to take a loss of up to R19,5m from this move, but said it had avoided a heavier knock.The move is Wooltru's attempt to free itself of a contingent liability, which it accrued after guaranteeing a long-term lease of former subsidiary and troubled retailer Consolidated News Agency (CNA).
(©www.bday.co.za)

Hanging Around
Discount shopping is a trend that has taken hold of many classes up and down the demographic scale. But the debate over how long it will last has largely been answered — retail experts say to expect the discount phenomena to continue.
(©www.industryclick.com)

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Group in bid to expropriate land
THE National Land Committee (NLC), a nongovernmental organisation representing more than nine land rights organisations, says it is embarking on a national programme to identify land for expropriation and ask government to make this land available to the landless.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Group threatens to invade unoccupied land in SA
The Landless People Movement's exposure grew at the summit with the arrest of seven and a march of 10000 people.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Housing ministry seeks advice on court's illegal occupation ruling
THE housing ministry is seeking legal advice after a recent Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that legislation protecting illegal occupiers from summary eviction not only applied to squatters, but also to former tenants and bond defaulters. The ruling says the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from Unlawful Occupation of Land Act provides that no person may evict an unlawful occupier, except on the authority of an order of a court. Anyone who contravenes this rule is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine, or to imprisonment not exceeding two years.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Helping to reunite families while slowing AIDS
While efforts at changing the decades-old system of mine hostels is only touching the surface, at least it is a start.
(©www.bday.co.za)

ANC vow to hand back' District Six rings hollow
RECENTLY, it has come to light that after two long years the African National Congress (ANC) has made little progress in handing over District Six back "to the people". At the time the press was quick to point out this ANC promise came just nine days before an election, raising several questions about the ANC and President Thabo Mbeki's real aim.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Hearings on land bill to begin
CAPE TOWN Public hearings on the controversial Communal Land Rights Bill will soon be held in Parliament. The proposed legislation is aimed at delivering legally secure tenure to about 2,4-million rural households representing 13-million blacks living in the former homelands and the former SA Development Trust areas.
(©www.bday.co.za)

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$1,1bn Sierra Leone rebuild under way
Sierra Leone has embarked on a comprehensive programme of reconstruction, backed by the international community and under an international security umbrella.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Mugabe warns white farmers to hand land over to blacks or leave
HARARE Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe returned home yesterday, triumphant from a row with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the world summit in Johannesburg. Mugabe again warned white farmers to hand their land over to blacks or leave the country.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Mbeki's speech goes softly on issue of Iraq
Expression of support for multilateral action aimed at US International Affairs Editor PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki, speaking directly after US President George Bush in the debate during the opening session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Energy Africa minorities dispute heads for stalemate
Business Editor CAPE TOWN The dispute between minority shareholders in oil explorer Energy Africa and Malaysian state oil company Petronas was headed for a stalemate yesterday.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Africa's democrats can still have the last laugh
Cheers for Zimbabwe's leader at summit no gauge of commitment to human rights THE wants of Africa's governments are often not the same as those of her people
(©www.bday.co.za)

US looks to west Africa for oil supply
Seeking secure oil supplies ahead of possible conflict with Iraq, the US is stepping up overtures to oil-rich west African nations.
(©www.bday.co.za)

World will tire of Africa's begging bowl and excuses
NOW that the world summit is a thing of the past, and thankfully so, one can reflect on what we have left to chew on.
(©www.bday.co.za)

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Minister wants cleaner coal
South Africa’s Minister of Minerals and Energy believes that the country’s coal-mining industry needs a “paradigm shift” in this era of sustainable development, Mining Weekly can report.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

New coal-miners face many obstacles
The coal industry is attracting much interest from entrepreneurs, many of them from previously-disadvantaged backgrounds.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Minister forecasts further investment for Zim mines
In a bold declaration, Zimbabwe’s Mines and Mining Development Minister, Edward Chindori-Chininga, says the next few years will see massive flows of foreign direct investment into the troubled country’s nonplatinum-group metals sector.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Small miners call for mentorship
Despite initiatives by the Chamber of Mines, the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME), research institutions and parts of the private mining sector to help foster growth in the local small-scale mining sector, these initiatives need to go further to include hands on mentorship and marketing assistance if there is to be real empowerment in the industry, says CEO of Phamine Mining Johan de Wit, speaking at Mintek’s conference on ‘green technologies for the formal and small scale mining and metallurgical sectors’, a parallel event of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, earlier this month.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Grand old coal-mine placed in hands of closure team
A closure team has taken over at the historic Rietspruit Colliery in Mpumalanga which has ceased operations.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Stainless-steel growth prospects trigger new chrome outpouring
Southern African ferrochrome producers are gearing themselves to enlarge their share of the global ferrochrome market based on a belief that the stainless-steel market, which consumes 78% of mined chromite ore, is set to grow.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Technology set to limit coal's harm
Coal will continue to have almost the same share of the fuel market over the next two decades, predicts the International Energy Agency (IEA), an agency set up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to ensure oil security.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Another PGM empowerment deal imminent
South African mining company, Avmin, and the world’s second-largest platinum producer, Impala Platinum, are in the final stages of discussions with a black economic empowerment (BEE) group.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Saleable products from discarded coal slurries are made possible
The collaborative research programme set up to address the specific needs of the coal mining industry in South Africa, Coaltech 2020, has achieved some exceptional results.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

Concern over new Minerals Bill
Swiss-based mining and metals group Xstrata acquired the Australian and South African coal business of Glencore International for $2,5-billion earlier this year, as part of its transformation process.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)

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Housing prospects shaken by service cost increases
Massive increases in charges for electricity, water and other municipal services have dealt a severe blow to landlords as well as tenants in South Africa's large cities, and could bring about a drop in the private sector provision of rental housing.
(©www.property24.co.za)

The right way to handle cluster home rentals
Buyers in new estates, clusters and other planned communities should ensure that their homeowners' association (HOA) has a formal policy covering the letting of homes in the development and the obligations of owners who become landlords.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Spotlight on: Kosmos
Hartebeespoort Dam - 30 minutes' drive from Fourways and Randburg and 20 minutes on the toll road from Pretoria - has one of the busiest residential property markets in South Africa, and is rapidly becoming more than a weekend destination.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Restricting the rich
Can a developer force buyers to resell their properties through an agent of his choice? Yes, when it is a grand, security-conscious estate, says Moreland Development, a Tongaat subsidiary. But a Pam Golding Properties (PGP) franchisee is trying to stop them.
(©www.fm.co.za)

Record price for Gansbaai stand
A seafront stand at De Kelders has been sold for R980 000 - the highest price yet achieved for vacant land in the Gansbaai area.
(©www.property24.co.za)

Don't wait if you need to sell
Homeowners who need to sell their properties should put them on the market as soon as possible.
(©www.property24.co.za)

The basics for first-time buyers
Buying a new home is especially stressful for first-time buyers but they can do much to look like 'old-hands' - and avoid common problems - by following some basic guidelines.
(©www.property24.co.za)

To every sale there is a season...
There is no quick and easy answer to the perennial question 'When is the best time to sell my home?' and most owners need professional help to get their timing right.
(©www.property24.co.za)

There is a boss of parking
Parking is an ever-prickly problem in sectional title schemes - even when all owners have their 'own' garages and/ or parking bays.
(©www.property24.co.za)

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Save yourself
South Africans need to stop living on borrowed money - for their own good and the good of the country. To mark National Savings Week, the Savings Institute tells you how to kick the debt habit and take control of your financial future.
(©www.persfin.co.za)

Earned Value
Our clients undoubtedly live and die by the success and failure of the projects we so carefully nurture.
By using earned value throughout our projects, we can identify, address, and resolve problems early.
This way, we can continue to work towards the improved management of those projects and greater business success.
Ruthanne Schulte presents an in depth introduction to Earned Value Management in her article What is the Health of My Project? The Use and Benefits of Earned Value
(©www.projectmagazine.com)

Property Investment
SA investors have yet to discover property's boring virtues.
Fear of deflation is gripping Western economies as asset prices drift down around the world. And they are not worrying about only share prices.
Londoners and New Yorkers are waiting for house prices to start sinking as well. Governments eye Japan and its disastrous deflationary decade - property prices have dropped for the 10th consecutive year - and tremble at the thought of following suit.
So should you even think of investing in SA property? Click here to read this Financial Mail special report.
(©www.fm.co.za)

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SARB punishing South Africans?
The Reserve Bank's CPIX measure of inflation is expected to rocket in August, a Reuters poll shows, leading analysts to seriously question the wisdom of using interest rates to try and reverse the trend.
(©www.news24.com)

Rate hike necessary for credibility
The ANC said yesterday the one percent increase in the interest rate was a hard choice, but necessary for the credibility of the SA Reserve Bank
(©www.bday.co.za)

The Construction Economics Committee Needs Your Input!!!
PLEASE TAKE 30 SECONDS TO PROVIDE THEM WITH YOUR INPUT BY RANKING 5 TOPICS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE!
Do so by clicking here!
Thanks to all our members who have made the effort to submit data.

REGISTRAR REQUIRED - COUNCIL FOR BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The Council for the Built Environment is a statutory body established under the Council for the Built Environment Act (No. 43 of 2000). It is an overarching body that co-ordinates the six Professional Councils operating within the built environment towards ensuring quality, performance, integration and compliance with national goals. Full details are available in Classifieds on the ASAQS website.

Also seen in Classifieds:
QUANTITY SURVEYORS
Recently qualified QS with BSc(QS) or BTech degree required. Applicants should forward their CV ASAP. The successful applicant will be involved in all facets of QS. Salaries are negotiable.
and
PROFESSOR/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR/SENIOR LECTURER/LECTURER
TWO VACANCIES DEPARTMENT CONSTRUCTION EDONOMICS, UNIVERSITY PRETORIA
Click here to browse there now.

Scam (Highjack?) Warning
Last week we published a warning of so-called developers that seem to be targeting quantity surveyors. Theunis Bekker of Harrismith also recieved a suspicious call a while back... are "platteland" qs's the only targets or do practices in larger cities also get these calls?

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.

Conference on Construction and Engineering Excellence
The theme of this conference is that the building process needs to be streamlined with all essential parties coming together to ensure success and will be held from 30 September to 1 October 2002 at the Balalaika Hotel in Sandton. Full details available on the ASAQS website.

Remember: Visit the ASAQS website for new updates!

New members to the CUG

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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