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PROPERTY
DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION
Sigcau
gives public works new edge
EXPECT no apology from Public Works Minister Stella Sicgau for running
her department like a private business. Sigcau is convinced that
principles of private sector management are best suited for the
department, which is custodian of government's R120bn property portfolio.The
minister is spearheading a paradigm shift in her ministry which
aims to see the department becoming truly service-orientated. She
prides herself for overseeing this ambitious process, which has
already seen the department's personnel fall from about 8000 to
4392 as at September last year.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Big
tax cuts expected
Johannesburg - South Africa's budget deficit looks set to shrink
beyond expectations in fiscal 2001/02, putting generous tax cuts
on the cards for next year. News that government revenues surged
28% in December has fanned hopes that the budget deficit will shrink
to 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year from 2.3% in 2000/01
- its lowest level in nearly two decades.
(©news.24.com)
Gauteng
Rapid Rail Link scheme comes under fire
THE premise for building the R7bn Gauteng Rapid Rail Link is flawed,
says SA Property Owners' Association chairman Anthony Diepenbroek.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Accident
fund moves to CBD
The Road Accident Fund is moving from Randburg into Johannesburg's
central business district in a move seen as a CBD confidence booster.
(©www.bday.co.za)
UK's
Liberty lifts assets to £4,25bn
LIBERTY International, the UKbased property group with a secondary
listing on the JSE Securities Exchange SA, boosted its investment
property assets by £245m to £4,25bn in the year to December
31. These assets produced investment income of £258,3m in
harsh trading conditions, compared with £243,1m the previous
year. Net asset value a share increased 3,9% to 827p from 796p.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Catalyst
launches first fund for bare dominium property
CAPE TOWN Catalyst Holdings has launched SA's first bare dominium
property fund, Leverage Property Holdings, a concept it says offers
the prospect of returns greater than normal property yields. Bare
dominium properties are typically those with long leases where the
cash flow of the lease has been stripped out.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Quyn
close to finalising deal with Colliers
FINANCIAL services group Quyn Holdings is close to finalising a
deal that will bring a black empowerment equity partner in property
services company Colliers RMS, sources close to the group say.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Troubled
Quyn puts Colliers on the market
Financial services group needs cash' Property Editor BELEAGUERED
financial services group Quyn Holdings has placed Colliers RMS on
the market, a move seen as a desperate bid by Quyn to remain solvent.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Higher
rates, more rooms lift City Lodge
CITY Lodge Hotels emerged from the post September 11 period unscathed
with a 17% increase in interim headline earnings a share to 57,9c
in the six months ended December from 61,1c of the previous comparable
period.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Onus
is on SARS to prove recoupment
THE SA Revenue Service suffered a setback recently when the full
bench of the Natal High Court ruled that the onus was on revenue
to show that an amount previously allowed to be deducted as an expense
had been recouped by the taxpayer.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Trusts
are the right way to go
ESTATE planners wanting protection from creditors and the adverse
consequences of the changes in exchange control regulations should
consider establishing trusts.
(©www.bday.co.za)
ANC
attacks DA's draft rates policy for Cape Town
CAPE TOWN The African National Congress (ANC) has sharply criticised
a draft municipal rates policy that the Democratic Alliance (DA)
is to present at a city council workshop later today.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Cashbuild
stock control pays off
CAPE TOWN Closer attention to stock control paid off for building
products retailer Cashbuild in the half year to December as it managed
to lift its headline earnings strongly on a slight decline in turnover.
(©www.bday.co.za)
BHP
Billiton plans to spend $449m on Hillside smelter
RICHARDS BAY BHP Billiton said yesterday it would spend $449m to
expand its world-class Hillside aluminium smelter, which would increase
its capacity by 132000 tons a year.
(©www.bday.co.za)
No
plain sailing for Coega
BHP Billiton's decision to expand the Hillside smelter constitutes
an extension of a tried and tested formula that has worked so well
there seems to be no end to additions the company can make.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Aluminium:
where low-cost output is key
Big African aluminium expansion moves by BHP Billiton made good
sense even as a poor world market forced US legend Kaiser Aluminium
into bankruptcy, analysts said.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)
A
WHOLE NEW BALL GAME
US businessman Keith Stewart wants to change the game in the status-charged
world of gated golf estates with his R1bn-plus Pezula, a 612 ha
property lying along 3 km of Garden Route coastline between the
Knysna Heads and Noetzie.
(©www.financialmail.co.za)
Legal
levels of asbestos exposure slashed 80%
Stakeholders say this is likely to boost overseas trading partners'
confidence GOVERNMENT slapped down the legal levels of asbestos
dust exposure to industry workers by 80% this week when it issued
new regulations to asbestos contractors and manufacturers.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Government
is reviewing plans on industrial zones
CAPE TOWN Government was reconsidering its plan to have as many
as 10 industrial development zones and also shifting towards a policy
of financial noninvolvement for the state in the zones in the long
term, a trade and industry department official said yesterday.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Port
Elizabeth area to get electricity upgrade
THE electricity network serving the Port Elizabeth area is to receive
a multibillion- rand upgrade to meet the demands of the new Coega
port and industrial development zone.
(©www.bday.co.za)
SA's
attractiveness falls behind
Trade and Industry Editor SA IS falling behind other developing
nations and most developed nations as well in its attractiveness
as an investment location for the automotive industry, a new Deloitte
& Touche study revealed yesterday.
(©www.bday.co.za)
State,
Shell team up in gas project
Study to weigh Cape industry options Trade and Industry Editor SHELL
SA joined forces with government yesterday in announcing their intention
to develop a natural gas industry in the Cape region, with the gas
being shipped or piped from Namibia.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Cape's
gas prospects improve on deal
The South African Government’s Department of Minerals and Energy
and Shell International Gas, represented by Shell South Africa,
announced the signing of a letter of intent for developing a sustainable
natural gas industry in the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
The two parties will jointly evaluate the prospects for introducing
natural gas from the Kudu fields in Namibia into the energy economies
of the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape provinces.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)
City
has 20% vacancy rate despite unemployment
A SURVEY conducted by the Johannesburg metropolitan council among
the business community reveals that there is a vacancy rate of up
to 20% in these firms, despite the 30% unemployment rate in the
city.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Metal
sector jobs conundrum
Thousands of metalworkers are continuing to lose jobs in the engineering,
steel, aluminium, motor, automotive, tyre and component-manufacturing
industries.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)
Historic
ban placed on SA engineer
The South African engineering watchdog, the Engineering Council
of South Africa (ECSA), approved, for the first time, a recommendation
by a committee of inquiry to disqualify a professional engineer
permanently from registration due to gross misconduct.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)
Steel
producer campaigns to grow secondary exports
South Africa’s largest steel producer, Iscor, aims to work
with domestic users of steel in an effort to promote the export
of secondary-steel products.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)
Setting
the scene for UN's biggest summit
The logistical arrangements for the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) to be held from August 26 to September 4 in Sandton,
Johannesburg, are falling into place.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)
| HOUSING
NEWS AND LAND ISSUES |
| PRETORIA INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
- CPD COURSE - 22 FEBRUARY 2002 |
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Time
running out to make the right changes
A RECENT Human Rights Commission (HRC) conference on extending
socioeconomic liberties in SA failed dismally to come up with
any meaningful resolutions. Yet the fact that the commission
convened the conference in the first place was in itself a
very important development, even taking into account the disappointing
conclusion. Without doubt, poverty alleviation is the most
pressing issue in postapartheid SA and is the biggest factor
upon which the success or failure of the African National
Congress government will be measured.
(©www.bday.co.za)
NEWS
FROM AFRICA
Africa
needs action, not kind words
THERE are many discomforting trends defining contemporary
global politics in the postSeptember 11 terrorist attacks.
Africa continues to be showered with kindest words that become
a mockery when judged against tangible deeds from the developed
north.
(©www.bday.co.za)
Sounding
out an African alliance
US TRADE Representative Robert Zoëllick, as he heads
to Kenya, SA and Botswana this week, speaks as one who sees
himself in a battle with the Europeans for the hearts and
minds of Africa.
(©www.bday.co.za)
MINING
NEWS
Empowered
coal firm may make its way to JSE
South Africa’s newest mining house, Kumba Resources,
says it is open to the listing of a separate coal company
on the JSE Securities Exchange once the merger between Kumba
Coal and Eyesizwe is concluded.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)
Labour
Court yes for HIV-testing
In what is believed to be a precedent-setting case for all
employers, not only those in the mining industry, Ndebele
Mining was granted permission to determine the HIV status
of its employees last year.
Overall, the ruling, which was handed down by the Labour Court,
has been received fairly positively.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)
Brownfield
exploration focus by gold major
South Africa's largest gold-mining company, AngloGold,
is on the prowl for high-quality assets, particularly in the
wake of its unsuccessful bid for Australian gold producer
Normandy.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)
Only
stability will spur African mining investment
African countries seeking to lure foreign mining companies
to their mineral-rich but impoverished continent heard a familiar
message – stop the wars, ensure stability and the dollars
will come. Africa, which has some of the world’s biggest
deposits of gold, base metals and diamonds, can boast successes
in Mali, Tanzania and in South Africa where the gold-mining
industry is enjoying a revival after a painful restructuring.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)
First
walking sea-mining platform by mid-year
The West Coast of Africa is an area of growing activity for
diamond companies, which have mined a total of 100-million
carats of marine diamonds from it to date. And it is the promise
of over three-billion carats more that are still lying in
the gravel covering the seabed that is attracting a growing
number of newcomers.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)
Iron-ore,
coal boosts resource giant
The world’s largest diversified miner, BHP Billiton,
reported a 3,5% profit rise for the first half of 2001/2,
as iron-ore and coal, new operations and currency gains offset
slides in metals and oil.
(©www.miningweekly.co.za)
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Join the team as, together, we learn
to:
§ Confront and deal with the 'Work
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§ Deal with threats from a contractor to stop work
§ Deal with defective design by a selected sub-contractor
§ Handle and evaluate claims for extension of time
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This crash course is presented by Eyvind
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COST TO PIA & SAIA MEMBERS ONLY (incl.
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COST TO NON-MEMBERS OF PIA & SAIA
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ON THE DAY
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| SAISC
seminar: "A new method of measurement
and new specifications for structural steelwork". |
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| A seminar
on the new method of measurement and specifications for
structural steelwork, drafted to replace SABS 1200 H.
A seminar aimed at engineers, steelwork
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Clear and precise bills of quantities
and specifications
In line with actual practice in industry
Better understanding will lead to cost savings
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Dates: 18 April 2002 - Johannesburg
22 April 2002 - Cape Town
23 April 2002 - Durban
Fee: R500 per delegate
Closing date:10 April 2002
For more information please contact:
Leslie at SAISC
Tel: +27-11 838 1665
Fax: +27-11 834 4301
info@saisc.co.za
Web: www.saisc.co.za
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CORRESPONDENCE
COURSES IN ARBITRATION 2002
These courses are intended for all those who consider arbitration
as a positive alternative procedure for settling disputes; including
advocates, attorneys as well as those with no formal legal qualification
such as architects, accountants, businessmen, engineers, quantity
surveyors and members of the construction industry.
Registrations closing!
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