PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

State property firm on the cards
Parastatal will handle R120bn portfolio. The public works department plans to establish a property management parastatal for its R120bn property portfolio. This is part of the broad transformation of the department, says public works director-general Thami Sokutu. High on its list of priorities is unlocking value in government-owned property, and the department is hoping the private sector can help, advising it on how to deal with its property portfolio.
(©www.bday.co.za)

2002 take-off for R348m airport terminal
Construction of the new R384-million terminal at the Johannesburg International Airport – the largest contract to be commissioned by Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) – is on schedule for completion by September next year.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Big Bay development set to unlock value.
Western Cape is unlocking value in council-owned land with a R3bn public-private development in Big Bay, Bloubergstrand. The project is the latest in a string of urban regeneration projects approved in the province. The Blaauwberg administration recently announced that it would be going ahead with the long-awaited development of 121ha in Big Bay under the joint management of the Rabie and Cavcor property groups.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Pretoria's plan for R1-billion Mandela Development Corridor
Earlier this month, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued a request for qualification for a 25-year master concession, under a public-private partnership, for the design, fast-track construction, lifecycle management and financing of the department’s new premises, to be located within the Mandela Development Corridor in Pretoria’s inner city.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

DBSA, Durban council sign R400m loan accord
DURBAN The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and Durban unicity signed a R400m loan agreement yesterday, by which infrastructural services will be provided in previously disadvantaged areas under the council's control.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Sacob brings Coega stakeholders together
THE SA Chamber of Business's (Sacob's) transport committee has agreed with Coega Development Corporation to set up a national working group to gather and provide information on the economic viability of the Coega project.
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Business Partners refocuses
BUSINESS Partners, a specialist investor in viable small and medium-sized enterprises, plans to increase its focus on enterprises in the marine and tourism industries, and to develop its business in the property industry.
(©www.bday.co.za)

St Lucia gets ready to deliver
AS THE young bull elephant emerged from a truck and strode into the Maputaland bushveld, there was a spontaneous ovation from the onlooking dignitaries.
(©www.bday.co.za)

R90m catfish farming project for KZN
Agricultural-produce processing company Variety Holdings could diversify into aquaculture within months, if its plans to invest an initial R90-million in a fresh-water bream and cat-fish farming project in the economically-depressed Makhathini Flats, north-eastern Kwazulu-Natal, are given the green light by the provincial authorities and other participants.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

Italtile steps up conversion into franchise operation
CERAMICS retailer Italtile is fast becoming a franchise operation, with the transformation of three more stores in the year to June 30.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Eastern Cape gets green light for IDZ plan
Proposal expected to help province end its dependence on a single sector
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Smith cedes his powers as head of Iscor
The grand old man of the SA steel industry, Iscor CE Hans Smith, has surrendered his executive powers. He announced last night: "From the first of July I became the nonexecutive chairman of Iscor." Smith's former deputies Louis van Niekerk and Con Fauconnier are now running the group's separately operated divisions: steel and mining. "However, the unbundling of Iscor is still my responsibility," said Smith. Next month Iscor is due to split into two separately listed companies.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Saldanha losses deepen to over R1bn
Saldanha Steel has reported a headline loss of R1.052-billion for the year to June 30, which the company attributed to poor international steel prices. The losses, which deepened from R945-million the year before, were exacerbated by the Asian economic crisis during the review period, the company said. The loss attributable to shareholders was R3.29-billion versus R945-million, but the number was impacted by an impairment provision of R3-billion, which Saldanha said was made in light of the group's long-term view on continued weakness in steel prices.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Iscor head says IDC must play catch-up
Iscor chairman Hans Smith pinned the blame on the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) yesterday for delays in reaching a deal on the future of the troubled Saldanha Steel plant. Smith explained that the negotiations on recapitalising Saldanha's R5,6bn debt and merging Saldanha with Iscor had reached a stage where both sides would need to haggle about the value of the various assets.
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Numsa accepts Highveld wage offer
Some 5,000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa will return to work on Wednesday after accepting a revised wage offer by South Africa's Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corp, Numsa spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli has confirmed. The workers agreed to the revised offer after a meeting held on Tuesday and would report for duty at the start of the morning shift on Wednesday, Ntuli added
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Big fuels research push by petrochem giant
Research and development (R&D) in the fuels area remains a top priority for local petrochemicals giant Sasol through its Sasol Oil operating division.
(©www.engineeringnews.co.za)

NEWS FROM AFRICA

Sun opens new Zambian project
HOTEL and gambling group Sun International opened its $56m Zambian Falls Entertainment and Convention Centre at the weekend.
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Game to open biggest store in Botswana
RETAILER Game, a member of the Massmart Group, will open a 50-million pula, 8000m² store, its biggest, in Gaborone. It is also looking for opportunities to open stores in other African, and controlling the expansion project from Botswana.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Pillage on farms rages on
Property worth more than Z210m has been lost in a week. Harare White Zimbabwean farmers suffered fresh plundering and violence yesterday at the hands of pro-government militants illegally occupying properties near the northwestern town of Chinhoyi. "There has been no let-up; the violence and looting are still continuing," said a spokesman for the Commercial Farmers' Union in the town, 120km northwest of Harare.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Zim famers' supporters turn to the razor
Dozens of whites in northern Zimbabwe have shaved their heads in solidarity with 21 farmers languishing in jail on charges of inciting public violence while waiting for a bail application to be held. The imprisoned farmers have had their heads shaven.
(©www.iol.co.za)

HOUSING NEWS AND LAND ISSUES

Grasping the nettle
It does not seem able to do so without grimacing, but government seems at last to be grasping the nettle of fast land release when it comes to dealing with urban land pressures. Of course, the critical test will lie in the rapidity with which that policy is implemented. Curiously, given that the African National Congress represents primarily the poor, the government seems far more relaxed about taking a hard line against homeless land invaders than about rapid land release and all that it implies.
(©www.bday.co.za)

State to outlaw land invasions
Move likely to face stiff opposition from PAC, land reform lobby groups. Government plans to change the law to make it an offence for anyone to invade or grab land, in yet another measure it hopes will demonstrate its seriousness about not tolerating the "destructive" land invasion phenomenon. The move comes in the wake of sporadic land invasions in SA, one of the most high-profile being at Bredell in Kempton Park, where the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) was allegedly involved in instigating the invasion.
(©www.bday.co.za)

MINING NEWS

Iscor set to get minerals sale tranche
Iscor is to receive the first instalment of a R950m payment from Australian mining company Ticor today for a 40% stake in Iscor's mineral sands developments. Iscor has begun mining at Richards Bay, and the payment from Ticor has triggered the construction of a smelter, which will produce titanium dioxide to be used as a pigment to whiten paint, plastics and other products.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Finance for junior miners top of agenda.
Access to finance for start-up mining companies came under the spotlight at a Junior Mining Conference yesterday. SA's junior mining sector has over the years complained of its inability to attract financing, thus hampering its progress in this sector. Representatives from Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Decorum Capital Partner did, however, commit themselves to finding solutions to this problem.
(©www.bday.co.za)

IFC looks for mining deals
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a division of the World Bank, says it will continue to look for appropriate investment opportunities in the mining sector. By 1999, the IFC had a mining portfolio of $620m, 36% of which was invested in sub-Saharan Africa, with an increasing emphasis on helping private ventures rather than government projects.
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Afgem warns about weaker sales
African Gem Resources (Afgem), the listed tanzanite mining company, cautioned yesterday that sales for the interim sixmonth period ending September 30 would be lower than expected. The group had slowed capital spending, thus delaying production, in the wake of the continuing lawsuit in the Tanzanian High Court brought against it by three Tanzanian mining associations.
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Women help lift struggling mine
East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM) has always had an eye for equality. Among its 10 shafts on the outskirts of Johannesburg, its founders named one Cinderella alongside one called Hercules. Today, in a fight for survival on one of South Africa's most marginal mines, it has enlisted the muscle of women to keep the shafts open. Mining in South Africa is traditionally men's work. Women were barred by law from going underground and were barred from a single-sex work and hostel environment. But the Ministry of Minerals and Energy is encouraging mining companies to hire women at all levels of their operations.
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Richard's Bay feels rent crunch
Durban Richards Bay's residential property market is again facing a serious rental shortage, according to the National Referral Services survey. Sensitive to the state of the northern KwaZuluNatal town's industrial health, rental stock is under pressure from the surge in industrial development, with substantial expansion at Richard's Bay Coal Terminal and Indian Ocean Fertilisers.
(©www.bday.co.za)

Leave property rental to the experts
Renting out a property is best left to the experts, said Gordon Battersby, franchise managing director of Maxprop Countrywide. "This is especially the case when the owner lives elsewhere in the country. Our franchises offer a dedicated rental administration service to assist home owners source good tenants, ensure the property is looked after and rentals are collected. A great deal of emphasis is placed on sourcing tenants with a sound credit record. This goes a long way towards ensuring a trouble-free lease," he said.
(©www.iol.co.za)

Buying for the kids
Business encroachment into residential areas has placed new demands on home buyers, particularly if they have young children. It's every parent's dream that their children will have friends next door and that their school, library and the other amenities they need while growing up will be just a few minutes walk or drive away.
(©www.iol.co.za)

Big Bay will benefit the rich and poor
Cape Town's huge new R3-billion French Riviera-style development at Big Bay, north of Bloubergstrand, will draw thousands of new residents and millions in foreign investment - and will benefit not only the rich. Sale of the council-owned land should generate more than R300 million, and infrastructural and construction work R2.5 billion, with thousands of new jobs for the poor. The old Blaauwberg municipality, which now forms part of Cape Town Unicity, determined that the revenue generated from land sales would be used for funding critically needed capital projects in the area, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
(©www.iol.co.za)

The grass is not always greener
Affluent property owners in the former townships continue to upgrade to homes in swanky suburbs, but a growing number of them are disillusioned with their new neighbourhoods and are "returning to their roots", said James Ndlazi, owner of Pinetown's James Estates.
(©www.iol.co.za)

The search for a child friendly area
Rapid changes in the face of many South African towns, and business encroachment into formerly totally residential areas has placed new demands on home buyers', particularly if they have young children.It's every parent’s dream that their children will have friends next door and that their school, the library and all the other amenities and facilities they need while growing up will be just a few minutes walk or drive away.
(©www.mweb.co.za/property24/)

Homenet group forms new bank alliances
The Homenet group, one of the country’s largest real estate organisations, has decided not to align itself with any mortgage origination companies but rather to strengthen and expand its direct relationships with banks. This was announced this week by MD David Rogers, who said the group had recently concluded arrangements with First National HomeLoans and Standard Bank similar to those it has had with NBS and Absa for some time
(©www.mweb.co.za/property24/)

Cash needed to buy CC-owned homes
Home buyers interested in acquiring properties owned by companies or close corporations should know that they may not be able to use the properties in question as security for home loans. So says Dr Piet Botha, chairman of the Nationlink estate agency group, who points out that many prospective buyers like the idea of acquiring a “company owned” property because there is no transfer duty payable on the transaction.
(©www.mweb.co.za/property24/)

NAMO is good news for consumers
Consumers are expected to benefit from the formation of the National Association of Mortgage Originators (NAMO) – a self-regulatory body that aims to set standards and of professional conduct and govern best practice in the mushrooming origination industry.
(©www.mweb.co.za/property24/)

Hot issues in gated communities
Major lifestyle changes in recent years have seen a huge increase in the number of people opting to live in cluster developments, estates and other gated communities.Many have chosen, for example, to change their residence to avoid difficult and expensive single-home issues such as security and the maintenance of large gardens.
(©www.mweb.co.za/property24/)

GOLF AND CPD
It's official - members will unfortunately not be able to claim 100 CPD points for scoring a hole in one during the annual golf day organised by the Gauteng Chapter! But don't let this deter you from having a great day at the Pretoria Country Club on the 4th September 2001. Click here to obtain your entry form (in .pdf format)

The Gauteng Chapter are also presenting a CPD seminar shortly:
When? 18 September 2001 at 14:00 18:00 (13:30 for 14:00)
Where? Room 3-3, Boukunde Building, Main Campus, University of Pretoria Lynnwood Road, Pretoria
What? VALUE MANAGEMENT: CREATING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
How long? Four hour afternoon lecture Points?
Category 1: 4 hours - 8 points
How much? R150.00 per delegate
Browse to http://www.asaqs.co.za to dowload the full program.

The Value of Project Management
Continuing with the 7th part in The Value of Project Management Series we now take a look at the second step in the management process:
4.0 Manage Issues
Definition: An issue is defined as a problem that will impede the progress of the project and cannot be resolved by the Project Manager and project team without outside help.
If a problem arises the Project Manager and the team can resolve, then it is just one of the many fires that will ignite and be put out in a given week. However, an 'issue' arises if outside help is needed. This is the time to ensure that a process is in place to make the appropriate people are aware of what the issue and then resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Click here to read on.
(©www.tenstep.com)

Spotted on the ASAQS website

Building Design Services Department seeks urgently the services of a Principal Quantity Surveyor for its QS Section of this multi disciplinary department in Maseru

COST ENGINEER/QS WANTED 12 months contract; Sound understanding of piping and mechanical measurement principles and extensive experience in the preparation of monthly certificates and the costing of site instructions on medium and large industrial projects. Knowledge of petrochemical environment a distinct advantage. CEASA membership preferred. Cost Engineering NVQ preferred. Closing date: 30/8/2001

I'm a 22 year old male student currently completing my Bsc.(QS) degree at UCT. I am seeking employment within the quantity surveying field. I have vacation expierience, working in both a PQS and Construcion firms. I have been exposed to estimating, BOQ's as well as tendering and am fully computer literate.
Click here to browse the ASAQS Classifieds - remember you can advertise here for free!

Safeguarding your computer against a virus infection
FREE SOFTWARE!
During the past two weeks a number of new virus infections have manifested themselves in South Africa and members should be careful not to open suspect e-mail attachments.
To assist our members who don't, as yet, have a self-updating antivirus program installed, we present VCatch.
VCatch is a new, free tool, developed to protect your computer from web viruses. Whether you use an Email application, Web based Email, ICQ, or one of the new file-sharing programs (Napster, Gnutella etc.), VCatch is the tool for you. VCatch is a virus protection software. When VCatch is active it will check all the files sent or downloaded to your computer via Email and Web applications. In the event that VCatch detects that a file is suspected to be a virus, the software automatically deletes the file and notifies you.
Get it here!

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

Gordon Major
George Mathews
Lukas Petrus
Noel Stevens
Nico Roos
Elma Inge Pieterse
Vusi Mahlangu
Francois Pretorius
Lindsay Kirk
Michelle Petersen
Graig Jessop
Ken Versveld
Arthur Peterson
Stewart Phillips

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.

Now read the rest of Did you Hear? in the Financial Mail

Did you see?

Tau West Cam

Visit the waterpool at the Tau Game Lodge. Lovers of the wild will find the new Africam Folklore section interesting. Did you know that the Hoopoe is the harbinger of friends? Read about birds in African folklore. Credo Mutwa is the storyteller