SA manufacturing output moving to expansionary territory ? Kagiso

The Kagiso purchasing managers index (PMI) improved to 47,6 points in October, up from 45,9 points in September, with Kagiso Securities head of fixed income Andre Coetzee saying that South Africa?s manufacturing output is moving back towards expansionary territory. While the domestic manufacturing sector continued to lag international developments, a sustained improvement in global prospects should in the foreseeable future contribute to a return to growth for the local manufacturing sector, Coetzee highlighted.

China's Africa goals more than just natural resources

Barely a month goes by without some new energy or mineral deal being struck between China and an African nation. These deals have transfixed the West, but China gets far more from the relationship than raw resources. Africa offers China two important things -- a chance to earn the global respect it believes it deserves in recognition of its growing economic clout, and friends who do not judge it, or who at least have little reason to directly fear China's rise.

Profit slides but margins remain fairly steady for Protech

Civil engineering group Protech Khuthele increased revenue by 24% to R426-million for the half-year ended August 31. This growth flowed mainly from increasing volumes of work. The strained private sector made up only 8% of the company's income for the period, with mining at 48% and infrastructure at 44%.

Oil rebounds above $77, China PMI data supports

Oil rose above $77 a barrel on Monday, retracing some of the previous session's 3,6% drop, as bullish manufacturing data from China helped to allay fears about the pace of the rebound in global energy demand. However, analysts said nagging concerns about the economic outlook would limit oil's gains.

Ethiopia to develop biofuels to cut oil imports

Ethiopia wants to emulate Brazil by developing biofuels to cut its dependence on oil imports that cost the Horn of Africa nation more than a billion dollars a year, a government official said Ephrem Hassen, coordinator of biofuels development in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, told Reuters in an interview that Ethiopia was developing biofuel crops on more than half a million hectares of arid land.

Zambia fuel shortages may cut maize output

Zambian maize production in 2009/10 is likely to drop from the 1.9 million tonnes produced in the previous crop season if acute shortages of fuel persist, Zambia National Union of Farmers (ZNFU) president Javis Zimba said on Sunday. Zimba told Reuters in an interview the union was very worried about the shortages, caused by the shutdown of Zambia's sole refinery two weeks ago.

WTO says use of anti-dumping measures jumped in year to June

Anti-dumping measures against unfairly priced imports jumped by more than one third in the year to June, the World Trade Organisation said at the weekend. The figures suggested that governments had become more aggressive during the financial crisis in countering imports that they believed were unfairly competing with home products.

Nersa makes Refit phase two decision; PPA expected in Nov

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on Friday published it?s decision on the second phase of the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (Refit), and stated that the power purchase agreement could be expected in November. ?The public comments received on the power purchase agreement (PPA) will be reflected in the final revision of the PPA scheduled for the end of November 2009. The other commercial agreements such as direct agreement, fuel supply agreement and transmission connection agreement will be considered for inclusion in the PPA,? said Nersa.

Nissan SA's output starts to recover following 2008 slump

Vehicle production at Nissan South Africa's plant in Rosslyn, near Pretoria, could return to around 45 000 units this financial year, after falling well short of this target in 2008 as vehicle demand slumped in the face of a global recession. The company produced 33 000 units last year, and 45 000 units in 2007 - the plant had a single-shift capacity of 50 000 units a year.

Legal advisers appointed for Zambia hydropower project

International law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf has been appointed as legal advisor to the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation?s (Zesco?s) $480-million Kariba North Bank extension project. The 360-MW hydropower station, which would be developed as an extension to the existing 720-MW Kariba North Bank power station, on the Zambezi River, was expected to be completed by December 2012.

Rand Water sees R5bn funding shortfall

State-owned water utility Rand Water will have a funding shortfall of R5-billion over the period between 2010 and 2015, while higher energy and raw water costs would continue to weigh down its profitability, CEO Percy Sechemane said on Friday. The utility boosted its revenues by 9,4% to R4,7-billion in the 2009 financial year, ended June 30, 2009, compared with R4,27-billion the year before.

Caterpillar CEO expects growth to be 'relatively anaemic'

There exist two possible scenarios for the future of the global economy, said Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens on Friday. Speaking in Johannesburg, at Barloworld, a Caterpillar dealer, the capital equipment company boss noted there was a 75% chance that the world economy would now enter a period of base-case growth, even though this might be "relatively anaemic".

ArcelorMittal SA to cut some steel prices in November

Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa has cut some of its prices for November, in line with "international price trends and the rand/dollar exchange rate" - the cuts are the first to be instituted since the group's prices started recovering again in July, following a protracted period of cutbacks. In fact, the group slashed some of its prices by nearly 60% between August 2008 and June 2009 as demand fell and customers destocked across the world. But since July 1, prices on a range of its products have been increasing steadily.

Auto bosses wring their hands over SA?s declining competitiveness

The local automotive industry contributed 7,3% to South Africa?s gross domestic product in 2008. Exports from the vehicle and component manufacturing sectors amounted to 4,1% of all South African exports in 1995, jumping to 11,1% in 2000, and 13,7% in 2007. Local vehicle manufacturers export cars ? including the coveted BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen badges ? to Japan, the US, Europe and the rest of Africa.

First unit of Free State hydropower plant launched

The first of two units of a R100-million 7-MW hydropower plant, which is being established near Bethlehem, in the Free State, was finally launched on Friday, with the first power already being sold to a nearby municipality. Project energy development company NuPlanet MD Anton-Louis Olivier said that the first 3-MW unit at the at the Sol Plaatje Dam had been commissioned, with the second 4-MW unit on private land between Bethlehem and Clarens to be commissioned in April, when Eskom finished the site's interconnection to the national electricity grid.

Confusion reigns over the fate of Eskom's Maroga

Confusion continued to reign on Friday afternoon over the fate of Eskom CEO Jacob Maroga, following reports that he had been asked to resigned by the State corporation's board. Despite several enquiries made to officials at the group's Sunninghill head office, as well as to officials at the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Engineering News Online could not ascertain whether Maroga's resignation had indeed been formally canvassed during a board meeting, which took place on Thursday.