Balancell expands plant tenfold, seeks govt backing for energy storage industry

Energy storage company Balancell is moving into a new R80-million factory in Ndabeni, Cape Town, as the business gears up to grow its capacity roughly tenfold, says chief commercial officer Ian... 

Crestcare’s new R238m private hospital in Malmesbury to create employment for 170 people

The Crestcare Hospital Group has cut the ribbon on its newest development, the R238-million acute hospital in the Western Cape town of Malmesbury. Crestcare’s majority shareholder is black-owned... 

Hyundai targets fourth sales spot

Hyundai has set itself the goal to return to fourth position (in terms of market share) in the combined passenger and light commercial vehicle market, says Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai... 

Kia South Africa’s new CEO seeks to push market share beyond 5% by 2026

Kia South Africa has appointed Paul Turnbull as its new CEO. Turnbull joins the Korean brand from sibling Hyundai Automotive South Africa. He succeeds Gary Scott, who takes up the position of chief... 

‘Unconscionable’ to return allocated money instead of fixing potholes – Creecy

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says “immediate attention” will be given to the “critical issue” of the underspending of funding allocated to road maintenance and road construction by both... 

Half of China’s NEV brands likely to fail, exports poised for steep growth

More than 130 brands are currently competing in China’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) market, says GlobalData Automotive Division China operations manager John Zeng. Three brands, however, dominate the... 

PRASA passenger numbers reach 40-million a year, increase by 167% – Emeran

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is “making steady and significant progress in getting passenger trains back on track”, with the urban rail service carrying about 40-million... 

Auto market awaits return of consumer confidence, political clarity – TransUnion

The South African automotive sector continues to grapple with significant macroeconomic challenges, says TransUnion Africa CEO Lee Naik. Persistently high interest rates and negative economic... 

Traditional bakkie powerhouses to be challenged by buying-down trend, newcomers – WesBank

South Africa is bakkie country, dominated by Toyota’s Hilux as the country’s long-standing number-one-selling vehicle, with the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max also perennial favourites, among... 

Recovery in logistics sector continued in May, latest Ctrack index shows

The newest Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) shows that the recent recovery in South Africa’s logistics sector continued in May, albeit at a slower pace. The index improved in May to... 

Damen signs new NIP agreement with dtic, celebrates more than 40 vessels built at Cape Town shipyard

Damen Shipyards Group (DSG) has signed a new strategic partnership agreement with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) as part of the National Industrial Participation (NIP)... 

Global EV sales growth continues, but significant slowdown in some markets – BloombergNEF

Electric vehicle (EV) markets around the world are not all travelling in the same direction, or at the same speed, in 2024, says research group BloombergNEF (BNEF) in its newest EV Outlook Report.... 

June new-vehicle sales 14% lower year-on-year as affordability woes bite

New-vehicle sales in South Africa dropped by 14% in June, to 40 072 units, compared with the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market reached 26 928 units last month – a decline of 9%... 

AA, Outa weigh in on new Transport Minister

Newly appointed Transport Minister Barbara Creecy is the eleventh minister in this portfolio since 1994, which is a cause for concern as continuity within government departments is vital, says the... 

Cape Town hits apartment developer with R1m penalty

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has upheld a decision by the city’s Municipal Planning Tribunal to impose a record R1-million penalty for unauthorised construction work in Belville. The penalty... 

Cape Town introduces reversible MyCiTi bus lane to reduce congestion

The City of Cape Town’s Transport Network Technology branch is set to activate a reversible MyCiTi bus lane along the R27 between Loxton road and Broad road in Milnerton. This bus lane, for... 

Suppple launches AI health bot for AU member States

Cape Town- and London-based technology company Suppple launched an AI health bot at Africa Health ExCon, held in Egypt in June. Suppple says the health bot will provide digital healthcare... 

Ford celebrates one-millionth Ranger, says PHEV production to start before year-end

Ford South Africa (SA) has celebrated the assembly of the one-millionth Ranger at its Silverton plant in Pretoria. While the first million bakkies took 24 years, the second million is set to happen... 

Cape Town calls for private-sector intervention as port ranks worst in the world

According to the newly published World Bank Container Port Performance Index, compiled from 2023 data, the Port of Cape Town is the worst performing port in the world. It is joined in the bottom 16... 

Recovery in logistics sector continued in April despite ports being lashed by storms – Ctrack index

After declining in the first two months of the year, the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) continued its momentum in April to reach a level of 123.4 – an increase of 2.8% compared... 

Mercedes-Benz SA considers cutting 700 jobs on back of struggling economy, ports

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) says it will move from three shifts a day at its East London plant to two shifts, in a move that could potentially cut 700 jobs. MBSA produces the C-Class for the... 

Yes, there are problems at SA ports, but World Bank report not entirely accurate – SAAFF

The newest World Bank Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) report, which places a number of South African ports at the bottom of the list, covers the crisis-ridden 2023 period, and does not take... 

New-vehicle sales down 14.2% as consumers suffer from election jitters

April’s 2.2% bump in new-vehicle sales proved to be an anomaly as new-vehicle sales again returned to negative territory in May, with the market down 14.2%, to 37 105 units, compared with the same... 

Logistics Crisis Committee’s work to continue, freight sector poised to transform in next two years

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Mxolisi Mgojo says he is confident that work within the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) will continue as political parties grapple to form a... 

Construction of new TNPA multipurpose vessel gets under way

A keel-laying ceremony has marked the beginning of construction of a new multipurpose vessel that will increase the marine fleet availability for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) in Cape... 

Already green V&A Waterfront eyes starting up desalination plant, building second seawater cooling plant

Since embarking on its sustainability journey in 2008, the V&A Waterfront (V&A) in Cape Town has reduced its energy use by 40%, with 2 MW of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels generating 1 640 000 kWh... 

Barloworld profit dips as local mining industry slows

Barloworld’s South African businesses continued to face a myriad of challenging trading conditions, says CEO Dominic Sewela. Announcing the group’s financial results for the six months ended March... 

GovChat founders’ new venture, Suppple, lists in Luxembourg in £200m IPO

IT and AI company Suppple Plc in May witnessed its £200-million initial public offering (IPO) on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) in Europe. Suppple will be required to comply with LuxSE rules... 

Poor roads, bad weather and weak used-car market dent Zeda’s profit

Poor road conditions, hailstorms, a shortage of car parts and a deteriorating used-car market converged to dent Zeda’s operating profit for the six months ended March 31. The integrated mobility... 

Construction of Msikaba bridge progresses to highly technical phases

Construction at the Msikaba Bridge on the N2 in the Eastern Cape is set to move up a gear this year, with a number of challenging technical activities to be tackled. According to contractor Concor,... 

Despite ‘visible progress’ on loadshedding front, Eskom boss says SA not out of the woods yet

On day 55 of no loadshedding in South Africa, on May 21, newly appointed Eskom boss Dan Marokane warned that the country was “not of out the woods yet” in terms of more reliable energy supply.... 

Eskom CFO calls for mechanism to ensure utility gets paid as municipal debt relief programme falters

Municipal debt remains one of Eskom’s biggest challenges, says Eskom CFO Calib Cassim. “At the end of March, we were sitting at around R75-billion of municipal arrears owing to us. That has grown... 

Plans for acceleration of Eskom’s transmission expansion falling into place – Scheppers

Eskom Transmission CEO Segomoco Scheppers says he believes the “pieces are falling into place” that will allow the power utility to “ramp up and move faster” in expanding the country’s constrained... 

Steady increase in demand for Cape Town’s MyCiTi bus service

The latest audited statistics on MyCiTi ridership in and around Cape Town show that there is increasing demand for the bus service. “It took some time for the service to settle in again after the... 

Cape Town’s Copperheads recover 1.7 t of stolen metal

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) says it has recovered more than 1.7 t of stolen metal in the nine months between July last year and March this year. This effort was led by the city’s Metals Theft... 

More than 430 Cape Town households apply to sell their excess solar electricity

A total of 432 Cape Town households have applied to earn cash from selling their excess solar power to the city. These applications will now be assessed to determine their eligibility. 

Contractors, subcontractors battling as late payments worsen – MBA North

The construction industry value chain is at risk of collapsing as shrinking margins, unfair practices and payment issues continue to undermine the sector. This is according to members of the Master... 

Stellantis plant site being readied for construction

The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has started to prepare the site at the Coega Special Economic Zone for the construction of the new Stellantis vehicle-assembly plant, says the Department of... 

Stellantis assembly-plant site being readied for construction – dtic

The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has started to prepare the site at the Coega Special Economic Zone for the construction of the new Stellantis vehicle-assembly plant, says the Department of... 

Cape Town adds new tech layer in fight against crime

Very early on in his term, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis was told by law enforcement agencies that there could never be enough boots on the ground to fully combat violent crime and the drug...