RMB seeks room to grow in east and west Africa

September 12, 2008

By Serena Chaudhry

Johannesburg - Investment banking and asset management group Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) would seek to grow into east and west Africa and was currently in exploratory talks with a Nigerian party, newly appointed chief executive Alan Pullinger said yesterday.

Pullinger said that his focus for RMB would be on growth opportunities. He singled out Kenya and Nigeria as countries where the company could seek to expand its investment banking business.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?from=rss_&fArticleId=4606560

Slowdown in local economy forecast to be over by 2010

September 12, 2008

By Tom Robbins

The local economic slowdown, which had "no dramatic implications at all", was expected to be over by 2010, resulting in a return of buoyant consumers, according to a report by researcher Planet Retail.

In a report titled Sizing Up the Crunch: World Retail Outlook 2008, released this month, authors Boris Planer and Sarah Herrlein say that consumer price increases should slow down markedly from next year.

This, coupled with rising employment due to high commodity export prices, would lead to economic growth picking up from about 4 percent to "closer to 5 percent" in 2010.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?from=rss_&fArticleId=4606561

Blackouts, strikes put mines into a tailspin

September 12, 2008

By Ethel Hazelhurst

Johannesburg - Strikes and disrupted electricity supply contributed to a disastrous performance by the mining sector in the second quarter. The loss of production has implications not just for mining companies' profits but for the whole economy, possibly leading to job losses.

Figures from Statistics SA, released yesterday, show that mining production was 6.6 percent lower in the second quarter than it was a year earlier, and 12.6 percent lower in July than in the same month last year

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?from=rss_&fArticleId=4606513

R350m venture capital tech fund launched

Tuesday, 19 February 2008

A new R350 million venture capital fund has been launched to give innovators in South Africa a leg up into the global technology arena.
The Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa, named after the co-founder of software giant SAP, aims to invest in and manage a portfolio of investments that have a unique innovative offering either based on the business model, product offering or underlying technology

http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/trade_investment/r350m_venture_capital_tech_fund_launched.html

Old Mutual boost for women-owned firms

Regis Nyamakanga

Financial Services Editor

FINANCIAL services company Old Mutual and the trade and industry department launched a R100m development-finance fund yesterday, to support women-owned enterprises.
The Industrial Development Corporation also plans to pump R400m into the fund.

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/companies.aspx?ID=BD4A709200

Gulf countries eye SA nuclear technology

By: Sapa
Published: 19 Feb 08 - 14:50
Gulf countries may enlist South African expertise in their plans to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, Kuwait's foreign minister said on Tuesday.Mohamed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah was speaking after talks in Cape Town with his South African counterpart, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article.php?a_id=127264

South Africa has one of the highest road death tolls in the world

Lion of Africa, one of South Africa’s leading short term insurers has appealed to Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, to address the infrastructural issues affecting the country’s transport system in his upcoming national budget speech on 20 February by allocating increased government funds for the upgrading and repair of South Africa’s roads.
“The number of vehicles on our roads has increased over the past couple of years to just under eight million, with a large majority of them being driven by inexperienced new drivers,” says Adam Samie , CEO of Lion of Africa Insurance Company.

http://www.itinews.co.za/companyview.aspx?cocategoryid=14&companyid=228&itemid=549C67D9-7266-4D15-A924-5BA6A1F462F3