Africa

South Africa’s largest private hospital operator Netcare has announced a rise in first-half profits of 15 per cent, driven by a strong performance in South Africa.

Profits for the six months ending 31 March rose to R666 million, up from R579 million in the same period a year earlier.

The company said that growth in the South African market was able to offset far weaker results in the UK, where the challenging economic environment had a negative impact.

Electricity supply is a crucial ingredient of any supply chain, but in South Africa, urgent action is required to restructure the electricity distribution industry (EDI), as Dr. Willie de Beer explains exclusively to Martin Ashcroft.

Research and development is not only the hallmark of Karbochem’s success but also its greatest opportunity for the future, as Gay Sutton discovers from commercial director and chairman Dr Abraham Brink.

In just two-and-a-half years, Etisalat Nigeria has carved a place for itself in the Nigerian communications industry. CEO Steven Evans describes to Gay Sutton how he aims to take the company to the top.

Morocco’s Jorf Lasfar Energy Company has awarded the contract for the development of a 700MW coal-fired power plant in Morocco.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract has been awarded to a consortium of Japan’s Mitsui and South Korea-based Daewoo E&C. The consortium will construct two new units (5&6), each with a gross capacity of 350MW, at the existing Jorf Lasfar power plant site (currently four units each generating 350MW) near El Jadida.

Vale, the world’s second largest mining company, has opened a new coal mine in Moatize, Mozambique.

Activities at the new coal mine in the Tete province have commenced ahead of operations at the processing plant, with production due to start in July.

The $1.658 billion mine will have a production capacity of 11 million tons per year of metallurgical and thermal coal, which will be transported 600 kilometres from Moatize via the Sena railway line to a coal terminal under construction at the Port of Beira in the Sofala province.

Aquarius Platinum is to buy the mineral rights to the southern part of Northam Platinum’s Booysendal project for R1.2 billion, it has been announced.

The mineral rights comprise several farms underlain by the UG2 and Merensky reef horizons, collectively called Booysendal South. Aquarius, which will acquire the platinum group metals and associated base metals mineral rights, said that after geological losses, the rights would increase its current resource base by approximately 24 per cent.

London-based Kalahari Minerals has said it remains confident that its relations with Namibia’s government and its investment in the country will continue, despite proposed changes that could see all mining and mineral exploration permits issued to the state-owned mining company, Epangelo.

The proposed changes, outlined by Namibian Mines and Energy minister Isak Katali, are being considered to ensure Namibian citizens receive more benefit from the country’s mineral wealth. Namibia is the world’s fourth-largest producer of uranium.

Dorian Wrigley, COO of mining investment company Village Main Reef, talks to Jayne Flannery about the importance of innovation versus tradition in the company’s strategic approach to its asset portfolio.