Gold fever
Dan Bailey discovers a raised temperature, if not exactly a raging fever, associated with a new gold exploration program in South Africa.
The lure of gold has always led men to take chances. In the 1840s and 1850s, countless individuals uprooted themselves and travelled half the world for the gold fields of America and Australia. These days there is still an element of risk involved; the difference being that the risks are financial, investing huge sums in companies that might just hit the mother lode.

Buckets of determination
The VR in VR Group stands for John Van Reenen, and in many ways the company reflects the manÔÇöresilient, single-minded and, in a word, entrepreneurial. John OÔÇÖHanlon talks to him about building a global business.

A new cast of players
After years of being on the outside of economic activity, the South African government is trying to encourage black South Africans to play a more entrepreneurial role in the development of the mining industry, as Alan Swaby learns.

Pressing ahead
Ramsay Engineering is a small company facing the challenge of keeping its culture intact as it grows the critical mass that will give it serious clout in the fast-changing automotive industry, not only in South Africa but internationally. Technical director Stuart Beaumont tells John OÔÇÖHanlon how itÔÇÖs done.

Faites vos jeux
South Africa has changed beyond recognition since the change of government, and Alan Swaby looks at one thriving industry that was inconceivable less than 15 years ago.
The Afrikaans government didnÔÇÖt like television, nor did the Dutch Reform Church, so South Africa didnÔÇÖt get TV until 1976, long after the first man had walked on the moon. In those days people used to get dressed up to go to the bioscope, as cinema was known, and performances always began by playing the national anthem.

Masters of the scene
Master DrillingÔÇÖs vertical integration strategy makes it stand out from the crowd, as Ruari McCallion finds out.
ÔÇ£Necessity is the mother of invention,ÔÇØ the old saying has it, and that seems to be so in the case of Master Drilling. Located in Fochville, South Africa, the first entity that became the company was established in 1986 as a specialised raisebore contracting company.

Shining Ithaca
Pessimists say that the North Sea is in decline, but thereÔÇÖs enough oil and gas under there to keep it active for decades. John OÔÇÖHanlon speaks to John Woods, chief development officer of Ithaca Energy (UK) Ltd.

A climate of support
WeÔÇÖre used to hearing about innovative management styles emanating from the premier league of industrial countries, but as Alan Swaby learns, smaller countries also throw up new ideas, and South AfricaÔÇÖs Haw & Inglis Civil Engineering is a good example.

Taking care of the golden goose
A picturesque location often attracts development which then destroys the original reason for its charm. However, thatÔÇÖs not always the case, as Alan Swaby discovers.

Rich resources
A domestic monopoly doesnÔÇÖt necessarily mean that hard-headed business decisions arenÔÇÖt on the agenda at Foskor, as Alan Swaby learns.
Foskor, South AfricaÔÇÖs only miner of phosphate rock, was set up in the 1950s by the South African Industrial Development Corporation when it felt the need to have an internal supply of raw material for fertilizer rather than having to rely on imports.