Research Channel | Advanced Search - Research Channel Africa

Back All

Transnet to boost rail for VW, other automakers

Published: 14 Jun 24

Transnet said it’s in talks to run additional trains between a port in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape province and the country’s commercial hub of Gauteng to better link the two automotive manufacturing hubs. The state freight rail and ports company has faced withering criticism from carmakers to coal and iron ore miners as its deteriorating rail service has forced an increasing amount of commodities and cars to be transported by trucks. The head of Volkswagen’s South African unit has said car companies are in talks with Transnet to improve the line and run privately-operated trains on it.

South Africa unity government to include ANC and pro-business DA

Published: 14 Jun 24

The African National Congress and its largest rival, the pro-business Democratic Alliance, have agreed to work together in a government of national unity, senior DA negotiator Helen Zille told Reuters on Friday. The deal between two sharply antagonistic parties marks the start of a new era in South African politics, which has been utterly dominated by the ANC since it swept to power in the 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid. The ANC lost its majority for the first time in a May 29 vote and has spent two weeks locked in intensive behind-the-scenes talks with other parties, which came down to the wire on Friday morning as the new parliament was convening.

Image of the smart lane MyCiTi system in Cape Town

Cape Town introduces reversible MyCiTi bus lane to reduce congestion

Published: 14 Jun 24

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 exclusive use by MyCiTi vehicles, will permit inbound travel towards the Civic Centre in the morning, and outbound travel towards Table View in the afternoon.

G7 leaders commit to faster transition from fossil fuels - draft statement

Published: 14 Jun 24

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) developed democracies will commit to accelerating their transition away from fossil fuels during this decade, according to a draft of a statement to be issued at the end of their ongoing summit in Italy. "We will transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, accelerating actions in this critical decade, to achieve net-zero by 2050 in keeping with the best available science," says the draft seen by Reuters.

Global rate of air passenger baggage being mishandled continues to drop

Published: 14 Jun 24

SITA, the global aviation industry’s specialist IT and technology solutions group, has reported that the rate of baggage mishandling by the world’s airlines declined again, last year. This was shown by the just launched SITA Baggage IT Insights 2024 report. The number of bags mishandled by the global commercial aviation industry fell from 7.6 per 1 000 passengers in 2022, to 6.9 per 1 000 last year, despite the growth in air passenger traffic (which exceeded the levels of 2019, the first time in five years that this has happened). Over the period 2007 to 2023 inclusive, the baggage mishandling rate dropped by 63%, although the number of air passengers rocketed by 111%.

An image showing an infographic from the Global Carbon Project regarding nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide emissions grew by 40% from 1980 to 2020, study finds

Published: 14 Jun 24

Emissions of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas (GHG) said to be more potent than CO2 or methane – continued unabated between 1980 and 2020, a year when more than ten-million metric tons were released into the atmosphere primarily through farming practices, according to a new report by the Global Carbon Project. Agricultural production accounted for 74% of human-driven nitrous oxide emissions in the 2010s – attributed primarily to the use of commercial fertilisers and animal waste on croplands – according to the report ‘Global Nitrous Oxide Budget 2024’, led by researchers from Boston College and published on June 12 in the journal Earth System Science Data.

UN Antonio Guterres says climate finance is not a favour.

Climate dealmakers brace for China showdown over money at COP29

Published: 14 Jun 24

With just five months to go before the COP29 climate summit, the biggest fights are set to be over how to channel trillions of dollars from developed nations to emerging markets — and how China fits into the equation. Negotiators representing more than 190 countries convened in Bonn, Germany, this week for a meeting that typically sets the tone for the annual talks. While the atmosphere was more positive than last year — where the controversial appointment of an oil executive to lead COP28 overshadowed discussions — the gathering also made clear the scale of the challenge facing Azerbaijan, a relatively small player on the international stage that stepped in to host COP29 at the last minute.

Plans for piloting independent transmission projects model

Published: 14 Jun 24

Amid all the political upheaval, work is continuing with plans to pilot a model for introducing independent transmission projects. Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the prospects.

DP world plans $3bn investment in African ports by 2029

Published: 14 Jun 24

DP World plans to spend $3-billion over the next three to five years on new port infrastructure in Africa to meet long-term growth that includes surging demand for critical mineral exports. “The cost of logistics and supply chain across Africa is very high relative to other global markets,” which presents a good opportunity, Mohammed Akoojee, DP World’s CEO and MD for sub-Saharan Africa, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. The port operator is expanding in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and has recently assessed harbors in South Africa and Kenya for potential investment.

Webber Wentzel senior associate Francois Sieberhagen

Opinion: Beware, but do not fear!

Published: 14 Jun 24

In this article, Webber Wentzel senior associate Francois Sieberhagen writes about the implications of the Supreme Court of Appeal's (SCA's) judgment in the case of Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy & Three Others vs Sustaining the Wild Coast NPC and Eight Others.