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Business pointers :: Sakeflitse

Free State

Phakisa mis 2005 : Die Phakisa Renbaan by Welkom het pas verneem dat hul beoogde datum om 'n MotoGP in die motorfietswêreldkampioenskapreeks in April 2005 aan te bied, toegeken is aan Jacarepaqua by Rio de Janeiro, Brasilië. Phakisa is egter besig om sy vaste bestuurspan te konsolideer en het laat blyk dat vir 2006 beslis weer 'n bod ingesit sal word.

New casino at Bethlehem : It has been formally announced that the Frontier Inn & Casino is to be built near Bethlehem Airport on the Durban road on 10,5ha land at a total project cost of some R60 million. Construction work is to start in February 2005 and it is expected that the complex will open its doors in April 2006. It will include inter alia a 22 room hotel, a restaurant seating 200 people and a casino gaming area with 120 slot machines and eight tables. The development will not be close to any socially sensitive areas, will have a positive impact on the surroundings, thanks to quality and aesthetic appeal of the development and should have a positive impact on surrounding property values.

New coal mine at Sasolburg : Work has begun on Sasol Mining's new coal mine in the Free State, which is to produce 2 million tons of coal a year from the end of 2005. Sasol Sigma Colliery has been the sole supplier of low-grade coal to Sasol Infrachem Industries (SII) in Sasolburg since 1952, but this demand is to drastically reduce from 6,5 million tons a year to 2 million tons a year when natural gas is introduced during June 2004. The proposed underground operation will be named Sigma-Mooikraal and is planned to supply coal only to the operations at Sasolburg. The project for the new coal mine is to create some 200 jobs in its construction phase, with 360 people expected to be employed permanently to operate the mine.

Gold mining theft rampant : It has been reported that in 2004 so far Harmony Gold Mining Company has recovered gold and mining equipment valued at more than R12,6 m in joint covert operations with the SA Police Service. A spokesperson for Harmony said that white-collar crime is on the increase and recoveries made for the past quarter alone were R5,3 m. A total of 144 criminal miners were arrested over the past three and a half months alone and gold bearing material valued at R518 968 was recovered.

National

3,5 miljoen SA Internet nuuslesers : Volgens 'n sensus van die Online Publishers Association (OPA) is daar tans in Suid-Afrika sowat 3,5 miljoen mense wat gereeld nuusbulletins op die Internet lees. Hulle verteenwoordig die room van die land se opgevoede en gegoede inwoners. Die sensus dui daarop dat die meeste internetlesers van Internet-nuusdienste gebruik maak wanneer hulle by die werk is (57%) en dat die meeste gebruikers in Johannesburg woon (24%). Kaapstad het die naasmeeste lesers (15%), gevolg deur Pretoria (10%).

MIV in SA huwelike skok : Volgens 'n studie deur die Raad vir Geesteswetenskaplike Navorsing (RGN) in die Staatsuniversiteit van Pennsilvania van die VSA is bevind dat Suid-Afrikaanse huwelike 'n MIV-positiewe syfer van 10,5% toon - … skrikwekkend hoog by internasionale standaarde. Die navorsing het bevind die risiko om MIV-positief in 'n huwelik te raak, hou regstreeks verband met seksuele gebruike in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. Een van die redes is die seksuele gedrag van mans binne die huwelik. Die bevindings strook ook met ander berigte dat die MIV-Vigs syfer onder blankes in SA veel hoër is as wat die algemene persepsie is.

Noord-Kaap kwaai in rooi : As moontlik die provinsiale regering in die land met tans die swakste finansiële balansstaat, was die Noord-Kaap regering op 31 Maart vanjaar meer as R1,2 miljard in die rooi. Benewens die reeds bestaande oortrokke rekening van R150 miljoen, het die provinsie ook 'n “geheime” oortrokke rekening van R40 miljoen wat na berig word nie deur die nasionale Tesourie goedgekeur is nie.

Pay phones in taxi's : The roll-out of pay phones in South Africa's most widely used form of transport, taxi's, began on August 30. The initial milestone is to install 1 000 payphones and, once it is reached, MTN and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), will set a new target. Initially, the bulk of the taxi installations will be in Kwazulu-Natal and then gradually spread across the country. The South African taxi industry transports between 60% and 70% of the population, which represents between 7 million and 9 million people a day. There are about 130 000 vehicles operating legally in South Africa, a quarter of which is in rural areas.

Billions for SA airports upgrading : It has been announced that Airport Company South Africa (Acsa) will be investing R3,58 billion in infrastructure upgrades over the next five years. Projects will include measures to increase capacity and efficiencies at all airports, including the domestic airports in the cities of Kimberley and East London. Apart from huge investments to further upgrade Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban international airports, the Bloemfontein and Upington airports will undergo R5 million terminal upgrades each. The George Airport, which is experiencing healthy growth related to the leisure market, will get a R25 million injection.

Doodsklok vir kleiner apteke? : Volgens die groepshoof van New Clicks, Mnr. Trevor Honneysett, word die winsgrens van kleiner apteke met die nuwe medisyneregulasies só beperk dat hulle waarskynlik gaan “uitsterf”. Die winsgrens sal na verwagting daal met 44% tot 16% bruto, instede van die 29% gemiddeld van vroeër. Daarenteen lyk die vooruitsigte vir groot formaat Clicks-winkels beter en beplan die groep hulle om einde 2005 negentig apteke landswyd te hê.

Government to use only graded accommodation : Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk has announced that as from the beginning of 2005 Government officials will only be allowed to use accommodation facilities that are officially graded. This is to encourage the process of voluntary grading. Meanwhile the grading of accommodation establishments is to be stepped up.