The Weekend Property & Construction News The Weekend Property and Construction Newsletter Published on behalf of: Saturday 20 April 2002 Circulation : exceeds 1,000 subscribers Property and Construction related articles featured on the Internet for the past week brought to you by www.asaqs.co.za . The Association of News specific to the quantity surveying profession is reflected at the bottom of this newsletter. Click on the blue headline if you wish to read the full article on the Internet. South African Past issues of this newsletter can be found at http://www.asaqs.co.za/news/ Quantity Surveyors CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT NEWS INDEX Construction and 'SA tax laws a gold mine for developers' Development News SA's tax laws contain a number of benefits for taxpayers planning to develop property. However, should taxpayers fail to pay sufficient Housing News and Land attention to detailed requirements they may find themselves in hot water... Issues (©www.bday.co.za) News from Africa Mining News Building on a Boom News for Estate Agents and The R25-billion-year construction industry is enjoying a mini-boom in the wake of the upswing of resources and the start of significant Home Owners infrastructure projects. Property Links (©www.suntimes.co.za) The Agent's tool kit Sasol signs $1,3bn gas-to-liquids deal Building Terms Gas-to-liquids fuel passed a major milestone yesterday with the formal initiation of the $1,3bn Escravos gas-to-liquids plant through the Special Reports signing of the key technology agreements for the plant, synthetic fuels and chemicals group Sasol said... Economic Indicators (©www.bday.co.za) ASAQS News Sasol and Japanese firms form alliance Did you hear? Johannesburg - Japanese firms Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) and Nissho Iwai stand to earn well in excess of $200 million Update your information from the gas-to-liquids (GTL) reactor alliance they signed with local energy and petrochemicals group Sasol. (©www.busrep.co.za) Subscribe Sasol can free SA from dollar-priced barrel rack "Crude oil prices are about $25 a barrel and will remain in the $20 to $25 range for the foreseeable future, as Opec manipulates supply to keep the price where it suits them. The rand will remain at R11 plus to the dollar and will steadily depreciate into the future," he says. The time, says Deats, is inordinately ripe to launch a duplication of Sasol's coal-based synthetic fuel (synfuel) technology on the Mpumalanga highveld. (©www.busrep.co.za) Natural Gas Project (Gas Project) The natural gas will supplement coal feedstock at the Secunda plant, Mpumalanga, for the production of synthetic fuels and various chemical feedstocks. (©www.engineeringnews.co.za) Airport expansion, Western Cape, South Africa. Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is set to spend more than R500-million over the next five years at Cape Town International Airport to expand and improve the infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the aeronautical industry. (©www.engineeringnews.co.za) Plan for new R2bn Durban airport gets the go-ahead file:///C|/Users/Bert%20vd%20Heever/Documents/My%20Websites/ASAQS/News/Issues/200402.htm[2012/10/22 19:46:10] The Weekend Property & Construction News The provincial government wants King Shaka to be operational by 2006 Associate Editor THE cabinet has approved a controversial R2bn plan to move Durban International Airport to the La Mercy site, north of the city... (©www.bday.co.za) Lanseria airport's expansion off Cape Town - The first phase of a R100 million upgrade and enlargement of Lanseria International Airport, the country's busiest in terms of takeoffs and landings, had been completed and was opened formally last night by Mbhazima Shilowa, the Gauteng premier. (©www.busrep.co.za) Hi-tech sophistication is the heart of this home THE new home of Ericsson in SA is a hitech building with some of the most sophisticated technology on the continent. The company recently completed its move to its new corporate headquarters in Johannesburg's IT business hub of Woodmead. (©www.bday.co.za) State doubles its grants to local councils NATIONAL government has gazetted about R30bn in local government grants that will be paid to SA's 284 local authorities over the next three financial years. (©www.bday.co.za) Council closes regulatory gaps THE Council for the Built Environment, launched by Public Works Minister Stella Sigcau last week, is another attempt to close regulatory gaps in the building and related professions. (©www.bday.co.za) Easing poverty in Gauteng calls for a team effort, says Shilowa EVEN though Gauteng was better off economically than SA's eight other provinces, poverty was still prominent, premier Mbhazima Shilowa said yesterday. "We do have people who are unemployed some qualified." (©www.bday.co.za) Taking building skills to the people The construction industry expects to lose about 4 000 artisans over the next 18 to 24 months, which means there will be a huge need in the industry for trained artisans. (©www.iol.co.za) Tourism workshops give unionists an insight DURBAN Wage negotiations, restructuring and bargaining councils are set to be put on the back burner as shop stewards and union officials focus on promoting the merits of tourism in KwaZulu-Natal. (©www.bday.co.za) Soccer City project gets off the ground After months of uncertainty, work on Durban's ambitious multi-million rand Soccer City project kicks off next month. (©www.iol.co.za) Construction may start this year on Gauteng theme park Construction of Africa’s own Disneyland-type theme park could start as early as the last quarter of this year. (©www.engineeringnews.co.za) General property a viable option INVESTORS with a taste for property face a roller-coaster ride this year as interest rates climb. However, the drive to see property become a premier investment asset class, competing with equities and bonds, continues. (©www.bday.co.za) file:///C|/Users/Bert%20vd%20Heever/Documents/My%20Websites/ASAQS/News/Issues/200402.htm[2012/10/22 19:46:10] The Weekend Property & Construction News MAKING THE RUNNING: Umgeni Water's Eghbal Ma'ani says the company is involved in projects in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Malawi - and it is looking at the possibility of projects in Libya and Algeria. (©www.suntimes.co.za) ABB's local chief sings the praises of Eskom CHEAP reliable electricity is set to power industrial growth, not just in this country but also in the region. (©www.bday.co.za) Pebble bed reactor runs gauntlet of appraisers If technology does become part of SA energy mix, it will have done so the hard way. (©www.bday.co.za) Gateway shopping centre tenants fight for rent review TENANTS at the R1,4bn Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga are fighting for a rent review. About 30% of the tenants have banded to get Old Mutual Properties to cut their rents... (©www.bday.co.za) M&R to open R130m castings plant CONSTRUCTION group Murray & Roberts (M&R) is to open a R130m aluminium castings foundry in Port Elizabeth tomorrow the latest investment in Eastern Cape linked to the automotive industry. (©www.bday.co.za) Thebe's deal with Shell might spark turnaround THEBE Investment Corporation, a group once tipped to rival New Africa Investments and Real Africa Investments in asset bases, has had its fair share of misfortune in the past... (©www.bday.co.za) Coega has vast potential for Eastern Cape NNP CAPE TOWN The Coega industrial development zone could provide a vitally needed boost for the industrial growth of Port Elizabeth, New National Party (NNP) leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk said yesterday, (©www.bday.co.za) SA's trade boom with rest of Africa is roaring ahead SA's trade with the rest of Africa has been booming since the end of apartheid in 1994, with its wine and food now a common sight on supermarket shelves in African countries, and businessmen fanning out. (©www.bday.co.za) Bill spells out employee insolvency rights Parliament - The final instalment in a clutch of labour law amendments, that seeks to clarify the rights of employees in the event of insolvencies, was tabled in Parliament on Friday. (©www.busrep.co.za) Strategic sales help Martprop's outlook Durban - Martprop, a listed property unit trust, had sold 13 properties for R49 million over the past six months, Roger Perkin, the fund manager, said yesterday. (©www.busrep.co.za) Manufacturing growth plan unveiled Pretoria - Trade and industry minister Alec Erwin yesterday unveiled his department's integrated manufacturing strategy (IMS). The strategy will be debated in parliament next week and, after new inputs have been included, will be presented to the cabinet in June. file:///C|/Users/Bert%20vd%20Heever/Documents/My%20Websites/ASAQS/News/Issues/200402.htm[2012/10/22 19:46:10] The Weekend Property & Construction News (©www.busrep.co.za) A leisurely thought on tax havens LeisureNet chief executives Rod Mitchell and Peter Gardener have full plates as they battle in court against charges of fraud. But in their free moments they might be interested to learn that the Channel Island of Jersey - the domicile of Dalmore Limited, with which they have had notable dealings - might lose its status as a tax haven, if UK finance minister Gordon Brown has his way. (©www.busrep.co.za) Intrinsic benefits outweigh investment motive Phil Armstrong is not your typical reformist; he does not seem to have too much truck with the notion that virtue should be pursued for its own sake. Or at least he does not reckon that company executives should adhere to virtuous corporate governance principles for their own good.