NewYork-based Philip Morris International, the worldÔÇÖs largest publicly traded cigarette maker, has agreed to buy Swedish Match South Africa (SMSA) for R1.75 billion ($224 million), which will make it the biggest seller of pipe tobacco in the South African market. ┬á  SMSA has a strong presence in the OTP (other tobacco products) market in South Africa and is market leader for its pipe tobacco, which includes the well-known Boxer and Best Blend brands.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has confirmed strong take-up from its shareholders in a sale of London-listed shares, in which 97 per cent were sold.  The company issued shares on both the London and Australian stock exchanges in a $15.2 billion sale to reduce debt.

Wisconsin-based vehicle manufacturer Oshkosh Corporation has fought off stiff competition to win a contract to build new all-terrain vehicles for ground forces in Afghanistan, it has been announced.

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.