Africa

Platinum producer Lonmin has agreed to sell a controlling stake in its Limpopo Baobab mining division to black empowerment group Shanduka.

Lonmin said the deal will enable it to work with Shanduka to develop Limpopo on a manageable scale, as well as furthering Shanduka’s strategy of operating mining assets in chosen commodities.

DHL Global Forwarding has established three new direct connections between Germany and the African continent.

Transit times for less than container load (LCL) shipments on the three new lanes between Bremen and Tema (Ghana), Cape Town (South Africa) and Mombasa (Kenya) will be shortened by five to six days.

Tronox Incorporated and Exxaro Resources Limited today announced a definitive agreement under which Tronox will acquire Exxaro's mineral sands operations in exchange for a 38.5 per cent equity stake in Tronox.

Exxaro is a South African-based resources group with a variety of interests, including iron ore and coal. Its mineral sands operations produce the key titanium bearing ore feedstock used in the production of titanium dioxide pigment - an inorganic white pigment used in paint, coatings, plastics, paper and many other everyday products.

Swiss power and technology group ABB has announced it is to construct two solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants for Eskom, South Africa’s national electricity provider.

The two one-hectare pilot plants will be located on greenfield sites adjacent to the coal-fired power stations at Lethabo in the Free State, and Kendal in Mpumalanga. They will be the first of their kind to be built in South Africa.

City Power Johannesburg (Pty) Ltd is working hard to maintain its reputation for exceeding the expectations of its customers and stakeholders; and it is receiving plenty of recognition along the way.

August Zerwick, managing director of South Africa-based engineering solutions provider MegChem, talks to Jayne Alverca about the company’s unique approach to managing complexity.

Marriott International has identified enormous growth potential in the Middle East and Africa. Ed Fuller, president and managing director of International Lodging in the region, talks to Jayne Flannery about the rationale and strategy that underpins the expansion.

African Underground Mining Services (AUMS) is bringing world class Australian deep mining practices to West Africa and proving itself an essential partner to some of the world’s leading gold mining companies.

South Africa’s Allied Technologies (Altech) has announced its acquisition of Germany’s SetOne, a provider of DVB-based products and solutions in the German-speaking region of Europe.

Altech said that SetOne, which specialises in digital video broadcasting (DVB) STB receivers, has built alliances with key players in the value chain of its products and services offering within Asia and Europe—including licence agreements with companies such as Sisvel, MPEG LA and Rovi.

The past few years have been difficult trading periods for retailers and as Alan Swaby learns, even the most prestigious names in the business have had to learn new tricks.

“Anyone who doesn’t think that a business has to reinvent itself periodically,” says Hilton Mer, executive chairman of Stuttafords—South Africa’s most prestigious department store—“is deluding themselves and by so doing, will prejudice the sustainability of the business. One has to be proactive in keeping in touch with markets and consumers.”