International panel seeks to protect Earth from extra-terrestrial contamination

A theme that has been expounded more than once in science fiction is of alien organisms being brought back to Earth, endangering human life. In reality, scientists have long been concerned with... 

Airlink leases additional airliners to meet growing demand

South African regional airline Airlink has announced that it is expanding it fleet by leasing three Embraer E195 aircraft from AerCap. Airlink is Southern Africa’s biggest regional carrier, and the... 

Localised weather stations for SA farms launched

The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), which is an agency of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), has highlighted the launch of a programme to deploy localised weather stations to... 

Sasol and Deutsche Aircraft deepen cooperation on green aviation fuels

German aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft and Sasol ecoFT, the sustainable fuels development business of South African petrochemical group Sasol, have announced a deepening of their... 

Vulindlela reforms will not be minor, assures Presidency

The South African government’s Operation Vulindlela (“opening up”) is intended to result in major reforms to key sectors of the economy, Presidency Project Management Office head Rudi Dicks assured... 

Transport network holding back SA’s economic growth

South Africa’s transport modalities – all of them – are currently unable to support greater economic growth in the country. So warned South African Association of Freight Forwarders CEO Juanita... 

Business sector can be a beacon of hope for South Africa

South Africa’s business sector can provide the country’s people with hope for the future, retired Exxaro Resources CEO Mxolisi Mgojo told the 2023 SAPICS Conference in Cape Town on Monday. (SAPICS... 

New space agency CEO outlines vision for stimulating local space industry

The South African National Space Agency’s (SANSA’s) recently appointed and third confirmed (as distinct from acting) CEO, Humbulani Mudau, is determined to use the solid “launch pad” created under... 

Awareness of cybersecurity within SANDF ranks low

Although the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as an organisation was, and senior SANDF officers individually were, aware of the importance of cybersecurity, awareness of, and education... 

SA company appointed regional distributor for international aircraft maker

Slovenia-based light aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel, part of the Textron eAviation business unit of US aerospace group Textron, has appointed South African company Absolute Aviation as its... 

Private-sector climate investments in Africa low, but growing fast

Although climate change-related finance in Africa still comes overwhelmingly from public institutions, such funding from the private sector is growing fast. This was highlighted in the 'Climate... 

Defence Minister reveals possible industrial partnership with Brazil’s Embraer

Addressing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans in Cape Town on Tuesday, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise stated, almost in passing, that she hoped... 

3D printing has huge potential to help decarbonise manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), popularly called 3D printing, has an important role to play in greatly reducing the global manufacturing industry’s carbon emissions, Cape Town-based Evanswerks Labs... 

Zambian battery storage project under scrutiny

The feasibility study for the first battery energy storage system (BESS) in the central southern African country of Zambia is currently under way, Africa Greenco (Greenco) business development head... 

Fischer-Tropsch technology can produce SAF from municipal waste

Air bp, the aviation fuels business of UK-based global energy giant bp, has highlighted the potential role of Fischer-Tropsch technology in the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).... 

Awareness of weather effects on mining very low

The mining industry is very unaware of space weather and of its susceptibility to space weather phenomena, South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Space Weather Centre MD Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell... 

Power-to-liquids technology an encouraging longer-term option for sustainable aviation fuel

Power-to-liquids is, aviation fuel business Air bp believes, one of the “most promising” longer-term pathways for the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). (Air bp is a unit of UK-based... 

Qatar Airways opens first cargo hub outside its homeland – in Africa

Qatar Airways Cargo, a business of major Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways, on Wednesday formally inaugurated its first cargo hub outside its home country, at Kigali International Airport, in... 

SA govt committed to developing hydrogen economy – Minister

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande has highlighted the country’s determination to develop a hydrogen economy, for a low carbon-emissions future. He did so at the... 

South Africa needs oil, gas, nuclear, as well as renewables – Mantashe

Delivering the keynote address at the Enlit Africa conference in Cape Town on Wednesday, South African Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe reported that the current moratorium on... 

Rheinmetall Denel Munition building solar plant at its Somerset West facility

The official groundbreaking ceremony for a 5.06 MWp capacity solar energy plant at the Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) plant at Somerset West, in metropolitan Cape Town, was held late Wednesday... 

Two UK companies to merge to form world’s first integrated zero-carbon aircraft maker

Two relatively small but highly regarded UK aerospace companies, local/sub-regional airliner manufacturer Britten-Norman and aircraft design, production and maintenance company Cranfield Aerospace... 

Space agency seeks to create awareness of space weather effects on mining activities

The mining industry is very unaware of space weather and of its susceptibility to space weather phenomena, South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Space Weather Centre MD Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell... 

G7 Ministers discuss strengthening ties with African countries

On Tuesday, the Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Karuizawa, Nagano, in Japan, devoted a some 75-minute session to Africa. The G7 is a grouping of the seven major democratic... 

Zero-carbon aerospace, liquid hydrogen production companies team up

Zero-carbon emissions aircraft powertrain developer ZeroAvia on Monday announced a partnership with liquid hydrogen technology company Absolut Hydrogen. The two companies will cooperate on... 

South African government committed to developing the hydrogen economy – Minister

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande has highlighted the country’s determination to develop a hydrogen economy, for a low carbon-emissions future. He did so at the... 

Sustainable aviation fuel deals, developments surge

In its latest “Fly Net Zero Media Update”, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the global representative body for the airline industry – has highlighted a wave of significant... 

Plastics recycler teams up with military unit to recycle waste

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics recycling company Petco South Africa, which is a Producer Responsibility Organisation created by the country’s plastics industry as a self-regulating... 

Stellenbosch researcher creates new composite material

A researcher at Stellenbosch University (SU), near Cape Town, in the Western Cape, has developed a new composite material, made from Port Jackson trees (Acacia saligna) and recycled low-density... 

Positive outlook for African airlines over next 12 years

Africa’s air passenger traffic was expected to double, to more than 260-million passengers, by 2035, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has predicted. It also forecast that in 2035... 

IATA launches initiative to help African aviation achieve its potential

The global representative body for the airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), on Monday afternoon launched its Focus Africa initiative, to help the continent’s... 

G7 countries wish to develop a global commercial nuclear fuel market

The five nuclear energy-using member countries of the Group of Seven major democratic economies (G7) on Sunday issued a joint statement announcing their intent to create a global commercial nuclear... 

3D printing facility opened in Cape Town

Newly-established contract additive and advanced manufacturing services company Evanswerks Creative Lab officially opened its Cape Town factory on Thursday. The company is the product of foreign... 

Norwegian, Egyptian companies to collaborate on green hydrogen projects

Norway-based international independent risk management and assurance group DNV has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Egypt-based regional engineering-procurement-construction (EPC)... 

UK financier to inject €20m into new fund for green African urban development

UK State development finance institution British International Investment (BII) has announced that it is committing €20-million to the Meridiam Group’s TURF (The Urban Resilience Fund), which is... 

University of KwaZulu-Natal group successfully launches suborbital demonstration rocket

South Africa’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation announced on Wednesday that a research group at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has successfully launched a suborbital... 

African financial institutions will continue to fund fossil fuel projects on the continent

While Africa is part of the global transition to low carbon energy, the consumption of oil and gas on the continent will increase, at least in the short term. So observed Standard Bank executive... 

IPP Office, Eskom in discussions on navigating grid constraints ahead of next renewables round

There were two main challenges South Africa faced, in addressing its inadequate electricity generation capacity, Independent Power Producers (IPP) Office Head Bernard Magoro highlighted at the... 

Single air transport market could add impetus to lagging recovery of African carriers

The post-Covid-19-pandemic recovery of the African airline industry is lagging behind that of other regions of the world, but it is recovering, International Air Transport Association (IATA)... 

Angola orders advanced Earth observation satellite

The West African State of Angola has ordered an S250 optical Earth observation satellite (EOS) from Airbus Defence and Space, part of the Europe-based global major aerospace and defence group...