What is the new Defence Minister to do about the SANDF?

That the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is badly underfunded, and is in a state that could reasonably be described as verging on crisis, is almost universally accepted among all those... 

South Africa’s pilot carbon capture scheme officially inaugurated

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) on Monday announced that the country’s first carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) research site had been officially inaugurated. This marked the... 

Freeze-drying could boost food sustainability and security

Food freeze-drying technology has the potential to help create sustainable food practices, increase food security and cut food waste (caused by decay), even in rural areas of Africa. That is the... 

SA eying astronomy hub status – Nzimande

South Africa is seeking to become a global hub for astronomical facilities, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande told delegates to the XXXII General Assembly of the... 

Defence industry association welcomes efforts to boost South African defence spending

The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) has welcomed the commitment made, earlier this month, by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military... 

Rolls-Royce receives UK agency grant for space nuclear reactor project

UK-based global major propulsion and power (including nuclear power) systems group Rolls-Royce has announced that it has been awarded £4.8-million by the UK Space Agency, to further develop and... 

US company successfully executes regional-range test flight with hydrogen-electric air taxi

US-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi company Joby Aviation announced on Thursday that its hydrogen-electric demonstrator air taxi had successfully completed a 523-mile... 

First SKA dish assembled on site in the Karoo

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Observatory (SKAO) has announced that the first telescope dish for its SKA-Mid array has been assembled on site, in the Karoo region in the Northern Cape province.... 

ACSA seeking to grow its air cargo business at OR Tambo

The State-owned Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is to step up its activities to stimulate air cargo traffic growth, particularly at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA). This... 

Satellite communications company launches new solution for African miners

UK-based fully integrated satellite communications and connectivity services and solutions company Avanti Communications (Avanti) has launched, in Johannesburg, its new solution for the global... 

Cape Town’s Atlantis SEZ aiming to become green-industry heartland

This month, July, will see the Greentech-focused Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) mark two milestones, namely the breaking of ground for the first new factory to be built there, and the start... 

Defence industries association calls for greater investment in underfunded SANDF

South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) CEO Sandile Ndlovu has issued an open letter to the country’s next (and currently not yet known or appointed) Defence... 

Saps investigating the non-violent deaths of four SANDF soldiers at an Orkney mine shaft

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has announced that the South African Police Service (Saps) is undertaking an investigation, in preparation for an inquest, into the deaths of four... 

Industry body urges new government to reset South Africa’s maritime agenda

South African non-profit advocacy company, the Maritime Business Chamber (MBC), has called on the incoming seventh administration of democratic South Africa to re-set the country’s maritime agenda.... 

Milkor highlights its partnership with German group regarding sea surveillance UAV

South African defence company Milkor on Thursday reaffirmed its partnership with German group Aerodata, to develop a maritime surveillance version of the Milkor 380 uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV).... 

SA to host aviation conference next month

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global representative body for the airline industry, has announced that its second Wings of Change Focus Africa Conference (WOCFA) will take... 

Cape Town leading South Africa’s green energy transition, affirms city Alderman

Cape Town is really taking the lead in the green energy transition, affirmed the city’s Economic Growth MMC, Alderman James Vos, on Tuesday. He was opening Western Cape trade, tourism and... 

New clean cooking equipment factory opened in Paarl

Clean and renewable energy solutions company Ener-G-Africa (EGA) on Thursday officially opened its new biomass stove and cookware manufacturing facility, in the Western Cape province town of Paarl.... 

Personality affects susceptibility of people to cybercrime

Personality type is a major factor in people’s vulnerability to cybercrime, a Stellenbosch University (SU) researcher has established. People with an “agreeable” personality were more vulnerable... 

New clean cooking equipment factory opened in Paarl

Clean and renewable energy solutions company Ener-G-Africa (EGA) on Thursday officially opened its new biomass stove and cookware manufacturing facility, in the Western Cape province town of Paarl.... 

Energy transition to vary in different regions, countries – TotalEnergies

The energy transition – from high carbon-emitting energy sources to low and zero carbon-emitting energy sources – will vary across different regions and countries, pointed out TotalEnergies VP... 

Boeing ups sustainable aviation fuel purchases

American aerospace giant Boeing has announced that it is to buy 35.6-million litres of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), for use by its US commercial operations this year. This is its... 

Stellenbosch space company winning international orders

South African specialist microsatellite high-speed communication systems company Cubecom, part of the Alphawave Group, has announced that it has secured “substantial orders from multiple... 

Manufacturing overcapacity drives down solar PV module prices by almost 50%

The growth of the photovoltaic (PV or solar) sector worldwide has resulted in a current manufacturing overcapacity, which has driven down the prices of PV modules by almost 50%, solar PV... 

US group selects technology partners for SAF project

US clean fuels company DG Fuels has selected a technology, jointly developed by UK multinational advanced metals chemistry and sustainable technologies group Johnson Matthey and UK multinational... 

Innovation fund for South African tertiary institutions

South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have jointly launched a new fund to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in the... 

Scientists develop new way to convert carbon dioxide into green methanol

Scientists from the UK, Germany and Australia have successfully converted carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol, a green fuel, using a new technique that they have developed. The research involved... 

Important progress in development of aviation electrofuels

The first two months of this year saw significant developments regarding the category of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) known as electrofuels, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)... 

UK to fund new Anglo-South Africa scientific initiative

South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have announced a joint programme to institute an international research network that... 

LBMA seeking to integrate small and artisanal miners into the legitimate gold supply chain

Independent precious metals authority LBMA has launched a major initiative to support the integration of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) into the legitimate global gold supply chain, through... 

Zero-carbon aviation company demonstrates complete system for the first time

US zero carbon-emissions aviation company Universal Hydrogen has announced that it has used one of its proprietary modular liquid hydrogen storage and transport ‘capsules’ to successfully power its... 

Cape Town driving forward with renewable energy, climate resilience programmes

Last year, Cape Town paid out R25-million to businesses which sold their surplus renewable energy to the city. And, starting this year, private citizens will be able to do the same. These... 

Dube TradePort air cargo terminal sees demand spike

Air freight through the Dube TradePort cargo terminal, at King Shaka International Airport, at Durban, spiked sharply during the last quarter of last year, in quarter-on-quarter terms. This... 

Is the era of the flying taxi finally about to dawn?

The concept of small, usually unconventional, aircraft, carrying small numbers of passengers, weaving their way through towering skyscrapers and speeding over suburbs, has been a staple of... 

Australian scientists make progress in dealing with hydrogen embrittlement of steel

Australian researchers have made a step forward in addressing perhaps the biggest single obstacle to the large-scale roll-out of the hoped-for hydrogen economy: hydrogen embrittlement. This is the... 

Transformed AECI to go big globally

JSE-listed South African multinational AECI aims to be the global number three company in its core market segment of mining explosives and mining chemicals, by 2030. Of the company’s business, 80%... 

Mining’s focus switching to critical minerals, with ESG pressures increasing

The need to transform the global energy system and to cut carbon emissions, to counter the danger of climate change, is shifting the mining spotlight away from traditional high-value resources,... 

Aviation firm announces inverter technology breakthrough

UK-US zero carbon emissions aviation company ZeroAvia has announced that the initial testing campaign for its in-house developed 200 kW continuous power inverter has been successfully concluded.... 

Proposed underground lab in South Africa moves into project stage

A proposal to build South Africa’s and Africa’s first underground science laboratory has now moved into the project stage, with the launch of the Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory (PAUL),... 

Mining services companies facing climate conundrums

The need to counter climate change is raising a whole range of important issues for mining services companies, which, in comparison with the mining groups they served, are small in scale. This was...