A major Saudi Arabian marine company has accused controversial Coega prawn farm SeaArk Africa of lying about an alleged R70-million deal between the companies. Three weeks ago, the Mail & Guardian revealed the identities of the people behind SeaArk Africa.
After a prolonged fight and years of negotiation, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has finally succeeded in wresting mining environmental impact assessments from the Department of Minerals and Energy, after the two departments reached a settlement through its two ministers.
South Africa’s education system is in trouble. Nearly 14 years after apartheid ended, the country’s learners have some of the worst scores in the world when it comes to reading, as well as maths and science literacy. In a maths and science study, grade eights came bottom out of 50 countries.
South Africans love sport and many companies have exploited this to build their brands. This year the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> introduces a new corporate social investment category in its Investing in the Future Awards to honour companies that have invested in sports development.
The pristine province of Mpumalanga risks becoming a prospector’s dream and an environmentalist’s nightmare. The Mail & Guardian has learnt that nearly 300 mining applications and 3 000 prospecting applications were received last year, and at least three prospecting licences were awarded in protected areas.
South Africa will be counting its frogs. Next month, frog guru Ann Mearns will launch a one-year frog census to gather data from around South Africa on how many frogs are left. The ”national frog count” will help determine just how big a threat South Africa’s frog population faces.
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/ 25 February 2008
Stretched-out plains with dust devils and the hot, unrelenting sun are the trademarks of the Northern Cape. Every year the province records some of the highest aggregates of sunny days a year worldwide and rainy days are as rare as hen’s teeth. This is bad news if you’re a farmer, but great news if you plan to build one of the world’s biggest solar plants.
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/ 22 February 2008
Although land reform, including restitution, received an additional R2,6-billion this year to reach a new high of R6,6-billion, the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs got a dressing down from Finance Minister Trevor Manuel. At a press conference after the budget speech, Manuel questioned whether the department would be able to handle more funds.
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/ 21 February 2008
A R9-billion marine farming project in the Coega industrial development zone — announced with much fanfare in December — has a fraud convict as its international business associate. The project, touted as a huge job creator in the Eastern Cape and the world’s first environmentally friendly prawn farm, has sparked furious objections from local environmentalists, including South African National Parks.
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/ 20 February 2008
As the Greening the Future Awards enters its sixth year of rewarding companies and organisations that have taken up the green cause, looking back over the years reveals that the awards have been handed out to several visionary organisations that realised how important it is to protect our environment.