South Africa is likely to remain Africa’s innovation powerhouse, particularly as growth in mobile technology provides significant opportunities
A family’s search for organic produce led them to start farming their own – and a hugely diversified and expanding business is the result
When contractor Philip du Plessis fell into the swimming pool at a client’s house recently and damaged his iPhone, it wasn’t business as usual.
South African businesses and consumers are being denied full access to world-class high-speed mobile data facilities, writes Greg Gordon.
Although open-skies policies on in Africa bode well for the airline industry, ageing fleets and tight margins are significant challenges.
Weighing up the rights of consumers versus those of the businesses that provide them with goods and services is a delicate balancing act.
The Companies Act is remarkably lax for small companies managed by their shareholders.
Traditional broadcasters have to rethink their business strategy in the face of online challenges.
Desktop financial software is here to stay — for the moment, writes <b>Greg Gordon</b>.
Small business are adrift in a sea of new technology, writes <b>Greg Gordon</b>.
Opinion is divided about whether web-based financial services have come of age, writes <b>Greg Gordon</b>.
Relatively new in the South African public transport mix is the bus rapid transport (BRT).
Regulation is on the way out and there’s a big demand for cheap flights.
Move over trainspotters, there’s a new breed of transport stalker about — planespotters.
They are going to be saddled with the huge costs of Acsa’s ‘unnecessary’ airport upgrades.
Aircraft have had a technological make-over.
There are plenty of bargains to be had but be sure you’re comparing apples with apples.
Government indecision about broadcast system delays roll-out.
Intelligent investing means knowing what drives key markets. The latest (June) RMB Asset Management Summary says South Africa’s civil service strike has crippled state institutions and may cost the economy billions of rands, while the impact of higher wages could push up inflation and interest rates.
It is time to switch capital from the retail and bank sectors, where the risks are predominantly on the downside, to the resources sector, where investors are expecting the worst and where, increasingly, it does not look as if the worst is upon them. That’s according to Chris Freund, portfolio manager at Investec Asset Management.
While the term asset management broadly refers to investment markets, a growing number of executives are applying its principles internally to their own organisations to cut costs, improve efficiency and generally contribute to good corporate governance. A Johannesburg analyst says this can be a complex process, but to accurately report to investors, asset management within an organiÂsation has to be tightly monitored.
A growing number of investors are choosing to take their activities online in a move to better manage their assets by having an electronic record of their transactions and investments. It’s fast, cheap and efficient. And it’s a fact not lost on asset management firms. Established in 1974, Allan Gray claims it is the largest privately owned investment management company in Southern Africa.
South African mining executives are optimistic about the future of the industry but are concerned about how to maintain its growth, given key challenges such as skills development and HIV/Aids. These are the findings of the 2006 Deloitte Mining and Metals Executive and Analysts Survey.
Despite being superseded by the manufacturing and services sectors in terms of contribution to the country’s GDP, South Africa’s mainstream mining industry still accounts for more than 30% of the market capitalisation on the JSE, and is characterised by its high degree of technical expertise and the facility with which it is able to mobilise capital for new ventures.
A number of developments in South Africa’s mining industry will enhance the suitability of the sector as an attractive investment target. That is according to MG Diliza, chief executive of the Chamber of Mines, who was speaking last week at the Mining Investment Conference in London. “South Africa is the world’s richest and most diverse repository of mineral commodities."
No image available
/ 25 October 2005
Few property owners and investors want to handle the day-to-day administration of their assets. Managing properties is a complex process, which is why specialist property management companies are doing such good business in South Africa. The market for investment property in South Africa is worth more than R100-billion.