Eskom, the South Africa’s power utility said its board has commissioned an independent inquiry on the current status of the business and its challenges. According to the company, the board, in its quest to address the current challenges has deemed it prudent to seek an independent view on the status of, among other things; the poor performance of generation plant, delays in bringing the new generation plant on-stream, high costs of primary energy and cash flow challenges. “To ensure that this process is as transparent and uninhibited as possible, the Board has also resolved that four of its senior executives,…
Author: Editor
Debswana Diamond Company has pledged to assist in the development of the right skills in the country’s diamond mining industry as it announced a new scholarship programme. The company, which employs a large number of people, is offering 50 scholarships in the relevant disciplines which are currently facing a shortage of skilled manpower. “Metallurgy, Mine Survey and Chemical Engineering are some of the disciplines in which skills are needed,” stated the company. According to the company, the programme will commence this month with newspaper advertisements detailing the requirements and scholarships available for specific disciplines in the mining industry. Senior Organisational…
Debswana says its Jwaneng Mine hospital has been awarded the prestigious Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA) accreditation for the fourth time. According to the company, the hospital was the first to be COHSASA accredited in Botswana in 2002 and has continued to demonstrate high levels of service and patient care. Debswana’s other health facility, the Orapa hospital is also COHSASA accredited. “The accreditation reassures stakeholders that patients receiving care and treatment at Jwaneng Mine Hospital have access to top of the range facilities and quality health services,” the mine said. “Such facilities include systems based on…
The EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce is inviting stakeholders to the 1st edition of its EU-Africa B2B Forum planned for 06 – 08 May 2015 in Mons (Belgium), in partnership with Euronews as the main media partner. The event aims to bring together business professionals to discuss mutual opportunities, expectations and needs. Over five hundred (500) participants are expected for each day. The EU-Africa B2B Forum will enable business contacts between professionals from African and European private sectors, but also between European businesses themselves. B2B meetings will take a predominant part of this event, but the EU-Africa B2B Forum will also…
The programme for the 13th Botswana Resource Sector Conference has been published and the event will bring together most of the resource players in Botswana under one roof. The conference is endorsed and fully supported by the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMWER) and Botswana Chamber of Mines (BCM). The conference, which has seen year on year growth since its inception, has positioned itself very successfully as a valuable resource conference and a firm fixture on the conference circuit for resource players with over 350 delegates attending annually. “With focussed presentations from many of the resource companies operating…
Standard Bank Group said its headline earnings from continuing operations increased by 20% to R21 068 million. The results for the year ended 31 December 2014, however, showed headline earnings were affected by the performance of the discontinued global markets outside Africa business, as it increased by only 1% to R17 323 million. According to the group results, total income grew by 15% and expenses were 11% higher than 2013, while credit impairments were 2% lower. Net income before taxation grew by 31% and profit from continuing operations was 32% higher. The group concluded the sale of 60% of the group’s interest in the…
A joint team exploration work between Alrosa and Botswana Diamonds plc (BOD) has restarted on Blocks PL 206, 207 and 210 in Orapa, Botswana in a bid to find major new kimberlites. BOD said a team of seven geologists, mineralogists and geophysicists from Alrosa have arrived on site to join its team and conduct follow-up exploration on blocks PL 206, 207 and 210. It revealed that a comprehensive exploration programme conducted in Q3 2014 followed by detailed analyses in the Russian company’s laboratories highlighted specific target areas on the above blocks. The next stage of work will entail further soil…
The highly anticipated Lansmore Masa Square Wedding and Fashion Expo 2015 is coming back next month. As a build up to the event, Lansmore Masa Square on Saturday 7th March 2015 held an open casting for models, both established and aspiring, keen to strut their stuff as part of the calendar event, officially kicking Expo planning into high gear. The annual Wedding and Fashion Expo has fast become a not-to-be-missed calendar event in the diaries of brides and grooms to be, avid fashion lovers, event planners and even those just looking to enjoy a day nothing short of extraordinary. The…
The Botswana government through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) says it has taken a decision to suspend fishing at Lake Ngami and Lake Xau. According to the department, the suspension will be for a period of 12 months starting 1st March, 2015 until 28th February 2016. Government argued that the need to suspend fishing was to address environmental concerns as a result of uncontrolled fishing activities around the two fishing areas. “The suspension will allow finalisation of fishing regulations which will recognise the value of fish as a resource for the benefit of Batswana,” the department said.…
Shumba Coal, the budding energy developer and junior explorer, said it has executed Heads of Agreement with Mulilo Renewable Project Developments (Pty) Ltd for the joint development of the Mabesekwa Export Independent Power Plant (MEIPP) at the Mabesekwa Coal Project. The project is aimed at taking part in the South African Coal Base Load IPP programme. The Botswana Stock Exchange listed company revealed that the MEIPP will be a coal-fired power plant with a captive coal mine. It said within a two month period following the signing of the agreement, the parties intend to enter into a comprehensive Joint…