Irma Venter
Irma Venter is a Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.
Cape Town revises by-law to boost selected backyard housing developments
27th June 2025 Cape Town’s City Council has approved a number of changes to the Municipal Planning By-law (MPBL) in a move it believes will make it easier to... →
300-plus problem buildings identified in Cape Town
20th June 2025 The City of Cape Town (CoCT) says its active problem building caseload is hovering at just more than 300 properties. The city’s Law Enforcement... →
Cape Town asks Constitutional Court to invalidate Public Procurement Bill
10th June 2025 Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the city has approached the Constitutional Court to invalidate the Public Procurement Act. The city... →
Ramaphosa seeks trillions from private sector as he acknowledges past infrastructure failures
27th May 2025 As government prepares to spend more than R1-trillion on infrastructure over the next three years, President Cyril Ramaphosa wants the private... →
Infrastructure SA preparing 34 projects to come to the market before end-2026
26th May 2025 Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) is currently preparing and packaging 34 projects with an estimated capital value of R259-billion, says ISA acting... →
Cape Town adds 86 000 jobs in one year; employment at all-time record
13th May 2025 The City of Cape Town has added 86 000 jobs in a year, reaching a record level of 1.827-million people now in jobs – this according to Statistics... →
Moody’s upgrades Cape Town’s credit rating
5th May 2025 Moody's Ratings (Moody's) has upgraded the City of Cape Town’s credit rating from Ba3 to Ba2, with the outlook regarded as stable. Moody’s notes... →
Cape Town’s R8.5bn water plan moves to tap seawater and wastewater
25th April 2025 Seven years ago, Cape Town made global headlines for all the wrong reasons. The city faced the very real possibility that its municipal water... →
Time to plot a different future amid Agoa uncertainty, suggests Nedbank’s Singh
23rd April 2025 South Africa may, on paper, be eligible for preferential access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), but this Act... →
Cape Town proposes record infrastructure investment; adding 700 law enforcement officers
8th April 2025 Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced a record infrastructure investment of R39.7-billion over three years as part of the metro’s... →
Auto sector working to determine if new US tariffs impact Agoa members – Naamsa
28th March 2025 naamsa | The Automotive Business Council says it is “actively assessing” the potential impact of the 25% tariff imposed on vehicles and certain... →
Western Cape, Cape Town welcome move to seek private-sector investment in rail, port sectors
24th March 2025 Western Cape premier Alan Winde says he welcomes the announcement on the weekend by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to initiate a request for... →
Western Cape could start exporting renewable power by 2032
14th March 2025 The Western Cape government says it remains on track to reach its target of generating 5 700 MW of its own energy by 2035, and could even become a... →
Capetonians reach R55m earnings mark in Cash for Power programme
25th February 2025 Cape Town businesses and households have broken through the R55-million earnings mark since the start of the city’s Cash for Power programme in... →
Cape Town calls for Budget to increase affordable housing funding to cities
18th February 2025 The City of Cape Town says it is “eagerly awaiting” Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s announcement that the Budget, set to be delivered on... →
Metros’ job growth lacklustre; Gauteng shedding manufacturing jobs – report
11th February 2025 South Africa’s eight metros – Cape Town, Tshwane, Johannesburg, Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay, Ekurhuleni, Mangaung and eThekwini – have seen a... →
Energy debate likely to shift from availability to affordability – Cape Town mayor
24th January 2025 With power utility Eskom breaching 300 days without loadshedding, the national energy debate is likely to shift from availability to affordability,... →
Cape Town mayor believes GNU will stand firm until Ramaphosa’s departure
24th January 2025 City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says his gut tells him that the Government of National Unity (GNU) will survive at least the next two... →
Cape Town moves ahead with plans to take over PRASA service
5th December 2024 The City of Cape Town (CoCT) says it will have business plans in place by the middle of next year to take over the management of passenger rail... →
Cape Town declares dispute over ‘unconstitutional’ District Development Model regulations
29th November 2024 Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the city has declared a formal intergovernmental dispute owing to what it calls the “unconstitutional and... →
EPWP open to abuse, must be reformed – Macpherson
1st November 2024 The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has become open to abuse, says Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, despite it... →
Rail masterplan to be finalised by October next year – DoT chief director
10th October 2024 The Department of Transport (DoT) aims to have the interim National Rail Masterplan (NRMP) ready by February next year, says DoT chief director... →
Construction begins on Cape Town solar PV plant, battery storage tender released
8th October 2024 The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has started construction on a R200-million, 7 MW solar PV plant, located in Atlantis, with the first electricity to be... →
Eskom’s proposed tariff hikes untenable; reduction mechanisms being weighed – Ramokgopa
3rd October 2024 Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is confident that government will be able to positively intervene on Eskom’s tariff-hike... →
Cape Town to wrap up desalination plant feasibility study in 2025, first water possible in 2030
25th September 2024 The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has started the feasibility study on the proposed Paarden Island desalination plant, says CoCT Water and Sanitation... →
East London port gets two new tugs, TNPA wraps up fleet renewal programme
10th September 2024 The Port of East London has taken ownership of two new tugboats, marking the end of the Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) R1-billion... →
Macpherson signs two declarations of intent with Chinese groups
6th September 2024 Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson concluded his visit to China this week by signing two declarations of intent with the... →
PRASA welcomes 15-year sentence handed down to former engineering head
4th September 2024 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) says it welcomes the 15-year prison sentence handed down this week to Daniel Mthimkhulu, the... →
NDB signs R5bn loan agreement with Transnet
30th August 2024 The New Development Bank (NDB) on Friday signed a R5-billion loan agreement with State-owned freight transport and logistics group Transnet. The... →
Developed-country debt draining international market liquidity – NDB president
30th August 2024 Enacting the just transition in emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) requires “a huge amount of resources and long-term financing”,... →
Cape Town launches live tracking of water, sanitation snags
20th August 2024 Cape Town has unveiled a new pump station control room, which digitally tracks the live performance of water and sanitation infrastructure.... →
Cape Town to launch constitutional challenge if Public Procurement Bill is gazetted
12th August 2024 Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa not to gazette the new Public Procurement Bill into law, as the city... →
Govt continues to drag its feet on fuel-price review – Misa
5th July 2024 The former Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has failed to review South Africa’s fuel-pricing methodology since the process to do... →
Steady hand needed as seventh Transport Minister appointed in 15 years – AA, Outa
1st July 2024 Newly appointed Transport Minister Barbara Creecy is the eleventh minister in this portfolio since 1994, which is a cause for concern as continuity... →
As municipal debt programme falters, Eskom CFO calls for mechanism to ensure the utility gets paid
22nd May 2024 Municipal debt remains one of Eskom’s biggest challenges, says Eskom CFO Calib Cassim. “At the end of March, we were sitting at around R75-billion... →
More than 430 Cape Town households apply to sell their excess power
9th May 2024 A total of 432 Cape Town households have applied to earn cash from selling their excess solar power to the city. These applications will now be... →
PRASA restores five more rail corridors partially
4th April 2024 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) says it has restored another five Metrorail corridors across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the... →
Govt turns to private sector to fix public sector facilities
19th March 2024 Given the current economic downturn, government does not have the resources to look after all of its assets, says Department of Public Works and... →
New online portal launched to aid Cape Town’s solar PV boom
13th March 2024 The City of Cape Town has launched a new online application portal for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. More than 5 000 solar PV systems have... →
Global unrest fuelling shipping costs, consumers to feel it within a year – Unctad
23rd February 2024 The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) estimates that transits passing through the Suez Canal have decreased by 42%... →
Fuel price hike will impact consumers and the road freight industry – RFA
16th February 2024 Fuel is rapidly crossing the 50% mark as a share of daily road transport operating costs, depending on the type of transport operation, with rising... →
