Sunday Tribune 2023-11-05

Ian Wyles Auctioneers will be auctioning an income-generating commercial property in South Beach on November 15 at 11am. Centrally located on the Durban Esplanadem, it is in proximity to all amenities, well-maintained and being used as student accommodation. The property features 42 rooms over three sub-blocks with three floors each. All sub-blocks comprise single sleepers, two-sleepers, three-sleepers and four-sleepers. The building has free uncapped wi-fi. There is a live-in caretaker as well 24-hour guard service. The building comprises: A reception area with a guard desk that extends to the foyer leading to the living area/TV room. A laundry room in each sub-block, with two washing machines and an outside laundry area. A study area with chairs and desks on each floor. A fully fitted kitchen, with fridges, microwaves, tiled…

IN2ASSETS will be auctioning a lucrative redevelopment opportunity in Durban’s CBD on November 16 at 11am. The two high-rise properties, 27-31 Joe Slovo (Field) Street, are positioned midway between two of the busiest intersections. The busy arterial road is exposed to high levels of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The property at 27 Joe Slovo (Field) Street also fronts onto Parry Road. The two attached properties present the market with a rare opportunity – a space ripe for redevelopment in the heart of the Durban CBD. The permitted zoning would allow the properties to be used as offices, residential flats, retail, a hotel, educational establishments or a boarding house, to name a few. Student accommodation would require special consent from the municipality. The properties are in need of repair. As such,…

As many South Africans run out of money before their next pay cheque, it seems the country as a whole could be running out of money as well. This comes after Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana tabled his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement earlier this week in Parliament and to the nation. CEO of Debt Rescue, Neil Roets, said he was concerned about what the Minister’s spending cuts and tax increases would mean for the country’s stability, and more importantly, the economic stability of citizens already buckling under the weight of the unsustainable cost of living. Ahead of the Minister’s MTBPS, he sounded the alarm that the country is at risk of running out of money by March 2024, unless significant spending cuts are introduced. He made it clear that…

Fuel prices in South Africa were likely to hold steady over the festive season barring a further unforeseen escalation of global geopolitical tensions. The World Bank this week forecast that global oil prices could average $90 (R1704) a barrel in the fourth quarter of this year, and fall to an average of $81 in 2024, as slowing global economic growth eases demand. On Thursday the Brent crude oil price was trading at $87.25 per barrel. The average Brent crude price fell from $91.86 to $88.72 a barrel in the month that led to the last local fuel price decrease. This decline had been due to higher global crude oil inventories from increased production from non-Opec+ producers, the lifting of sanctions on Venezuela by the US, creating a positive outlook on…

Two entrepreneurs in the energy sector in South Africa have come together to assist and train other small businesses to get ahead in their respective fields. Hleziphi Siyothula-Mtshizana, the founder and CEO of In Pursuit Renewable Energy, a services company offering cost-effective alternative energy solutions, says her firm can play a positive role in addressing the country’s energy crisis, and make an important contribution to developing skills in the RE environment. The company currently employs four people. Long-time university friend and founder and managing director of the non-profit organisation KgabisoPalesa Cares (KP Cares), Kgabiso Palesa Sephai, is passionate about training youth and communities in renewable energy, as well as skills development in energy efficiency, solar PV systems and battery storage. KP Cares has trained 100 young people and 10 SMMEs,…

SOUTH Africa is in the middle of a gripping conversation about transitioning away from fossil fuels, arguably to energy resources ineluctably dubbed renewable or sustainable. Or rather, going by the sophistry of the well-tutored, sustainably renewable. How fast such a transition should occur, and to what degree of intensity, has not yet been determined. One thing is certain, however: Just like the urgent climate change themes requiring pressing attention, the paths leading to the public discourse of how just, partly just or wholly unjust these transitioning measures should unfurl, will likely be so grossly perverted they are unrecognisable, leaving it fit and deserving only for those lobbyists backed by aggressive Western military powers. How did we get here, one may ask. Empirically, it could be said that when democracy is…