The First National Bank (FNB)/Bureau for Economic Research Civil Confidence Index gained two points to 24 in the first quarter of the year.

This follows a seven-point rise to 22 in the fourth quarter of last year.

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe Gazetted an amended version of Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act on March 26, which the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) said further clarified the requirements for generation for own use for facilities of under 1 MW. The schedule outlines the circumstances for exempting certain categories of generation facilities and resellers from the requirement of holding a generation licence.

The development of inland container terminals, or dry ports, to decongest port traffic is a trend that is gaining significant traction in Africa, says WSP Africa maritime technical director Marthinus Retief. In landlocked Ethiopia, the development of inland dry ports to store containers originating from the Port of Djibouti, in East Africa, are being considered to save storage costs which would normally need to be paid to Djibouti.

The continued spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning to impact on construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar’s supply chain, a possibility the company previously disclosed in February. The US-based company indicated on Thursday that was monitoring the situation closely and said that supply chain teams had been executing business continuity plans, which included using alternative sources and/or air freight, redirecting orders to other distribution centres, and prioritising the redistribution of the most impactful parts.