June 2009

Uganda: Sh1.2 Trillion For Doctor's Houses

Uganda: Sh1.2 Trillion For Doctor's Houses - A project to construct houses for health workers is to start soon, the health minister has said. Dr. Steven Mallinga said the Government had secured a $600m (sh1.2 trillion) loan from the World Bank to roll out the project countrywide. [AA Construction]

Uganda: $150 Million Royal Palms Second Phase Under Construction

Uganda: $150 Million Royal Palms Second Phase Under Construction - Construction of Phase 1B kicked off last month and is expected to be completed by June next year. About 50 units are expected to be constructed with prices ranging from $175,000 (sh378m) to $225,000 (sh486m). All units will be detached (stand alone), a company official said. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Collapsed Building - Death Toll Hits 31

Nigeria: Collapsed Building - Death Toll Hits 31 - DEATH toll in the collapsed two-storey building at the Lagos Railway Terminus, Iddo, in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos Mainland, Sunday, has risen to 31, from the 18 dead bodies earlier recovered from the rubble. [AA Construction]

Ethiopia: Indian Company to Start Tendaho Sugar Factory Construction

Ethiopia: Indian Company to Start Tendaho Sugar Factory Construction - The Tendaho Sugar Factory Project Office made an advance payment of 16.6 million dollars to Overseas Infrastructure Alliance Private Limited (OIA) to commence the construction of the factory as disclosed by officials at the project office. [AA Construction]

South Africa: Calabash, the Jewel of 2010 Fifa World Cup

South Africa: Calabash, the Jewel of 2010 Fifa World Cup - From afar, it looks like a calabash although big in size. The Soccer City stadium, christened the Calabash because of its shape is the biggest attraction as you drive to Bloemfontein and Soweto. [AA Construction]

Egypt: Country Making Progress in Water, Sanitation - UN

Egypt: Country Making Progress in Water, Sanitation - UN - Egypt has made great strides in improving access to drinking water and is well-situated to address remaining challenges related to water and sanitation, a United Nations independent human rights expert said today. [AA Urbanisation]

Zimbabwe: Ruwa Residents Get Water After Two Years

Zimbabwe: Ruwa Residents Get Water After Two Years - RUWA residents, who had been without water for nearly two years, last Friday finally had water supplies restored to them after the local board resumed works at its water treatment plant. [AA Urbanisation]

Tshwane launches a Fire Safety Project

Pretoria - In an effort to reduce the number of fires during the winter period, the Tshwane Community Safety Department launched a Basic Emergency Safety and Fire Education (BESAFE) centre in Soshanguve, Kopanong Section.

The centre, situated at the Council's Komiki Motubatse Hall, comprises of a tin container that has been turned into a model house.

The house is used to demonstrate how various household appliances should be handled in order that unnecessary fires could be avoided.

These include gas stoves, electrical appliances and paraffin stoves.

"Most of the fires in informal settlement are often caused by poor handling of paraffin stoves and lamps, gas canisters that burst, and faulty electrical appliances, especially illegal connections," the department said.

The centre is part of the Fire Brigade Service's Public Information, Education and Relations (PIER) programme.

Through this programme the Fire Brigade Services embarks on educational and public awareness campaigns to educate communities about the dangers of fire, how to avoid disasters, and how to handle fires.

South Africa: Murray & Roberts Steadies After Hefty Write-Downs

South Africa: Murray & Roberts Steadies After Hefty Write-Downs - CONSTRUCTION and engineering group Murray & Roberts expects diluted headline earnings per share for the year to June to increase between 15% and 20%, while its order book has stabilised at R42bn after write-downs due to project cancellations and postponements. [AA Construction]

Angola: Govt, Russia Sign U.S. $327 Million Satellite Construction Deal

Angola: Govt, Russia Sign U.S. $327 Million Satellite Construction Deal - Angola and Russia on Friday here signed a contract for the building, launching and operation of the Angolan telecommunication satellite named AngoSat, following the visit of president of the Russian Federation, Dimitri Medvedev is paying to Angola. [AA Construction]

The Nelson Mandela Museum - Qunu

The Nelson Mandela Museum

Qunu, Eastern Cape Province

Photo: Rodger Bosch, MediaClubSouthAfrica.com

http://mediaclubsouthafrica.com


Location: 
Qunu - Eastern Cape
Country: 
South Africa
Classification: 
Institutional
Keywords: 
Nelson Mandela Museum
Style: 
Contemporary

Victorian Building in Cape Town

Victorian Building in Long Street, Cape Town

Photo: Jeffrey Barbee, MediaClubSouthAfrica.com

http://mediaclubsouthafrica.com



Location: 
Cape Town
Country: 
South Africa
Classification: 
Heritage Buildings
Keywords: 
Long Street, Cape Town
Style: 
Victorian

Nigeria: Lagos Orders Removal of 5,000 Masts

Nigeria: Lagos Orders Removal of 5,000 Masts - Lagos State Infrastructural Maintenance Agency, (LASIMIRA) has called on owners of old masts in Lagos to remove them with immediate effect. [AA Construction]

South Africa: Joe Slovo Residents Let Down By Court

South Africa: Joe Slovo Residents Let Down By Court - 'A better life beckons for the people of Joe Slovo informal settlement,' the South African government has said, following a decision by the Constitutional Court that the settlement's 20,000 residents will be evicted to Delft make way for the N2 housing project. [AA Urbanisation]

Namibia: Median House Prices Plunge

Namibia: Median House Prices Plunge - The latest FNB Housing Index shows that median house prices fell from N$350 000 to N$290 000. [AA Urbanisation]

Uganda: Lugogo Face-Lift About to Start

Uganda: Lugogo Face-Lift About to Start - SOLECO Construction Company has been given 108 days to hand over a refurbished Lugogo indoor stadium to MTN Foundation. [AA Construction]

Cradle of Humankind : Maropeng Visitors' Centre

Front view of the state-of-the-art Maropeng visitors' centre at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

Visit the Maropeng Website: http://www.maropeng.co.za




Photo: Mary Alexander,
Source: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com

http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com

Date of Construction: 
2000
Location: 
Maropeng - Gauteng Province
Country: 
South Africa
Classification: 
Commercial - Iconic
Institutional
Heritage Buildings
Keywords: 
Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
Style: 
Contemporary

Eskom granted 31.3 % tariff increase

By Neo Semono

Pretoria - The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has granted power utility Eskom a 31.3 percent interim tariff hike.

"A 31.3 percent price increase on the average standard tariff is approved from 1 July 2009 to 31 March 2010," announced the regulator's Chairman, Collin Matjila, on Thursday.

This will result in an increase of the average standard tariff from 25.24 c/kWh to 33.14c/kWh.

This after the power utility submitted its request for an interim 34 percent hike from the regulator to cover its operational expenditure.

Nersa said the increase will result in estimated tariff revenues of R62.031 billion while the estimated total revenues including Special Pricing Agreements (SPA's) will be R64.70 billion.

This increase also includes a 2cents/KwH levy on the sale of electricity generated from non-renewable sources.

However, the increase includes a limited price increase of 15 percent to both the parastatal and municipalities' poor customers.

Nigeria: Ogun SUBEB Decries Illegal Buildings

Nigeria: Ogun SUBEB Decries Illegal Buildings - The Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board has decried illegal construction of buildings in primary schools in the state. The Board specifically said such structures were erected without its consent. [AA Construction]

Namibia: Von Bach Project Said to Be 'Fatally Flawed'

Namibia: Von Bach Project Said to Be 'Fatally Flawed' - TUNGENI Africa Investments, the BEE company that controversially obtained a 100-year lease over the Von Bach resort, was warned by NamWater and Department Water Affairs officials in October that their proposed 240-home development is "fatally flawed". [AA Construction]

Soccer City Stadium to be the jewel of 2010

The calabash-shaped Soccer City Stadium is expected to be the jewel among the ten stadiums that are expected to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, writes Proffesor Ndawonde.



Located in Johannesburg's southwest and only a stone's throw from one of the country's football crazy townships, Soweto, Soccer City Stadium will host the opening ceremony, and opening and final matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Uganda: Government Tables Bill to Take Over Kampala

Uganda: Government Tables Bill to Take Over Kampala - The Government yesterday tabled a new piece of legislation that will abolish Kampala City Council and introduce another outfit "Kampala Capital City Authority" to manage the affairs of the city. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: NIPR Partners Lagos On Megacity Project

Nigeria: NIPR Partners Lagos On Megacity Project - Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos State chapter has expressed its determination to support and collaborate with Lagos State Government in the realisation of its megacity project as well as the on-going development projects. [AA Urbanisation]

Mozambique: Maputo Residents to Have Piped Gas By 2012

Mozambique: Maputo Residents to Have Piped Gas By 2012 - Natural gas from the Temane and Pande gas fields, in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, is to be piped to homes in Maputo city and the surrounding area by 2012 as part of a government programme to expand the number of users of this natural resource. [AA Urbanisation]

Green Building Conference 2009 : Last chance to book your place!

The Green Building Conference 2009 is just a month away. The last of the speakers are confirming and the seats at the conference are almost filled. For those corporates, home-owners, and professionals who haven't booked, now is the time.

Features and focuses this year include the following:
The Green over the Grey : Emilio Ambasz, Emilio Ambasz Associates Inc - USA

This presentation will be looking at the balance between mankind and the environment within the built environment context. By taking landscape into consideration of design, multi-awarded architect, Emilio Ambasz will aiming to find the solution of integrating "Architecture with Nature."

Green Building Exhibition Trade Show 2009 : 7-8 July

Click here for more information

By Green Building Media - Celeste Yates

The annual Green Building Conference will open its exhibition doors to the public on the 7-8th of July 2009. The Conference is aimed at professionals within the built environment, with international leading speakers such as Kam Sing Wong from Hong Kong, Tiffany Tsui from China and Emilio Ambasz from the USA.

Event Co-ordinator and Director, Gordon Brown, believes that the exhibition should be available for the general public to view as 'green' building effect's everyone, including the home-owner. The exhibition will be in a vibrant, interactive environment, where exhibitors will have the ability to interact one on one with the public and delegates attending the conference.

General home and property owners trying to 'green' their home but not sure where to get the materials will be able to come through on the two days and engage with the latest trends, technologies and materials available in the 'green' building movement.

Nigeria: FOCI Laments High Cost of Foreign Exchange on Projects

Nigeria: FOCI Laments High Cost of Foreign Exchange on Projects - The Federation of Construction Industry (Foci), on Tuesday lamented that the costs of foreign exchange incurred by contractors in Nigeria on outstanding claims and ongoing projects will result in short payments. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Land Crisis Disrupts Kasese University Construction

Uganda: Land Crisis Disrupts Kasese University Construction - Plans to construct the first university in Kasese by Celak Development Foundation hit a snag on Friday after it was discovered that the land where the varsity would be constructed is a gazetted industrial area. [AA Construction]

Zimbabwe: No to Outsourcing, Say Councillors

Zimbabwe: No to Outsourcing, Say Councillors - HARARE City councillors have turned down a proposal to outsource the repair and redecoration of Town House, arguing that council should use its own builders and painters. [AA Construction]