South Africa: Busier Factories Signal Start of Recovery - FACTORY output rose a hefty 3,1% in September, more strongly than expected and backing the view that the most embattled sector is starting to recover. [AA Urbanisation]

Cape Town - Over the next three years, government will focus on five key areas to grow the economy and transform South Africa into a safer, healthier, more skilled country that is able to create and sustain more jobs.

Despite the fact that expenditure on infrastructure such as roads and transport has risen sharply, the country has made little progress on many of the Millennium Development Goals.

Too many children cannot read or count, too many women die giving birth and too few people are reached by public employment programmes.

Government's key areas outlined in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement are: supporting job creation; enhancing education and skills; improving provision of health care; driving a strategy to assist rural areas and upping the fight against crime and corruption.

Government plans to continue investing in infrastructure over the next three years and to promote the access to basic services - such as water, sanitation and electricity - to expand public transport and to build more schools and hospitals.

Cape Town - Government plans to transform the economy by expanding growth and job creation, while developing a more effective public service, says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Presenting his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament today, Gordhan said a sound fiscal position has allowed government to sustain public services and to increase spending on investment aimed at raising future growth.

A Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 1.5 percent is forecast for 2010, with a forecast growth of 3.2 percent in 2012.

There are signs that the economy is recovering, said the minister.

While the GDP is expected to decline by 1.9 percent for 2009, South Africa is expected to experience a growth in GDP in the last quarter of this year.

Consumer price inflation has fallen from a peak of 13.6 percent in August last year to 6.4 percent for the same period this year largely as a result of moderating food and oil prices and a stronger rand.

Zimbabwe: Industry Targets Far-Fetched -- Ncube - Zimbabwean Industries will not reach the targeted 60% capacity utilization by the end of the year as planned by the inclusive government in the Short Term Emergency Recovery Program (STERP). The Minister of Industry and Trade, Professor Welshman Ncube said that his ministry had carried out its own assessments and realised that the 60% target was far fetched. [AA Urbanisation]

Zimbabwe: TA Takes Over PG - TA Holdings Limited has secured control of the country's largest construction materials giant, PG Industries, after sealing a deal for the acquisition of a significant stake in the group. [AA Construction]

South Africa: Murray & Roberts Beats the Downturn - CONSTRUCTION and engineering group Murray & Roberts said yesterday it was looking for further acquisitions and planned to expand operations into the Middle East, Asia and South America after it survived the global economic crisis that has had severe effects on the construction sector. [AA Construction]

South Africa: ABE Defies Downturn in Construction Sector - SPECIALISED construction products supplier ABE Construction Chemicals yesterday posted modest growth in headline earnings per share for the year to May, despite the economic downturn. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Building Gets Expensive As Price of Cement, Lime Rise - Ugandans undertaking construction projects are facing higher costs today following an increase in the price of basic construction materials compared to last year. [AA Construction]

South Africa: Iliad Has Toughest Period in 11 Years - BUILDING materials retailer Iliad Africa yesterday recorded its worst results since listing on the JSE in 1998, hit largely by a sharp drop in demand in the troubled residential building sector. [AA Construction]

Kenya: Country to Spend Sh250 Billion on Projects - The Kenya Cabinet has approved eighteen multi-billion shilling projects to address the food, water and energy crises and create over one million jobs. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Residential Building Still Grim, But 'Signs Are Worst May Be Over' - THE residential building sector remained under pressure during the first half of this year despite several interest rate cuts to stimulate demand, according to data released by Statistics SA yesterday. [AA Construction]

South Africa: Hospitality Industry 'Shows Signs of Recovery' - IT IS not all doom and gloom for the South African hospitality industry and there are tentative signs of recovery, says Joop Demes, CEO of Pam Golding Hospitality, a specialised hospitality division within the Pam Golding Property group. [AA Urbanisation]

East Africa: Infrastructure Projects Boost Prosperity for All - The 13th International Labour Organization regional labour-based seminar for labour-based practitioners will take place at Speke Resort Hotel Munyonyo, Kampala on November 31-December 4. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Increase in Street Traders Leads to Tensions - The gloomy economic situation has led to an increase in the number of street traders in Cape Town and is in some cases resulting in tensions between locals and immigrants in the competition for trading space. [AA Urbanisation]

Zambia: Country's Construction Industry Flourishes,Says Vice President - VICE-President George Kunda has said the construction industry in Zambia has continued to flourish, indicating that the economy is slowly recovering from the global economic crunch. [AA Construction]