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3 years ago

Opportunity - Issue 94

  • Text
  • Logistics
  • Nemesis
  • Economic
  • Prices
  • Global
  • Operations
  • Procurement
  • Railway
  • Pandemic
  • African
Quarterly journal for business and industry in South Africa Business unusual It has been estimated that the economy will take two to three years to recover from Covid-19 and the subsequent economic collapse. From now to there, the journey will indeed be business as unusual. My pledge, as the new editor of Opportunity magazine, is to provide cutting-edge content that guides our readers on how to rise above the current business trajectory and to circumvent the consequences that are now laid before them. In this issue, Mike Townshend from Foord Asset Management writes, in ‘The evolving politics of oil’ (page 8), that oil has caused wars, assassinations, man-made disasters, coups and still affects every person in the world today. On page 10, Rebecca Major from leading global law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills, shares her insight on how to navigate African oil and M&A deals in these volatile times. Both of these writers will present more on these topics at Africa Oil Week. The transport services sector has been severely affected by the pandemic, but help is at hand. Digital transformation is set to disrupt the sector – technology has transformed the railway industry globally and implementing technological innovations could be a game-changer for rail transport in South Africa. Read more on page 17. Celebrating Women’s Month in August, Opportunity interviews the newly appointed CEO of Petroleum Agency South Africa, Dr Phindile Masangane (page 12), as well as founder and owner of Nemesis Accounting, Shani Naidoo (page 14). The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) has a pivotal role to play in guiding the business of its 22 000 members. The Chamber believes that businesses should actively engage in the strategic and recovery implementation processes towards inclusive growth – read more in the CEO’s message on page 4. Let’s work together in building a resilient, risk-savvy and formidable nation. Alexis Knipe, Editor

• mechanised sleeper

• mechanised sleeper replacement, • railway construction and rehabilitation, ballast tamping, regulating and screening, • overhead maintenance, • rail profile rectification, • rail flaw detection, • drain cleaning, The root • rail signaling future & OHTE, and Your all-African solution to upgrading the rail network • smart rail. in Sub-Saharan Africa Operating from Kimberley in the Northern Cape, Rail Contact details 2 Rail has been in the industry for close to a decade. Rail Tel: +2711 898 6800; Mail: info@lenningsrail.africa 2 Rail manufacturers pre-stressed PY and P2 concrete railway sleepers in compliance with SABS ISO 9001- 2000 standards. The sleepers are manufactured under technical license from Rail One. Rail 2 Rail is one of the biggest manufacturers of concrete sleepers in South Africa. With the capacity to produce 400 000 sleepers per annum, which are transported via a rail siding all of African mobility across South Africa, Rail 2 Rail, powered by Mathupha Capital, is the only majority black owned supplier of concrete sleepers in South Africa. Contact details Tel: +2787 330 2221; Mail: info@rail2rail.co.za Mathupha Capital is a 100% black-owned rail infrastructure solutions provider founded in Johannesburg, South Africa. The name Mathupha Capital was derived from the need to stay relevant and represent the market we compete in as an investment company, hence the modern take to the African name in the term “Capital”. PROFILE Mathupha represents our roots. This is our Chairman’s family’s clan name and it speaks to our lineage. It represents where we come from and who fuelled the drive to create such a successful company. We believe that our foundation and where we come from propels us to be the best that we can be. Honouring our heritage daily clears the path for us to reach even greater heights. Mathupha Capital’s ultimate vision is to be the leading turnkey rail solution provider on the African continent. This is no easy task but we are confident in our ability to reach this ultimate goal. We are the future of African mobility. Mathupha Capital is the holding company and 100% owner of Rail 2 Rail and Lennings Rail. We also believe in not only creating a future that benefits us and the industry, but we also believe in a future that benefits the country and continent at large and its communities, hence the establishment of the Mathupha Foundation. Rail 2 Rail operates from Kimberley in the Northern Cape and has been in the industry for close to a decade. Rail 2 Rail is the second largest manufacturer of concrete sleepers in South Africa and is the only majority black-owned supplier of concrete sleepers in South Africa with a capacity to produce over 400 000 sleepers per annum. Rail 2 Rail manufacturers pre-stressed concrete PY and P2 railway sleepers in compliance with SABS ISO 9001-2000 standards. These sleepers are manufactured under technical license from Rail One, a leading supplier of innovative track systems for passenger, freight, and heavy-haul transport based in Germany. Lennings Rail operates from Boksburg in Gauteng and is the oldest mechanised track construction and maintenance business in Africa with roots dating back to 1931 and focuses on turnkey mechanised railway development, construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of track infrastructure work systems. Lennings Rail is highly differentiated in this industry because of its in-house engineering capabilities that can repair and build machinery components on-site using mostly local suppliers, thereby optimising downtime on occupations. Our service offering under this subsidiary includes mechanised sleeper replacement, railway construction and rehabilitation, ballast tamping, regulating and screening, OHTE maintenance, rail profile rectification (grinding), rail flaw detection (rail breaks) and drain cleaning. Lennings Rail also has capabilities in rail signalling and OHTE (incl. substations) as well as smart rail. Through this subsidiary, we are passionate about migrating into the digital environment by offering turnkey rail infrastructure automation, rail signalling, metering and monitoring, telecoms, theft and vandalism prevention, automatic fare collection and maintenance. Through Lennings Rail we have projects spanning South Africa and other African countries such as Mozambique and Namibia, amongst others. The Mathupha Foundation is the corporate social investment arm of the group and its subsidiaries, and its primary goal is to build a truly liberated and successful South Africa by providing and supporting every member of the family to be functional and independent. The foundation is founded upon four key pillars; supporting the girl child, boy child, entrepreneurs and also focusing on rural development. As an organisation, we believe that we have to be the change we want to see in the world, be it through our subsidiaries or the foundation. 20 | www.opportunityonline.co.za

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