Christy van der Merwe
Christy van der Merwe is a former contributing editor for Engineering News Online and Mining Weekly Online. She graduated from Rhodes University.
Manuel wants $100bn Green Climate Fund finalised by Dec
29th April 2011 The fact that pollution of the environment could take place with impunity was one of the most manifest international market failures, Minister in... →
SA business on sidelines as WTO looks to reignite Doha talks
26th April 2011 World Trade Organisation negotiators will meet in Geneva on Friday April 29 to consider whether the much-delayed Doha Development Agenda can be... →
Manuel appointed to UN Green Climate Fund Committee
26th April 2011 South Africa’s National Planning Commission Minister Trevor Manuel has been appointed to the transitional committee responsible for the design of... →
Business and government workshop on SA hosting global climate change talks
15th April 2011 In preparation for South Africa’s hosting of the global climate change negotiations in December, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna... →
Eskom to lower solar water heater rebate at the end of April
14th April 2011 Power utility Eskom has confirmed that it would reduce the rebate level on its solar water heater (SWH) programme, which falls within energy... →
Renewable energy associations urge govt to continue with Refit
11th April 2011 A grouping of renewable energy industry associations in South Africa have voiced concern over the renewable energy feed-in tariff (Refit) tariff... →
DTI-led initiative to leverage global finance for renewable energy
11th April 2011 With the aim of supplementing the money available for the renewable energy feed-in tariff (Refit), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has... →
Low reserve margin makes maintenance difficult, raises risk of outages – Eskom CEO
8th April 2011 As winter approached in South Africa, Eskom would be relying on its customers to use less of its product and be more energy efficient to improve... →
Local loop unbundling unlikely to meet November deadline
7th April 2011 The Department of Communications has set a target of having local loop unbundling (LLU), which would give competitors access to Telkom’s copper... →
West Africa undersea cable to land in SA this month
6th April 2011 The 14 000 km long undersea fibre-optic West Africa Cable System (Wacs) was scheduled to reach the beach at Yzerfontein in the Western Cape in... →
SA to host SADC-Comesa-EAC free trade agreement summit this year
5th April 2011 Before mid-year South Africa would host the next summit on the establishment of a Trilateral Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA) among the regional... →
Climate Change White Paper to go before Parliament by mid-year
1st April 2011 South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on Friday confirmed that it expected to submit the Climate Change White Paper to... →
‘Team South Africa’ approach key to Durban climate meeting
1st April 2011 The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on Friday started a National Climate Change stakeholder workshop to solidify the country’s position... →
Revenue-sharing formula discussed at Sacu heads of state meeting
25th March 2011 The heads of state of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) members on Friday met in Pretoria to receive a report on progress in five priority... →
IPPs to be key renewables driver, but Eskom to focus on CSP, wind
23rd March 2011 Deputy Economic Development Minister Enoch Godongwana said on Wednesday that there was no intention within government to push forward renewable... →
Business should aim for deeper engagement in climate talks
17th March 2011 South Africa faced a “difficult challenge as a country” in dealing with a set of tough issues that were not dealt with at the 2010 Cancun global... →
Durban meeting should highlight effect of climate change on Africa
7th March 2011 South Africa should use its position as the host of the United Nation's 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) for global climate change... →
Eskom makes case for mandatory power saving
1st March 2011 Despite opposition from many energy-intensive companies in South Africa, power utility Eskom was still recommending that the country’s top 500... →
Eskom ready to connect and pay IPPs
1st March 2011 State-owned power utility Eskom was ready to connect and pay renewable energy independent power producers (IPPs), and wanted to do this “as soon as... →
DTI launches early warning system for exporters
28th February 2011 The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would on Wednesday launch an Early Warning System service for South African exporters, which would alert... →
SA reports R4,9bn trade deficit as exports fall
28th February 2011 South Africa recorded a R4,9-billion trade deficit in January, largely owing to major decreases in exports of mineral products, machinery and... →
Communication vacancies to be filled ‘in six months’
25th February 2011 The Department of Communications (DoC) would work “faster, harder and smarter” to provide policy leadership, Minister Roy Padayachie said at a... →
AMD report stresses ‘urgent’ intervention to avert crisis
24th February 2011 The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) on Thursday released the long-awaited 146-page acid mine drainage (AMD) report, which was compiled by a team... →
Clothing and textiles show to promote SA-India trade relations
24th February 2011 To further promote trade relations between South Africa and India, 30 clothing and textile manufacturers from India would show their collections of... →
Reunert enters renewable energy business
24th February 2011 Electronics and electrical engineering company Reunert has entered the renewable energy arena in South Africa and would offer project management... →
Cabinet approves acid mine drainage report
22nd February 2011 The South African Cabinet has approved the recommendations made by a team of experts on the acid mine drainage (AMD) situation in the... →
WTO seeks draft modalities by April 21 as it pushes to conclude Doha Round
21st February 2011 In a serious push to conclude the Doha Round of world trade negotiations, which started in 2001, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was urging... →
Consulting firm warns against unintended consequences of SA carbon tax
16th February 2011 As South Africa grappled with the proposed introduction of a carbon tax, consultancy firm Africa International Advisors (AIA) has warned that... →
Pricing of water should reflect infrastructure costs
15th February 2011 Infrastructure degradation, water inefficiency, backlogs in providing access to basic water services, wastage and problems such as acid mine... →
DEA urges industry to comment on climate policy
4th February 2011 Environmental Affairs deputy director general Joanne Yawitch called on industry to comment on the national climate change green paper, and in... →
Renewables could supply global energy demand by 2050 – report
3rd February 2011 The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Thursday released ‘The Energy Report’, in which it said that it was possible for 100% of the globe’s energy... →
Lamy wants to accelerate Doha talks
3rd February 2011 World Trade Organisation (WTO) DG Pascal Lamy told WTO ambassadors that bilateral and small group discussions on resolving key differences, needed... →
SA faces big bill, big tests as climate talks head for Durban
3rd February 2011 The tab for South Africa’s hosting of the seventeenth conference of the parties (COP17) climate change talks in Durban later this year could be... →
Construction bid rigging probed, firms asked to come clean
2nd February 2011 The Competition Commission on Tuesday invited construction companies to engage in a “fast-track settlement” of Competition Act contraventions... →
New rules for waste collection come into effect
31st January 2011 The National Domestic Waste Collection Standards, which sought to redress the past imbalances in the provision of waste collection services, would... →
Export restrictions play major role in food price increases – Lamy
24th January 2011 As global food prices once again increased sharply, World Trade Organisation director-general Pascal Lamy reiterated that trade could play an... →
SA should realistically manage Durban climate meeting expectations
21st January 2011 The eyes of the world would look upon Durban in December, when South Africa hosts the global climate change negotiations, but the country would... →
Regear science and technology to tackle climate change – King
18th January 2011 Science and technology will have to be regeared to meet global challenges, and this would require overcoming a technological and institutional... →
Eskom and Neotel found guilty of environmental noncompliance
17th January 2011 The Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), known as the Green Scorpions, found that Eskom and Neotel were guilty of non-compliance at certain... →
Eskom and Neotel found guilty of environmental noncompliance
17th January 2011 The Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), known as the Green Scorpions, found that Eskom and Neotel were guilty of non-compliance at certain... →
SA adopts DVB-T2 standard for digital TV
14th January 2011 Cabinet has adopted the European second-generation digital video broadcasting terrestrial (DVB-T2) technology standard for use in the country as it... →
