Legendary South African conservationist Franz Richter, 80, was murdered on his Muldersdrift farm, west of Johannesburg, on Wednesday. His daughter Gaby Burgmer said Richter was shot in the head and chest on the property of the Heia Safari Ranch around 10am. "It is shocking. This is a senseless, brutal killing in our beautiful country," she said.
Burgmer said her father, who immigrated to South Africa in 1952 with only 20 pounds in his pocket, was the founder of the Ranch and became a "legendary" man.She said Richter was still fit and active and had many plans for conservation and tourism. She said he was an avid conservationist who lived by the motto "live in Africa with Africa".Police spokesperson Captain Emmanuel Ndlovu confirmed that Richter had been shoot by three men. Richter had also been robbed on an undisclosed amount of money, he said. The men left the scene on foot.
Source: IoL
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Report: Mbeki gets pay rise
The South African Parliament officially closed for the year on Thursday with MPs voting for a 7,6% salary increase for President Thabo Mbeki, to R1,27-million a year, backdated to April 1. It was far short of the nearly 60% increase from R1,18-million to R1,89-million recommended by the independent Moseneke Commission in its review of salary packages for public office-bearers.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Source: Mail & Guardian
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Worldwatch Report: Powering China’s Development
China has become a global leader in renewable energy. It is expected to invest more than $10 billion in new renewable energy capacity in 2007, second only to Germany. Most of this is for small hydropower, solar hot water, and wind power. Meanwhile, investment in large hydropower continues at $6–10 billion annually. A landmark renewable energy law, enacted in 2005, supports continued expansion of renewables as a national priority. China currently obtains 8 percent of its energy and 17 percent of its electricity from renewables— shares that are projected to increase to 15 percent and 21 percent by 2020.
Among renewable energy sources:
* Wind power is the fastest-growing power generation technology in China, having doubled in capacity during 2006 alone.While wind is still slightly more expensive than coal power, policies encourage competitive pressure on costs, and new mandates require power companies to obtain a minimum share of their power from wind and other renewables. China is home to more than 50 aspiring domestic manufacturers of wind turbines and a number of foreign producers.
* Solar power is still in its infancy in China, although a growing amount is used in rural areas and other off-grid applications. A large market for grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) is still several years away, once costs decline further. Already, China is a global manufacturing powerhouse for solar PV, third only to Japan and Germany, with huge investments in recent years and much more expected.
* China is the world’s largest market for solar hot water, with nearly two-thirds of global capacity. The country’s 40 million solar hot water systems mean that more than 10 percent of Chinese households rely on the sun to heat their water. When Chinese firms eventually turn to exporting, the lower costs of their units—seven times less than in Europe—could affect markets globally.
* Biomass power in China comes mostly from sugarcane wastes and rice husks, and has not grown in recent years. New policies will likely mean more biomass power from other sources, such as agricultural and forestry wastes. In addition, industrial-scale biogas, such as from animal wastes, is starting to make a contribution to power generation.
* Biofuels for transportation have received widespread attention in China. Ethanol is produced in modest amounts from corn, and biodiesel is produced in small amounts from waste cooking oil. The government plans to expand biofuels production from cassava, sweet sorghum, and oilseed crops, although the large-scale potential is limited. The greatest promise lies with cellulosic ethanol, which many expect to become commercially viable within 7–10 years. If China could use its vast cellulosic resource of agricultural and forestry wastes—up to half a billion tons per year—it might become a major ethanol producer after 2020.
It is likely that China will meet and even exceed its renewable energy development targets for 2020. Total power capacity from renewables could reach 400 gigawatts by 2020, nearly triple the 135 gigawatts existing in 2006, with hydro, wind, biomass, and solar PV power making the greatest contributions.More than one-third of China’s households could be using solar hot water by 2020 if current targets and policies are continued. Use of other renewables, including biogas and perhaps solar thermal power, will increase as well.
Source: Worldwatch Institute
Among renewable energy sources:
* Wind power is the fastest-growing power generation technology in China, having doubled in capacity during 2006 alone.While wind is still slightly more expensive than coal power, policies encourage competitive pressure on costs, and new mandates require power companies to obtain a minimum share of their power from wind and other renewables. China is home to more than 50 aspiring domestic manufacturers of wind turbines and a number of foreign producers.
* Solar power is still in its infancy in China, although a growing amount is used in rural areas and other off-grid applications. A large market for grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) is still several years away, once costs decline further. Already, China is a global manufacturing powerhouse for solar PV, third only to Japan and Germany, with huge investments in recent years and much more expected.
* China is the world’s largest market for solar hot water, with nearly two-thirds of global capacity. The country’s 40 million solar hot water systems mean that more than 10 percent of Chinese households rely on the sun to heat their water. When Chinese firms eventually turn to exporting, the lower costs of their units—seven times less than in Europe—could affect markets globally.
* Biomass power in China comes mostly from sugarcane wastes and rice husks, and has not grown in recent years. New policies will likely mean more biomass power from other sources, such as agricultural and forestry wastes. In addition, industrial-scale biogas, such as from animal wastes, is starting to make a contribution to power generation.
* Biofuels for transportation have received widespread attention in China. Ethanol is produced in modest amounts from corn, and biodiesel is produced in small amounts from waste cooking oil. The government plans to expand biofuels production from cassava, sweet sorghum, and oilseed crops, although the large-scale potential is limited. The greatest promise lies with cellulosic ethanol, which many expect to become commercially viable within 7–10 years. If China could use its vast cellulosic resource of agricultural and forestry wastes—up to half a billion tons per year—it might become a major ethanol producer after 2020.
It is likely that China will meet and even exceed its renewable energy development targets for 2020. Total power capacity from renewables could reach 400 gigawatts by 2020, nearly triple the 135 gigawatts existing in 2006, with hydro, wind, biomass, and solar PV power making the greatest contributions.More than one-third of China’s households could be using solar hot water by 2020 if current targets and policies are continued. Use of other renewables, including biogas and perhaps solar thermal power, will increase as well.
Source: Worldwatch Institute
Monday, November 19, 2007
Solly Mokoetle joins Telkom Media
Former SABC COO Solly Mokoetle has been appointed chief content officer of Telkom Media, the board confirmed on Friday, 17 November 2007. "We believe that Solly's vast experience in the broadcasting industry makes him the ideal candidate for the position and we are very excited to have him on board," said Telkom Media CEO Mandla Ngcobo.
Telkom Media was recently granted a commercial satellite and cable broadcasting licence by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA). The company is developing a set of digital media businesses, which include pay TV services via satellite and IPTV platforms, as well as a range of online content and ISP services.
Mokoetle has more than 25 years' experience within the media and broadcasting industry. He spent 13 years at the SABC and for the past seven years was the COO at the SABC and executive director of the SABC Board. Prior to that he was head of the SABC's Multi-channel Strategy Task Team. He also spent several years with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in both the regulatory and production environment.
Commented Jimi Matthews, head of news at Telkom Media, "Having worked with Solly in the past, I have the utmost respect for his integrity and his management style. He is a true broadcast professional who will bring strategic and operational leadership to the content business of Telkom Media."
Mokoetle, who has a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University Ottawa (Canada) and a variety of executive management program qualifications, sits as a board member of Input, the South African Post Office, Sentech, and as chairman of the African Broadcast Media Partnership (ABMP) against HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Source: Biz Community
Telkom Media was recently granted a commercial satellite and cable broadcasting licence by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA). The company is developing a set of digital media businesses, which include pay TV services via satellite and IPTV platforms, as well as a range of online content and ISP services.
Mokoetle has more than 25 years' experience within the media and broadcasting industry. He spent 13 years at the SABC and for the past seven years was the COO at the SABC and executive director of the SABC Board. Prior to that he was head of the SABC's Multi-channel Strategy Task Team. He also spent several years with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in both the regulatory and production environment.
Commented Jimi Matthews, head of news at Telkom Media, "Having worked with Solly in the past, I have the utmost respect for his integrity and his management style. He is a true broadcast professional who will bring strategic and operational leadership to the content business of Telkom Media."
Mokoetle, who has a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University Ottawa (Canada) and a variety of executive management program qualifications, sits as a board member of Input, the South African Post Office, Sentech, and as chairman of the African Broadcast Media Partnership (ABMP) against HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Source: Biz Community
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