Irma Venter
Irma Venter is a Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.
Rea Vaya battles low numbers, new-look Phase 1C to be rolled out
11th July 2014 Phase 1A of Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) system should carry around 42 000 people a day, while it had been expected that Phase... →
Gautrain, Metrorail subsidies a necessity, says PRASA boss
8th July 2014 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA’s) Metrorail service would remain a subsidised service following its current multibillion-rand... →
Peters aims for 2015 approval in round 2 for transport master plan
7th July 2014 Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said on Monday that she “would love to” present the National Transport Master Plan (Natmap) to Cabinet for approval... →
NDP quality product, but funding a challenge, says KPMG
30th June 2014 As far as infrastructure plans go, government’s National Development Plan (NDP) is “right up there” with the best in the world, says KPMG global... →
821 duplicate plates, 74 cloned cars found on e-toll system
24th June 2014 Seventy-four cloned vehicles, and 821 duplicate licence plates have, to date, been identified on Gauteng’s e-toll network, says Electronic Toll... →
Planning on four Gautrain expansion routes kicks off
6th June 2014 The request for proposals (RFP) for the preliminary design of four possible expansion routes to the 80 km Gautrain system closes today, says... →
Gautrain ups fares, changes structure to battle peak-period crowding
16th May 2014 Gautrain on Friday announced several revisions to its fare structure which will come into effect on Sunday, June 1. The Gautrain would introduce a... →
Economy needs change in leadership – Hart
5th May 2014 South Africa was slowly reaching the point of ‘maximum pessimism’, said Investment Solutions chief strategist Chris Hart at a media breakfast on... →
First new coaches to arrive in 2015 as PRASA closes R51bn deal
29th April 2014 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and Gibela Rail Transportation announced on Tuesday that the entities had achieved commercial... →
Enough water for now, but beware institutional troubles, says planning commission’s Muller
16th April 2014 There is enough water in South Africa to supply communities and the economy, even if some activities may be constrained, such as agriculture in the... →
Sanral firm on seeking redress following breach of trust, says Alli
10th April 2014 South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) CEO Nazir Alli this week confirmed that Sanral remained firm in its intent to seek restitution... →
SA labour a concern as Ford mulls growing production in Africa, Middle East
9th April 2014 Labour stability in South Africa was not a Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) issue, or even an automotive industry issue, but a... →
Cosatu destroyed 1m jobs over last 5 years – economist
8th April 2014 Trade union Cosatu had had a direct and indirect role in the destruction of an estimated one-million jobs in the South African economy over the... →
R17.5-billion Lesotho project set to deliver water in 2022
8th April 2014 Phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) should supply South Africa with water by 2022, said Lesotho Highlands Development Authority... →
Feasibility studies on 200 km of Gautrain extensions to start by end-June
6th March 2014 The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) would start feasibility studies on the 200 km of proposed extensions to the Gautrain route, as approved by the... →
SA-developed thin-film solar technology debuts at Stellenbosch plant
3rd February 2014 A demonstration plant to showcase locally developed thin-film solar module technology, used for converting sunlight into electricity, officially... →
DNA Act passed, mandatory DNA collection for serious crimes on the cards
30th January 2014 The path has been cleared for South Africa to have its own extensive DNA database for use by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the... →
Big year ahead for Durban’s public transport project
27th January 2014 The GO!Durban project has started its roll-out, with a number of major milestones to be reached in the first quarter of 2014, said the eThekwini... →
Regional cohesion, energy security to aid Africa’s struggling manufacturing sector
7th January 2014 Africa is blessed with natural resources – key inputs to the manufacturing process. However, as is well known, the majority of these natural... →
E-tolls add significant costs, admin for fleet operators - IFM
10th December 2013 The roll-out of e-tolling on Gauteng’s highways has resulted in a “lot of work” for fleet administrators, says Imperial Fleet Management (IFM) CEO... →
Creamer Media journalist reflects on life-changing meeting with Mandela
6th December 2013 Thousands of people had met Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela before his death on December 5. They had shaken his hand and posed for a photo with him,... →
$223bn in megaprojects under way in Africa – Deloitte report
27th November 2013 The infrastructure boom in Africa had seen investment in 322 megaprojects reach $222.7-billion, said professional services firm Deloitte on... →
SA needs labour deals linked to productivity, not inflation – Hart
4th November 2013 South Africa needed to pursue productivity-linked labour deals, and not inflation-linked settlements, said Investment Solutions chief strategist... →
Nigeria, Ghana Africa’s rising stars, says PwC report
30th October 2013 A PwC report on ten African countries on Wednesday named Nigeria and Ghana as Africa’s rising stars in terms of their future prospects for the... →
SA needs to overcome political 'holy cows' to implement NDP
23rd October 2013 The key to achieving sustained gross domestic product (GDP) growth of around 6%, as stated in the National Development Plan (NDP), was enhanced... →
Davies announces competitiveness initiative
18th October 2013 It was important for the South African automotive industry to move forward following the recent “unprecedented lengthy strike” this economic sector... →
SA needs new freight railway line between Durban and Gauteng, says UJ’s Walters
4th October 2013 South Africa requires a new freight railway line between Durban and Gauteng, much more than it needs a high-speed passenger service, said... →
Gautrain agency mulls buying 40 new rail cars as ridership breaches 50 000
1st October 2013 The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) was mulling the acquisition of 40 new Gautrain rail cars, said GMA CEO Jack van der Merwe on Tuesday. “We will... →
R5bn-plus to be spent on public transport in 13 cities
1st October 2013 In the 2013/14 financial year, more than R5-billion would be spent in 13 South African cities on planning, building and operating integrated public... →
As road carnage bill reaches R306bn, govt focuses on engineering, enforcement
18th September 2013 Research indicated that road accidents cost the South African economy at least R306-billion a year, said Transport Minister Dipuo Peters on... →
Gauteng Transport Commission could be in place by end October, says Vadi
13th September 2013 The Gauteng Roads and Transport Department hopes to launch the Gauteng Transport Commission in October, says Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr... →
Increasingly politicised and militant trade unions damaging SA’s reputation, says Naamsa
11th September 2013 South Africa’s vehicle assemblers faced another challenging week as a strike in the component industry started to take its toll on production. In... →
Auto assemblers back to work, strike starts at component makers
9th September 2013 The three-week strike at South Africa’s truck, bus, bakkie and car assembly plants was over, confirmed the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa)... →
E-tolling Bill 'under consideration', says Presidency
5th September 2013 The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) was awaiting President Jacob Zuma’s signature on the Transport Laws and Related Matters... →
Vadi unveils 25-year Gauteng transport plan, seeks funding leap
19th August 2013 Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi has unveiled the province’s proposed 25-year integrated transport master plan (ITMP25), set to guide... →
Toll portfolio – and only toll portfolio – in distress, says Sanral
25th July 2013 Recent media reports that the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) was insolvent, were “factually incorrect”, the roads agency said... →
E-tolling has its merits, says Imperial’s Rossouw
11th July 2013 The roll-out of e-tolling on Gauteng’s freeways was a “good workable system”, said Imperial Logistics chief integration officer Cobus Rossouw on... →
Taxi recap to end in September, govt mulls introduction of subsidies
8th July 2013 First approved by Cabinet in 1999, the taxi recapitalisation programme (TRP) would come to an end in September, said Deputy Transport Minister... →
Gauteng toll system awaits President’s signature
8th July 2013 All that stood between Gauteng motorists and the start of e-tolling on the province’s major highways was President Jacob Zuma's signature.... →
Gautrain needs more rolling stock if it wants to increase capacity
8th July 2013 The Bombela Concession Company (BCC) can double only one more morning train to eight cars on the Pretoria-Johannesburg line before it has provided... →
New technologies, old-fashioned tracking blended as rhino poaching battle heats up
5th July 2013 It’s an ominous sound, and a surprising one: a loud boom on a late Wednesday afternoon that ripples across the vast, quiet grassland next to the... →
