Concern
over anti-competitive conduct in SA - 15 July
David Lewis, outgoing chairperson of the Competition Tribunal,
took to the podium at the Neotel/Mail & Guardian Business
Breakfast in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning, to give his own
take on the current state of competition in South Africa, which he
assesses "with some considerable concern". - Mail
& Guardian website
Broadband
is pitiful, says CompCom - 15 July
Competition Tribunal chairman David Lewis on Wednesday called for
more effective regulation in the telecoms sector to reduce costs.
Speaking at a breakfast function hosted by the Mail &
Guardian, Lewis pointed to current jurisdiction issues between
the sector regulator, Icasa, and the competition regulator as the
leading obstacle towards more effective regulation. Lewis used the
opportunity to flex the tribunal's muscles. "We are far
better set up than Icasa to resolve abuse of dominance," he
said, highlighting the adversarial nature of its proceedings and
that it has "more information at our disposal". - MyBroadband
website
Tribunal chair
concerned about competition in SA economy - 15 July
"I am not happy with the state of competition in South Africa
– it is an area to be viewed with considerable concern",
said Competition Tribunal chairperson David Lewis on Wednesday.
Addressing delegated gathered at the Neotel and Mail
& Guardian business breakfast in Rosebank, he added that
South Africa inherited an economy that was not only
characterised by high levels of concentration, but also by
widespread anti-competitive conduct, including collusion. - Creamer
Media's Engineering News website
Tribunal
raring to sort out telecoms - 16 July
The Competition Tribunal is eager to flex its muscles over the
telecommunications sector, believing it could create a more
affordable and fairer market than the sector's ineffectual
regulator has achieved. SA's telecoms costs were amongst the
highest in the world, broadband penetration was pitiful and
service levels were unacceptable, said tribunal chairman David
Lewis. Things would have been different if the Competition
Commission and the tribunal had clear jurisdiction over the
sector, as they had the investigative powers and the experience to
crack down on the abuse of dominance, he said. - allAfrica
website
Commission
looks into construction tenders - 16 July
The Competition Commission has launched an investigation into the
allocation of multibillion-rand tenders for the construction of
soccer stadiums across the country, Business Report said on
Thursday. This came amid concerns about the substantial cost
escalations in each of the awarded tenders, the newspaper said. - Mail
& Guardian website
Keyphrases :
BAM International
Basil Read
Bouygues Construction
Grinaker-LTA
Group Five
Murray & Roberts (M&R)
Stefanutti Stocks
Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO)
Firms
deny price-rigging, collusion - 16 July
Three of the eight construction companies named by the competition
commission in its investigation into possible 2010 Fifa World Cup
stadium contract bid price-rigging and collusion yesterday denied
wrongdoing. - Business
Report website
Competition
Commission investigates 2010 construction firms - 16 July
Interview with Mike Wylie, executive chairman, Wilson Bayly
Holmes-Ovcon and Alec Hogg on the Moneyweb
website
"What went on behind doors at the strike negotiations, and
why the Competition Commission is investigating"
Xstrata
/ Anglo American
New
Anglo boss on hotline to minister - 11 July
In one of his first acts as the newly appointed chairman of
Anglo American, Sir John Parker had a chat with SA's mining
minister Susan Shabangu.
Given the political sensitivity surrounding the chairmanship of
Anglo, this was a wise decision.
On Thursday, Shabangu not only called on Anglo to name a black
South African chairman but apparently had a list of
government-approved nominees from which the company could
choose. But on Friday, after Anglo's announcement, she accepted
the situation and welcomed Parker’s appointment. - The
Times website
Xstrata
sticks to nil-premium merger with Anglo - 13 July
Mining group Xstrata remains committed to a nil-premium merger
with Anglo American, the company said on Sunday after a newspaper
said it will offer a £5-billion sweetener to seal the deal. The Observer newspaper
cited sources as saying Xstrata would raise the money via a rights
issue because its debt-laden balance sheet had made it difficult
to justify further borrowings. But Xstrata said in a statement
sent to Reuters its proposal "remains a nil-premium
merger of equals, in which both companies' shareholders will share
equally the substantial benefits that are uniquely available from
a merger". - Mail &
Guardian website
South
African govt softens stance on Xstrata-Anglo merger, requests
detail - 13 July
In a clear softening of its original hard-line attitude towards
Xstrata's proposed merger of equals with Anglo American, South
Africa's Ministry of Mineral Resources has asked for greater
detail on the proposal after meeting both CEOs, mineral
resources departmental spokesperson Jeremy Michaels has told Mining
Weekly Online. Michaels said that both Xstrata CEO Mick
Davis and Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll had met with Mineral
Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and Mineral Resources DG
Sandile Nogxina, who had requested more information on the
proposed deal. The government's current stance was one of close
observation of developments. - Creamer
Media's Mining Weekly website
Anglo
merger hits further obstacles on operating style - 14
July
A stumbling block to the completion of the merger Xstrata
proposed with Anglo American could be the different way the
companies operated, analysts said yesterday. Anglo's new
chairman, John Parker, last week told the Financial Times
that "mergers have big risks that are not shown on a spread
sheet and they are cultural in nature". He added :
"It's those softer issues that often can lead to a big
destruction of value and a real clash of personalities, of
cultures and of management philosophies". - Business
Report website
Blow
to transformation as Anglo's South Africa head Dlamini quits -
16 July
Anglo American South Africa head Kuseni Dlamini has quit the
company to take up a new opportunity outside the group, the
company said on Thursday. Mining Weekly Online understood,
at the time of going to press, that Kuseni would replace Paul
Hanratty as South Africa CEO of assurance company Old Mutual.
Dlamini's departure whittles down Anglo's attempts to introduce
managerial transformation within its top ranks and follows hot on
the heels of the company disregarding a specific Ministerial
request that a South African black be appointed chairperson of the
London-listed diversified mining company. Instead, Anglo proceeded
to appoint Sir John Parker of the UK as chairperson. The departure
of Dlamini also comes at a time when the South African government
appears to be softening its initial hard-line rejection of the
Xstrata overture for a merger of equals with Anglo. - Creamer
Media's Mining Weekly website
See
also : Against
the current on the boat of an old mining boss [interview
with Graham Boustred]
Competition
Tribunal
25
June 2009
05/CR/Feb05
[2009] ZACT 46
Competition Commission and Another v British
American Tobacco South Africa (Pty) Ltd
11
June 2009
01/LM/Jan09
[2009] ZACT 45
ApexHi Properties Limited v Business Venture
Investments No.1232 (Pty) Ltd
11
June 2009
126/LM/Dec08
[2009] ZACT 44
Steinhoff Doors and Building Materials (Pty) Ltd
and Another v Wierdapark Home Centre (Pty) Ltd and Others
10
June 2009
32/LM/Mar09
[2009] ZACT 43
Mining Gas and Oil Services (Pty) Ltd v Elbroc
Mining Products (Pty) Ltd
9
June 2009
136/LM/Dec08
[2009] ZACT 42
BASF Handels-Und Exportgesellschaft mbH v Ciba
Holding AG
5
June 2009
19/LM/Feb09
[2009] ZACT 41
Main Street 581 (Pty) Ltd v Century Casinos Africa
(Pty) Ltd
5
June 2009
20/LM/Feb09
[2009] ZACT 40
Masscash Holdings (Pty) Ltd v Sherewa Investments
(Pty) Ltd
5
June 2009
21/LM/Feb09
[2009] ZACT 39
Federated Timbers (Pty) Ltd trading as Builders Trade
Depot v KBS Building Supplies CC and Others
3
June 2009
28/LM/Feb09
[2009] ZACT 38
PSG Konsult Ltd v Tlotlisa Securities (Pty) Ltd
2
June 2009
17/LM/Feb09
[2009] ZACT 37
Man AG v Volkswagen Caminhoes E Onibus Industrai
27
May 2009
130/LM/Dec08
[2009] ZACT 36
Business Venture Investments No 1311 (Pty) Ltd v
Sea Harvest Corporation Ltd
26
May 2009
25/LM/Feb09
[2009] ZACT 35
Pahana Investments 93 (Pty) Ltd v Pahana
Investments 91 (Pty) Ltd
21
May 2009
15/CR/Feb07
[2009] ZACT 48 ; 50/CR/May08
[2009] ZACT 34
Competition Commission v Tiger Brands Ltd trading as Albany
and Another ; Competition Commission v Pioneer Foods
(Pty) Ltd trading as Sasko and Another
20
May 2009
31/CR/May05
[2009] ZACT 33
Competition Commission South Africa v Sasol
Chemical Industries Ltd ; Competition Commission South
Africa v Sasol Chemical Industries Ltd and Others
13
May 2009
128/LM/Dec08
[2009] ZACT 32
African Revival Investments Holdings (Pty) Ltd v
Siyahamba Engineering (Pty) Ltd
12
May 2009
127/LM/Dec08
[2009] ZACT 31
Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd v Fine Chemicals
Corporation (Pty) Ltd
12
May 2009
131/LM/Dec08
[2009] ZACT 30
Crest Chemicals (Pty) Ltd v CH Chemicals (Pty) Ltd
7
May 2009
29/LM/Mar09
[2009] ZACT 29
Aquarius Platinum SA (Pty) Ltd and Another v First
Platinum (Pty) Ltd
6
May 2009
05/LM/Jan09
[2009] ZACT 28
Rio Tinto / Rio Tinto Ltd and Another v Richards
Bay Mining (Pty) Ltd and Another
6
May 2009
121/LM/Nov08
[2009] ZACT 27
Shanduka Coal (Pty) Ltd v Springlake Holdings (Pty) Ltd
30
April 2009
108/LM/Oct08
[2009] ZACT 26
DCD Dorbyl (Pty) Ltd v Globe Engineering Works
(Pty) Ltd