Inflation and 1 000 new trains speed up

EMPLOYMENT in South Africa’s non-agriculture sector nudged up 0.4% in the last quarter of 2013 to 8.495 million people compared with the previous three months. It rose 0.5% over the same period in 2012, Stats SA said. DAIRY and beverages maker Clover said it planned to re-enter certain local markets, putting on hold Africa expansion plans as it posted an almost doubling of interim earnings, which were lifted by higher prices. SOUTH Africa’s stateowned rail freight firm, Transnet, said it was ordering more than 1 000 new trains in what it hailed as the country’s biggest single corporate infrastructure investment. The total order was worth R50-billion. TELKOM Group expected full-year headline earnings per share to rise at least 20% from a year earlier period, following a net curtailment gain of about R2billion recognised on the postretirement medical aid liability and a related tax benefit, it said. THE Johannesburg Roads Agency intends working seven days a week to repair the 12 703 potholes and 37 545 patchings on the city’s road network and some of the 2 114 traffic signals damaged by rain. SOUTH Africa’s headline consumer inflation quickened in February to 5.9% year on year from 5.8% in January, Stats SA said. On a month-on-month basis, prices stood at 1.1%, from 0.7% in January. DRUG-MAKER Adcock Ingram Holdings said quarterly profit was under “extreme pressure” and that it would pay more than R100-million in costs related to the failed takeover bid by Chile’s CFR Pharmaceuticals. BUSINESS confidence in the small business sector remained in negative territory in the fourth quarter as owners battled rising operational costs and labour disruptions, the Nedbank smallbusiness index survey showed. THE real value of recorded building plans passed decreased year on year by 5%, or R261.4-million, in January. Decreases were recorded for nonresidential buildings (47.1%) and additions and alterations (2.9%). MEDIA group Moneyweb widened its interim diluted headline loss per share to 1.30c from a loss of 0.2c a year before. Revenue fell after the termination of the looklocal agreement and lower than expected sales generation.