Schalk Burger is a Staff Writer at Mining Weekly. He focuses on a diverse range of topics within the energy and mining sectors, including energy policy and regulation, renewable energy, and mining sustainability, while also covering aspects of finance and real estate. Schalk's work has been featured in Mining Weekly, Polity, and Engineering News.
Preston is the artificial intelligence that powers the Intelligent Relations PR platform. Meet Preston
South Africa (National)
Not enough data
Schalk Burger's coverage is primarily focused on local South African business and industry, with a significant emphasis on infrastructure, manufacturing, and sustainability. Given this focus, Schalk may be interested in news related to new developments or initiatives within these sectors.
As Schalk frequently covers press releases and cites data, he might be particularly receptive to pitches that offer exclusive access to relevant company announcements or detailed data-backed insights pertaining to the South African business landscape.
Given his geographic focus on Johannesburg and South Africa as a whole, potential sources should ensure their pitches are tailored specifically to the local market or provide insights into how broader economic trends impact businesses in the region.
This information evolves through artificial intelligence and human feedback. Improve this profile .
By: Schalk Burger
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Africa reached about $70-billion in 2025, which was below the exceptional $94-billion recorded in 2024, but was the third-highest number since 1990 and remained one-third above the long-term average. However, the bigger story is that investors continue to position themselves in sectors that are becoming increasingly important to the global economy, UN Trade and Development (Unctad) highlights in its 'World Investment Report 2026'.
JSE-listed aluminium products company Hulamin has appointed Linda Yanta as interim chairperson, with effect from July 6. This follows the board's decision that Paul Baloyi cease to hold office as chairperson. He will, however, continue to serve as an independent nonexecutive director, the company says.
By: Schalk Burger
The three-year wage agreement concluded in the metals and engineering industry in 2024 was reached during a period of significant economic pressure for the industry, but, despite these challenges, the sector experienced a relatively stable industrial relations environment over the past three years, says employer organisation the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa). Employers have been able to plan with greater certainty and employees have benefited from a structured collective bargaining process. This stability is the result of engagement, negotiation and compromise between organised business and organised labour, says Seifsa executive director Lucio Trentini.
By: Schalk Burger
Sweden development finance institution Swedfund is investing an additional $5-million in TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund II (TLG II) to further support the preservation and creation of decent jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that otherwise struggle to access financing. SMEs play an important role in job creation and local economic growth across Africa, but often struggle to access loans that meet their needs. Many are viable and have the potential to grow, but need financing on terms that are sustainable with their expected growth.
By: Schalk Burger
Three South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), namely LEEP Solutions, House Harvest and Green X, which are all developing sustainability solutions for the property sector, are finalists in the 2026 Green Seeds Competition, which aims to bring green innovation to the built environment. The SMEs will compete in the final round, concluding the 12-month accelerator programme funded by JSE-listed real estate investment trust Attacq and implemented by industry initiative Property Point.
By: Schalk Burger
Virtual power plants (VPPs) have been tested and are being proven in South Africa, and their widespread use could reduce the need to build some new transmission and distribution infrastructure while ensuring that the network is stable and reliable. These plants could defer some grid capital expenditure by providing energy services in a localised area, thereby reducing congestion on the grid, climate and energy strategy advisory firm Meridian Economics climate, policy and energy analyst Nic van Doesburgh has said.
By: Schalk Burger
Warehouses and distribution centres are becoming more complex, with the changes in customer expectations driven by e-commerce affecting the logistics industry, supply chain and logistics facilities company Industrial Logistic Systems MD Clayton Thomas has said. Some warehouses are being required to have about 600 000 stock keeping units (SKUs) that must be available at any time. A normal dry goods facility generally has 20 000 SKUs.
Regulator the Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) has, in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), developed the Certificate
By: Schalk Burger
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) Gauteng calls for a fair, transparent and collaborative intergovernmental process to resolve the decision by the National Treasury to withhold equitable share allocations from six municipalities in the province. Treasury announced last week that it would withhold equitable share transfers to 69 municipalities across the country.
By: Schalk Burger
The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) has recommended maintaining a 10% ad valorem import duty for frozen mixed vegetables. Itac's investigation found that global and domestic economic factors continue to shape the frozen vegetable market. International events have contributed to ongoing food price volatility.
