This is the Real Economy Report. Our top stories this week: Nicky Oppenheimer speaks on the new Voorspoed diamond mine, we speak to Africa's largest steel producer about the so-called ‘perfect storm' battering the industry, and a Northern Cape iron-ore mine expands despite the commodities slowdown.

This is the Real Economy Report. Our top stories this week: we look at the state of the South African shipping industry, a rail link is planned between Mpumalanga and Tshwane and, a standard for energy efficiency in buildings is published.

This is the Real Economy Report. Our top stories this week: the Gautrain reaches a milestone with the first tunnel breakthrough, we speak to ABB in South Africa about improving the efficiency of the country's power grid and, we look at the role of the CSIR in South Africa's hydrogen technology programme.

This is the Real Economy Report. Our top stories this week: the Gautrain carriage assembly starts in Nigel, the South African Police Services acquire six Robinson R44 Raven II helicopters and, Mercedes-Benz launches its new State limousine.

This is the Real Economy Report. Our top stories this week: the Japanese win the South African solar car challenge, the upgraded ConRoast smelter is unveiled in Randburg and, South Africa offers a growth platform for a Canadian coal miner.

The present was a "great era of opportunity" for the "still-growing" Africa to "rise and shine", Anglo American South Africa head Kuseni Dlamini said on Wednesday. Kuseni told the Africa Investment Forum 2008 in Johannesburg that the continent would continue on a significant economic growth path, despite the setback of the current global financial turmoil.

The main causes of the collapse of the platinum price were "very significant" disinvestment in exchange traded funds (ETFs) and fire sales of platinum held by investment funds, Johnson Matthey principal market analyst Alison Cowley said on Tuesday. Cowley said in an interview on the sidelines of the release in Johannesburg of Johnson Matthey's Platinum 2008 report the price collapse was "very much an investment fund issue".

Gold and uranium producer Simmer & Jack Mines (Simmers) is slowing the development of growth projects owing to the global credit crisis, but CEO Gordon Miller is confident that the JSE-listed miner has the financial flexibility to ensure capital for its projects, most of which were at some stage of construction or rehabilitation. Speaking at Simmers’ interim results presentation, he said that the company’s gold operations had been scaled back on the basis of external funding for the growth projects, in an effort to adapt to the crisis in the capital markets.

JSE-listed diamond producer Trans Hex on Wednesday reported that rough diamond sales had been severely impacted by the global economic downturn, with prices in the six months ended September showing a decrease from previous highs. Trans Hex CEO Llewellyn Delport stated that demand for top-end stones had dropped to levels lower than those experienced after the September 11 attacks on the US.

The timing of the re-entry of JSE-listed Village Main could “not have been better” as mining assets were becoming “very, very cheap”, South African mining luminary Bernard Swanepoel said, following Tuesday’s annual general meeting at which all company resolutions were passed in full. The new Village Main and To The Point head added, however, that the notion of a super commodity cycle had “unravelled”, and opportunities in the resources business were currently “very commodity-specific” Swanepoel said that there was “low-hanging fruit” owing to many new junior companies – through no fault of their own – being unable to raise funds.

TauTona mine is one of the world's deepest working mines.

The official importer and distributor of the Astra HD8 range of heavy duty trucks is Autumn Star Trading 758.

The Bearing Man group is an inspirational success story, growing from humble beginnings as a modest bearings shop in Durban, opened by husband and wife team Greg and Lorelle Till in 1974, to one of Africa’s leading distributors of dynamic engineering consumable products.

The Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) programme is part of an initiative by the government to encourage export oriented growth in South Africa. This initiative is driven by the Department of Trade and Industry to encourage sub regional economic growth and job creation.

Established in October 1915, Goodyear Engineered Products (GEP) SA operates from Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, with a manufacturing plant in Uitenhage.

In today's podcast: one of the main causes of the collapse of the platinum price is "very significant" disinvestment in exchange traded funds; and Wescoal announces that all conditions precedent with regard to its acquisition of prospecting rights at the Vlakvarkfontein farm have been meet.

In today's podcast: Lonmin posted a 19% rise in yearly underlying earnings per share; and Gem Diamonds warns that it might post a full-year loss.

In today's podcast: Investment bank Macquarie cut sits 2009 forecasts for base metals, coal and iron-ore by up to 60%; and Rio Tinto has started the sale of its market-leading borates and talcs businesses.

In today's podcast: Redbank Mines has secured a A$6-million funding package; and Shield Mining has announced that the initial gold results from the 2008 to 2009 exploration programme at its Mauritania property had enhanced the continuity of the five main gold anomalies at its Tijirit project.

In today's podcast: Simmer & Jack Mines widens its interim loss; and the European Islamic Investment Bank has boosted its stake in South African diamond-miner DiamondCorp.

In this broadcast: Black-owned women-led mining company that has managed to distribute a whopping R223-million to its shareholders, some of them disabled; a new car has just launched and it doesn’t use a drop of petrol – and its only emission is water; South Africa's pioneering Sumbandila satellite is now set for blast off in March.

In this broadcast: South Africa, India and Brazil have agreed to collaborate on the development of renewable energy technology; The Canadian company building the Gautrain says South Africans are world-class at train building; Despite the global meltdown, the Mercedes-Benz factory in South Africa will produce a record number of vehicles this year, many of them for export.

In this broadcast: South Africa’s newest uranium mine, the Dominion mine in Klerksdorp, is closing down; One of South Africa’s oldest gold mines, the ERPM mine in Boksburg, also closing down; R242-million appears to have been misappropriated from a South African mining services company, which has instituted both civil and criminal action.

In this broadcast: The government is offering R5,6-billion to South African industry in the form of industry tax incentives; the training of apprentices in South Africa is beginning to return to higher levels; A Gauteng engineering company playing a key role in Donald Trump’s luxurious Trump Ocean leisure project in Central America.

In this broadcast: South Africa and Brazil are set to work together to develop a new surface-to-air missile; The government is to buy 1 400 buses to boost public transport when South Africa hosts the soccer World Cup in 2010; Johannesburg’s city parks department planning to plant a million trees in the next five years.