Tongaat Hulett is taking drastic measures to get its house back in order. The sugar producer, agri-processor and land owner says it may sell its starch business as it moves to reduce debt to levels agreed with its lenders. It's a steadybusiness thanks to demand from the alcoholic beverages sector, as well as its use in coffee creamers and confectionary, so it's likely to fetch a decent price. It will be a loss to the group's future earnings though. Meanwhile, Comair's current earnings are under pressure - in fact it expects to report a loss, breaking 72 years of profitability for the airline. It partly blames higher maintenance costs and the expense of grounding its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for the turnaround in its fortunes. South32's has also reported declining earnings due to lower prices for the commodities it produces, although it's maintained a strong operational performance. More on these stories in your final newsletter for the week, along with results from Italtile and Mpact's R7 million settlement with the Competition Commission. As it's Thursday, we also have all the latest M&A news with DealMakers. Finally, Jonty Sacks, partner at Jaltech Fund Managers, explains how you can balance your RA with Section 12J investments. Follow this link to find out more. I hope you have a good weekend. Stephen Gunnion Managing Editor, InceConnect
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