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The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has warned the public of a fake website sent to unsuspecting job seekers informing them of the success of their job application, while requesting a refundable R250 to be paid for background checks. “The website, which may look real to an untrained eye, is illegitimate and fake. PRASA does not have a .org (dot org) domain or a dedicated vacancy website. PRASA does not charge job applicants for background checks, nor does our recruitment process involve payments,” the agency said on Monday. PRASA has advised the public to look out for the…
The 15th BRICS Summit held at the Sandton Convention Centre during August was a success that ‘heralded a new chapter’ for the group. This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who addressed the nation on Sunday evening. “It was a historic Summit that heralded a new chapter for BRICS. “The summit was attended by the five BRICS member countries along with representatives of 61 other countries. Forty-six of the countries that attended were from our continent, Africa. This included 20 Heads of State and Government. We were also honoured by the attendance of the United Nations Secretary-General Mr Antonio Guterres.…
The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is having a positive socio-economic impact on the industry and the economy. This is according to the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who was speaking during a media briefing on the Energy Action Plan on Saturday. Thus far, some 134 IPPs have been selected as preferred bidders, 11 904MW have been procured with 6180MW already operational and investment of R334.5 billion has been attracted for energy infrastructure. Ramokgopa said that through the programme, “about R85 billion…has been placed in the hands of black business”. “This is significant…
Implementing reforms will serve to enhance the ability of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) not only to adapt to industry developments but also to serve South Africans into the future. This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who met with chairpersons and chief executives of SOEs on Tuesday. “It is quite clear that the success of our economic recovery relies on the effective functioning of state-owned entities. We are implementing reforms to ensure that SOEs are able to adapt to new economic conditions, including rapid developments in technology, their respective operating environments and changing global trends, and to serve the country…
Between April and June this year, at least 135 000 earning opportunities were secured by young people through the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative’s (PYEI) National Pathway Management Network. Some 108 061 of these were accessed through the SA Youth platform with 27 088 opportunities scored through the Department of Employment and Labour’s Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) website. This was revealed during a media briefing on Monday to update the nation on the progress made by the PYEI. The PYEI was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during 2020 as an intervention to rising youth unemployment in South Africa. Speaking…
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has emphasised that the agreements signed in the past week with Chinese state owned entities and the donation by the People’s Republic of China are to address this country’s emergency energy solutions. South Africa concluded a significant amount of agreements with Chinese state owned entities (SOEs) with the signing of two overarching memoranda that were witnessed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Xi Jinping. South Africa hosted the 15th BRICS Summit last week and the country also hosted President Xi on his fourth State Visit to South Africa ahead of the…
At least 500 public facilities around the country are set to benefit from a donation from China which will allow them to have uninterrupted alternative power supply and shield them from the effects of load shedding. The donation includes generators, power supply vehicles and off grid PV energy storage supply systems. This was announced by Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, during the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with eight Chinese entities. The signing ceremony was held on the side lines of the BRICS Summit, currently underway in Johannesburg. “Yesterday we exchanged letters in relation…
The anticipation is over and the stage is set. The much vaunted 15th Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit kicks off at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg today. The Summit is held under the theme: “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism” and is expected to last until Thursday. The Summit brings together Heads of State and Government from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa with at least 30 other Heads and of State and Government from Africa and all across the world expected to attend. President Cyril Ramaphosa set…
BRICS countries have been urged to continue to support and invest in the township economy in an effort to reshape the perception of townships, and foster a brighter and inclusive future for all. The Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), Maropene Ramokgopa, led a first of its kind Township Economy in BRICS Dialogue in Orlando West, Soweto, on Tuesday. Ramokgopa said that BRICS member countries have the capacity to leverage the combined resources, experiences and expertise to support each other in nurturing vibrant township economies. She said joint ventures, investment partnerships, and knowledge-sharing initiatives can bring…
Government is piloting a system in a number of provinces that will enable victims of domestic violence to apply for protection orders online. “The violence perpetrated by men against women and girls is an assault on our common humanity. Women do not feel safe in their homes, on the street, in places of work and study and worship,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday. The President made these remarks during his keynote address at the commemoration of Women’s Day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. He told South Africans that government has responded to the call for tougher bail conditions for…
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to address extreme wind disruption to operate in the Port of Cape Town (PoCT). The TNPA and the CSIR-hosted programme, the Alliance for Collaboration on Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), and the other institutions intend to establish a series of research projects aimed at understanding the impact of extreme wind disruption on operations for the integrated maritime transport logistics chain at the PoCT. In the past few years, according to the joint statement, the PoCT lost an average…
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says at least half of the actions set out in the Energy Action Plan (EAP) are either completed or on track. He was briefing the media on the progress made on the one year implementation of the Energy Action Plan on Sunday. The EAP was introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July last year and thrashes out work that must be done by both Eskom and government to ensure that load shedding is reduced and eventually eradicated and to ensure energy security for the country in the future. “About 56%…
President Cyril Ramaphosa says although load shedding will not be resolved overnight, Eskom and government is making “significant progress” in areas aimed at reducing and eventually removing it altogether. The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday. “Today, we are releasing a detailed report outlining the work done to improve the performance of Eskom’s power stations, accelerate the building of new generation capacity and drive regulatory reforms to transform the electricity sector. “The winter months will soon be coming to an end. Although load shedding has continued, as was anticipated, we have managed to avert a worst…
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel today launched the Energy One Stop Shop and Energy Resilience Fund. This is part of the Energy Mitigation Strategy through the National Energy Crisis Committee. President Cyril Ramaphosa had tasked Invest South Africa to establish an Energy One Stop Shop to deal with and fast track applications from energy developers. The Energy One Stop Shop is expected to input to the streamlining of regulatory processes required for private investment in electricity generation, facilitate pre-investment screening for all energy projects and thereby fast-track the approval of energy applications. This is to be achieved through…
St. Petersburg, Russia – President Cyril Ramaphosa has boldly declared Africa’s intention to prioritise the export of valuable finished products instead of raw materials from the continent’s minerals. President Ramaphosa told his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, that Africa wants to export finished products, which will set Africa on a path to unlock unparalleled opportunities for the continent’s economies. The President was speaking during a plenary session at the second Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg in the Russian Federation. The two-day summit kicked off on 27 July. “We no longer want to export ore, soil, dusts and rocks from the…
Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee to Nominate a Person for Appointment as Public Protector has shortlisted eight candidates for the position with interviews expected to be held in August. The term of current incumbent, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, ends in October. She is currently suspended. The eight candidates vying for the position are: Current acting Public Protector, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka Advocate Oliver Josie Johannah Ledwaba Muvhango Lukhaimane Advocate Lynn Marais Professor Boitumelo Mmusinyane Advocate Kwena Tommy Ntsewa Advocate Tseliso Thipanyane “Committee Chairperson Cyril Xaba said the candidates will be interviewed over two days, 23 and 24 August 2023. He said the committee…
President Cyril Ramaphosa says although South Africa continues to rank in the top five African countries with the best infrastructure, more can be done to improve its development. The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday. He highlighted that good infrastructure can be the foundation of greater and faster economic growth and addressing poverty. “However for this world class infrastructure to continue to support our developmental goals, it has to be properly, effectively and efficiently maintained. And decisions on infrastructure investment have to respond to the growing need and upgraded appropriately. “We have good quality infrastructure,…
Government has noted Fitch’s decision to affirm South Africa’s long-term foreign and local currency debt ratings at ‘BB-’ and maintain a stable outlook. According to Fitch, South Africa’s credit rating is constrained by low real gross domestic product (GDP) growth hampered by power shortages, high level of inequality, a high government debt-to-GDP ratio, and a modest path of fiscal consolidation. National Treasury said the ratings are supported by a favourable debt structure with long maturities and denominated mostly in local currency as well as a credible monetary policy framework. “Government is implementing urgent measures to reduce load-shedding in the short…
More than 2 000 cases and arrests have been made in cases linked to criminality at Eskom. This was announced by Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, during a media briefing on Monday. “Over the period from April 2022 to date, there are 2 147 Eskom cases that have been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and about 1 586 of these are under investigation. Since that period…126 arrests have been made. “In addition to the technical solutions that we are seeking to resolve the issues at Eskom, we are also focused on addressing some…
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has apologised to the nation for Stage 6 load shedding that was implemented on Thursday. The Minister was speaking during a media briefing on Monday. Eskom implemented Stage 6 load shedding last week following breakdowns and delays in returning to service of generating units. “I want to express our sincere and profuse apology for having taken you through a very difficult stage of intensive load shedding. “Firstly, load shedding is unacceptable. The second part is that going to higher stages of load shedding, especially Stage 6, should not become the norm.…
Realising the benefits and opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) requires proactive collaboration between all levels of government and businesses, says Director of Africa Bilateral Economic Trade at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Calvin Phume. Phume was addressing the AfCFTA awareness workshop, which took place in Bloemfontein, in the Free State. The workshop was part of a nationwide series aimed at equipping export-ready South African Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs), private sector, women and youth-owned enterprises with knowledge on the benefits of trading under the AfCFTA, The AfCFTA is a flagship project of the…
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the call President Ramaphosa had with the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, about the ongoing negotiations between Russia and the UN about the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The discussions also revolved around the African Leaders Peace Mission and the need for a permanent and sustainable solution to the movement of grain from Russia and Ukraine to the international markets. As part of ongoing engagements on the conflict in the Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative , President Ramaphosa also held a telephone discussion with …
President Cyril Ramaphosa will unveil two statues of the Father of the Nation on 18 July 2023 in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, as part of the International Nelson Mandela Month celebrations. The programme spearheaded by the Nelson Mandela Museum is in partnership with the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture; OR Tambo District Municipality and King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality. According to the statement, the statues will be unveiled at the Nelson Mandela Museum, Bhunga Building in Mthatha and Nelson Mandela Museum Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu. “The two statues of Nelson Mandela will resemble Nelson Mandela as a Statesman and the…
Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has challenged estate agents and property managers to improve the ease of doing business through digitisation. “We can’t be doing things manually in this day and age. We need to move all our interactions online — from exams, payments, applications and renewal of Fidelity Fund Certificates (FFC),” Kubayi said. Kubayi made the remarks during a stakeholder engagement with property practitioners and real estate companies in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The engagement aimed at providing a platform between sector stakeholders and government to discuss areas of partnerships and improvements to provide sustainable human settlements. The engagement follows…
Stage 4 load shedding has been implemented immediately with Stage 6 expected to return from 2pm this afternoon (Wednesday). This as state power utility Eskom continues to battle generation unit breakdowns. By Tuesday afternoon, some 16 313MW were offline due to breakdowns with further losses overnight. “Due to the loss of additional generating units overnight, the extensive use of Open Gas Cycle Turbines and the inability to replenish pumped storage dam levels, Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented at 7am [on Wednesday] until 2pm. “Thereafter, Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented from 14:00 today until 05:00 on Thursday.…