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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.…

The Government of Ireland has invited South Africans interested in pursuing a Master’s degree in Ireland to apply for the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme to study at Ireland’s world-renowned higher education institutions. The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is a flagship programme of the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa offered to South African students. The programme is part of the broader Ireland-Africa Fellowship Programme offered by the Government of Ireland. Through the programme, professional women and men, with leadership potential from South Africa will avail of relevant postgraduate study opportunities in Irish higher education institutions. “The scholarship broadly supports leadership…

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has called for incentives to reward those that use cleaner fuels as a measure to reduce air pollution, which affects human health and the environment. “Vehicle subsidies may be offered for example towards buyers of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, electric and hydrogen run vehicles. While fare subsidies are known to attract more numbers of commuters from use of private cars,” Chikunga said on Monday in Pretoria. Addressing the 41st annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2023), she said the contribution of road transport to the Republic of South Africa’s (RSA’s) Greenhouse emissions (GHG) has increased to…

Gauteng Metrorail has advised commuters to seek alternative transport after its service experienced disruption at most of its lines on Monday, due to adverse weather conditions. “Refunds are facilitated at Metrorail train stations for affected commuters. Metrorail remains committed to operating trains safely. We would like to apologise to commuters for the inconvenience caused,” Gauteng Metrorail said. The cold weather has a negative impact on the infrastructure and its components (tracks, crossover points, electrical cables, etc.). The overhead wires also experience tension, which results in power instability and failure. Delays were experienced in the Saulsville to Pretoria line, Centurion to…

South Africa’s electricity generation capacity continues to show signs of improvement and stabilisation, says Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. This follows work done in the past two weeks. The Minister was speaking on Sunday during his weekly media briefing on progress made regarding the implementation of the Energy Action Plan. Outlining the generation performance for period 3 -7 July 2023, the Minister said that Eskom has been able to maintain the increased energy availability of more than 60% resulting in lower levels of load shedding. “The progress we’re making is tribute to the fact that we’ve stayed…

National Treasury has outlined the basic characteristics and requirements for the solar panel incentive, which is meant to help individuals in their immediate decision making regarding any solar installation services. This follows an announcement by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana at the tabling of the National Budget earlier this year that tax incentives would be provided to households installing rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV). “Government proposed this programme to encourage households to invest in clean electricity generation capacity, which can supplement electricity supply. The incentive will only be available for one year to encourage investment as soon as possible,” National Treasury said.…

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen the global competitiveness of the local automotive industry. The CSIR partnership with AIDC, a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency, signals a significant milestone in advancing the growth and development of the South African automotive industry. The MoU, the CSIR said, provides a framework for joint programmes and co-development initiatives with an intent to bolster the sector. Acting CSIR Group Executive, Sipho Mbhokota, said he was elated about this move, which…

Motorists are in for more relief this month, as both grades of fuel are expected to decrease for the second month in a row. Illuminating paraffin and LP Gas are also expected to decrease, with an increase in the price of both grades of diesel. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced the following price changes: 93 grade petrol is expected to decrease by 24c. The price of 95 grade petrol is expected to decrease by 17c. Diesel 0.05% Sulphur is expected to go up by 18c. Diesel 0.005% Sulphur will cost 12c more. Wholesale illuminating paraffin…

With improved funding for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, the country will be able to invest significantly in bolstering the electricity grid and new renewable energy generation. In his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said this will significantly help to end load shedding. The President’s newsletter comes after his participation at the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris last week, where several world leaders gathered. “With improved funding for our Just Energy Transition, we will be able to invest substantially in strengthening our electricity grid and new renewable energy generation. “This will make a…

South African government is making strides in the development of a policy for the hemp and cannabis sector, as stakeholders have collectively agreed on regulatory reforms. “These reforms will unlock the potential of cannabis in African traditional medicine; pharmaceutical and complementary medicines; human and animal ingestion, and multiple industrial applications,” the Presidency said on Friday. Given the need for more urgent implementation, under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) – together with the Presidency – government convened a Phakisa Action Lab from 19 to 23 June 2023. The Action Lab brought together more…

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the success of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) depends on the investment in infrastructure in the areas of electricity generation, transportation, as well as freight and logistics distribution. “This is because Africa’s trade integration has been hampered for decades by the ageing infrastructure and too many regulations which require reforms,” Mashatile said. Addressing the All Africa Business Leaders Awards on Friday, the Deputy President said investing in infrastructure is crucial to unlocking the potential for Africa to experience growth at faster rates but more importantly, to ensure inclusive diversification. “In this regard, we…