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State power utility Eskom says it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with The Kingdom of Netherlands to collaborate in job creation, economic growth initiatives and improvement of the environment around the Grootvlei Power Station in Mpumalanga. In July last year, the two parties signed a similar LOI. The power utility explained that the new LOI provides an “integrated and sustainable approach” for the power station’s repurpose from a coal fired station to a renewable energy hub which will also create other training and job opportunities for the surrounding community. “This marks a milestone in South Africa’s transition away…

Applications for the 2023 BRICS Future Skills Challenge are now open. The SA BRICS Business Council is looking for the country’s best up-and-coming tech gurus to represent the country in this year’s BRICS Future Skills Challenge. The challenge is described as a multi-day online “skills Olympics” or “Hackathon competition” where youngsters from BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – will be solving real-world problems in their specific future skill areas. Hosted by South Africa, the event will take place in Johannesburg from 12 – 15 September 2023. This year’s programme will focus on energy, water and…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the enthusiasm of the Netherlands and Denmark in working with South Africa to strengthen economic relations, including exploring opportunities in green energy sectors. “Both countries have shown great interest in becoming key trading partners in the green hydrogen and green energy sectors,” President Ramaphosa said on Tuesday at the SA-Denmark-Netherlands Business Forum, which was held in Pretoria during the State visit of the two countries in South Africa. President Ramaphosa had earlier hosted Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, who are on an official joint working visit in…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the African Peace Initiative to Ukraine and Russia was a ‘historic’ effort to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the two countries. The President was addressing the country through his weekly newsletter following his return from the European countries. African Heads of State from Senegal, the Comoros, Zambia and South Africa, together with the Prime Minister of Egypt and envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda travelled to the two Eastern European countries to hold talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader President Vladimir Putin over the weekend. “This initiative has…

South Africa and France have entered into a cooperation protocol agreement to improve the Special Investigating Unit’s cyber forensic capabilities. The agreement is expected to also yield the establishment of an anti-corruption academy in Tshwane, which will serve the SIU and other law enforcement agencies and anti-corruption agencies within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Commonwealth and Non-Commonwealth countries. It was signed by Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, and French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, on Monday. Lamola said the cooperation agreement will add much needed skills to strengthen the SIU’s capacity in…

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged investors to continue investing in the country as more needs to be done to change the fortunes of the economy and create enough jobs to absorb new labour market entrants. “More than ever before, the Government and the business sector must work together to fund and invest in projects that can generate both income and profit and unearth investment opportunities in the country,” the Deputy Minister said on Wednesday. Virtually addressing the Ninety One Global Investment Summit, Mashatile commended the sector for its continued investments in youth development initiatives as demonstrated through the Youth…

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, announced on Friday that technical experts supported by the Resource Mobilisation Fund (RMF) will be stationed at various power stations across the country from Monday, 5 June 2023. He said the team will go around the four power stations where the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) is low. These, according to the Minister, include Matla, Kriel, Majuba, and Kendal power stations. In addition, support will be given to open-cycle gas turbines, which poses a challenge when it comes to logistics and storage and is confident that the experts will provide solutions. The…

The Foreign Affairs Ministers of the five-nation grouping, BRICS, on Thursday said they appreciate the proposals put forth for mediation aimed at a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war through dialogue and diplomacy. “The Ministers recalled their national positions concerning the situation in and around Ukraine, as expressed at the appropriate fora, including the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] and UNGA [United Nations General Assembly],” a joint statement from the Ministers on Thursday read. The Ministers held a two-day meeting in Cape Town, which started on Thursday. They called for the full and effective implementation of both the Black Sea…

Career opportunities existing in the digital economy will come under the spotlight as the country kicks off the 2023 Youth Month celebrations. The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), together with government departments, will lead a month-long programme of activities to be hosted in various provinces in celebration of Youth Month 2023. The NYDA, under the stewardship of the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) – in partnership with the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture – launched the Youth Month 2023 activities in Soweto on Thursday. NYDA board executive chairperson, Asanda Luwaca, said this year’s Youth Month…

Eskom says it expects to implement various stages of load shedding over the weekend with a chance of a power cut-free Sunday afternoon. This as the power utility said it expects to return several generating units to service over the coming days. The load shedding schedule for this weekend is as follows: Friday: Stage 4 throughout the day and evening Saturday: Stage 2 from 5am until 4pm Stage 4 from 4pm until 5am Sunday: No load shedding between 5am and 4pm Stage 4 from 4pm until midnight “Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Kendal and…

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, on Thursday announced the appointment of the new Health Ombudsman, Professor Taole Resetselemang Mokoena, effective from 1 June 2023. This comes after the country’s first Health Ombud, Professor Malekgapuru Makgoba, bowed out of office after his seven-year tenure ended on 31 May 2023. Phaahla described the incoming Health Ombud as one of the most “outstanding” South African medical scholars, who has transcended the globe to show the quality of South Africa‘s academic prowess. Mokoena, who is the retired Head of Surgery from the University of Pretoria, will take on the job that seeks to…

Gauteng MEC for Transport and Logistics Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has strongly condemned the attacks on e-hailing drivers and burning of cars at Maponya Mall in Soweto. “We would like to strongly condemn these senseless attacks on individuals and damage to vehicles. These acts are unacceptable and must be dealt with harshly,” the MEC said on Friday. This comes after an alleged confrontation that took place on Thursday between minibus taxi drivers and e-hailing drivers. It is alleged that minibus taxi drivers attacked e-hailing operators’ drivers and burnt three vehicles and damaged four others at Maponya Mall parking area. Two of the…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says although South Africa is facing an electricity crisis that appears unrelenting, government is making progress in resolving the challenge. The President was delivering his replies to the debate on The Presidency’s Budget Vote in Parliament on Thursday. “We have been forthright about the challenges the country faces. The anger and frustration that South Africans feel in the face of sustained load shedding is understandable. At times like this, the electricity crisis appears unrelenting, as if there is no end in sight. “Yet, if one considers the work that is being done and the progress that is…

Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, has welcomed a significant downward trend in the Cholera outbreak in Tshwane, as the source of the waterborne disease remains elusive. “The numbers are going down drastically and we’re very hopeful that in the next few days [the numbers will go down even further] and happy that there haven’t been new deaths this week and severe illness at this stage,” the Minister said on Wednesday. The Minister was providing an update on the department’s efforts and interventions in response to the cholera outbreak to curb the spread and save lives. “While it might be important…

State power utility, Eskom, says it expects to resume wage increase negotiations with trade unions in June. This after the power utility and unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and Solidarity, concluded three rounds of negotiations without reaching agreement. “As a custom, the negotiations take place over three sessions of three days each. However, this year, all parties agreed to hold a fourth round of negotiations on 13 and 14 June 2023, with the view that there are prospects of reaching a settlement at the Central Bargaining Forum (CBF). “Eskom is…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation to transfer roles and responsibilities to the Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. A statement released by the Presidency said some powers have been shifted from the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe. “After due consideration, President Ramaphosa has transferred to the Minister of Electricity all powers and functions contained in Section 34(1) of the Electricity Regulation Act, which were previously entrusted to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. The President has also transferred to the Minister of Electricity relevant powers and functions set out in Section…

As winter approaches, Cabinet says it welcomes the finalisation of the contract for 400 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity through the standard offer programme, which will be added to the grid by the end of May 2023. Cabinet announced on Thursday following a meeting the previous day. “Cabinet noted the progress made in the implementation of the Energy Action Plan (EAP), while it acknowledges significant constraints that remain against the national grid,” the Cabinet statement read. In addition, the Department of Health has identified 213 hospitals for exclusion from load shedding, with 76 of these already exempted. According to Cabinet,…

The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has hiked the repurchase rate (repo rate) by 50 basis points to 8.25%. The increase means that the repo rate will now be 8.25% per year from 26 May 2023, with prime now at 11.75%. This was announced by South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago during a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday. “At the current repurchase rate level, policy is restrictive, consistent with elevated inflation and risks. The policy stance aims to anchor inflation expectations more firmly around the mid-point of the target band and to increase confidence…

Eskom Acting CEO, Calib Cassim, has announced that if a series of interventions to reduce power demands and improve reliability is unsuccessful this winter, load shedding could intensify to Stage 8. “It is going to be a difficult winter,” he told the media on Thursday. Citing the contributing factors, Cassim said the State-owned entity is approaching the cold season with 3 000 megawatts (MW) less capacity compared to last year, due to units 1, 2 and 3 of Kusile Power Station and 1 unit of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station being currently offline. “However, the focus during this winter, first and…

Communication and Digital Technologies Minister, Mondli Gungubele, says the department is extensively engaging with various stakeholders and roleplayers to ensure broad and substantive consultations are done regarding the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. Tabling the department’s R3.5 billion budget for 2023/2024 in Parliament on Wednesday, Gungubele said five provinces, including the Free State, Northern Cape, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, have successfully switched off and are currently receiving television broadcast on a digital platform. However, Gungubele said despite the successful switch off of the five provinces, he is currently facing legal action from stakeholders, who argued that the switch…

A groundbreaking initiative is set to grow the agricultural sector in the iLembe District Municipality, according to KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Finance, Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni. Nkonyeni said the provincial government plans to focus on growing cannabis and other indigenous plants as well as facilitate entry into markets so that all organic agricultural products can be exported to foreign countries. Through this initiative, the province will afford an opportunity for the youth and unemployed graduates to get involved in farming. The MEC made the comments when she addressed stakeholders, including business, traditional leaders, agriculture professionals and experts in organic farming, recently. “We…

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) is seeking comments from interested parties on the proposal to prohibit the export of certain ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap metal. This also includes the temporary suspension of the price preference system, insofar as it relates to certain ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap metal for a further period of nine months. In the Government Notice No. R. 2802 — published in the Government Gazette No. 47627, dated 30 November 2022 — Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel published a Trade Policy Directive and Notice, in terms of sections 5…

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, on Tuesday told Parliament that government will open a bid in July to procure additional renewable energy. Mantashe, who was delivering his Budget Vote speech for the 2023/24 financial year, said Bid Windows 7 and 8 will each give 5 000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. “The requests for proposals for the procurement of this capacity will be issued to the market in the second and fourth quarter of this financial year respectively.” In addition, he said the second and fourth quarters will see further requests for proposals for the procurement of battery…

As a response to the fast-changing communication environment, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) will fast track the upskilling of its workforce and upgrade the Information and Communications Technology systems to meet new demands. “We live in a rapidly changing world in which technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. During COVID-19, the GCIS embraced technological platforms to facilitate remote meetings, connectivity and communication,” Minister in the Presidency is Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Tuesday in parliament. Delivering the GCIS budget for the 2023/24 financial year, the Minister said technology has now become the norm and has allowed the GCIS…

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) has been granted an order of restraint on some R102 million worth of assets to be frozen from 45 accused persons. According to NPA Investigating Directorate spokesperson, Sindisiwe Seboka, the order is related to allegedly unlawfully awarded police tenders worth millions of rands. “The 45 persons, whose assets have been restrained, are facing charges relating to 53 contracts that were unlawfully awarded to the 26 companies. The State is alleging that companies that are effectively owned and controlled by Kishene Chetty and his father, Krishna Chetty were unlawfully awarded contracts by…