Author: Agency
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…
South Africa’s infrastructure drive to revitalise the economy and create employment continues to gain momentum, says Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. “In this regard, the Minister of Transport, Sindi Chikunga, broke ground for the Ashburton Interchange Project, worth R2.4 billion, in Msunduzi Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, which will improve the seamless movement of cargo from the Port of Durban into the country and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region,” the Minister said on Thursday. Ntshavheni was addressing a media briefing in Cape Town on the outcomes of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting. The Ashburton Interchange is part of the larger N2…
The Information Regulator has invited all public and private bodies to submit their Annual Reports for the 2022-2023 financial year on access to information requests received and processed by 30 June 2023. In terms of section 32 of the Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA), the information officer of every public body must submit – on an annual basis – a report to the Regulator in respect of access to information requests received and processed by the public body. Section 83(4) of PAIA empowers the Regulator to also request the heads of private bodies to furnish it with reports about…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 880 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to safeguard a number of Eskom power stations around the country. The President has informed Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Amos Masondo, in writing. According to the statement released on Saturday, the soldiers work with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order in the Republic of South Africa under Operation Prosper. “Members of the SANDF employed will…
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, is expected to visit Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in the Eastern Cape today. The Minister will visit the Volkswagen (VW) and Isuzu plants based in Gqeberha. “The Minister’s visit to the OEM’s is part of his continuous engagements with the automotive industry on their challenges caused by the current electricity crisis and possible short to medium term solutions,” his office said in a statement. Prior to Friday’s visit, Ramokgopa on Thursday visited the chief executive officer of the Mercedes-Benz East London manufacturing plant Andreas Brand. During the visit, Ramokgopa said government…
State power utility Eskom has announced that load shedding will be ramped up to higher stages this afternoon (Tuesday) due to delays in the return to service of at least nine generating units. Stage 6 load shedding will commence from 4pm this afternoon until 5am on Wednesday morning. This will be followed by Stage 4 which will remain in place until 4pm. Stage 6 will then commence again with a drop down to Stage 3 from 5am on Thursday morning. “The delays in returning a unit to service at Arnot, Camden, Duvha, Kendal, Kriel, Lethabo, Matimba, Matla and Tutuka power…
Cabinet has called on South Africans to use electricity sparingly as part of the Demand Side Management (DSM) initiatives. This as Cabinet called on the nation to lower electricity usage, especially during periods of high energy consumption, typically from 5pm to 9pm, as part of Demand Side Management initiatives. “By lowering our consumption we can create a win-win situation that both reduces pressure on the power grid and saves households money without affecting business productivity or quality of life,” said Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. The Minister was addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing in Pretoria. “Cabinet calls on everyone…
Former Eskom’s Kriel Power Station finance manager, Sifiso Masina, has been convicted of fraud and theft in the Kriel Regional Court. According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), Masina was sentenced to some eight years imprisonment, wholly suspended “on condition that the accused is not convicted of fraud and theft during the period of suspension”. The Hawks explained that the conviction and sentence come as a result of investigations into payments Masina made during 2011 and 2012 to two companies linked to him. “The companies are Mandlenkosi Logistics, which, during investigation, it was discovered that it belongs…
Eskom is expected to implement various stages of load shedding over the upcoming long weekend. Stage 4 load shedding is expected to be implemented from 4pm today to 5am tomorrow (Thursday) morning and will drop to Stage 2 between 5am and 4pm tomorrow. From then on, Stage 4 will be implemented until 5am on Friday, followed by Stage 3. That pattern will continue until Sunday when Stage 4 load shedding will drop down to Stage 1 between 5am until 4pm, when Stage 3 load shedding will commence. On Wednesday morning, Eskom reported that some 16 283MW of capacity was unavailable due…
The National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has called on the public to comment on the draft legislative amendments to give effect to the two renewable energy tax incentives, announced in the 2023 Budget. The proposals, which were published on Friday, assist in partially addressing the country’s energy crisis and encourage private investment into expanding electricity generation. “This initial batch of the 2023 draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (TLAB) covers these two specific tax amendments, and are urgent, due to the proposed early effective dates for implementation, and to enhance certainty for individuals and businesses that would…
Eskom Acting Group Chief Executive, Calib Cassim, says the power utility has launched a national demand side management initiative which could save some 1500MW of energy for the grid. Cassim was addressing the National Demand Side Management Indaba on Monday. On Sunday evening alone, demand exceeded Eskom’s capacity availability by at least 3885MW. The deficit can reach more than 5000MW during afternoon peaks. Demand side management is seen as a tool that can help the power utility to potentially reduce load shedding. “Eskom needs to focus on the supply in terms of our own plants, as well as getting the…
In his weekly newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is determined to tackle both the energy crisis and climate change together. “The country is faced with both an electricity crisis and a climate crisis, which we must tackle together. Our position is clear and principled: it is possible for us to prioritise our immediate energy needs without jeopardising our climate commitments, and we are determined to do so. “In fact, we must accelerate the pace of investment in new renewable electricity generation as an important part of the plan to overcome load shedding,” the President said on Monday. While the country…
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in Mpumalanga says approval of the R350 grant follows a process – one being a verfification that the applicant does not receive an income. In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said applicants should note that if their application is still pending it means, it’s not yet verified. “The applicants must be aware that the agency does not only verify banking details but it also verifies citizenship with the Department of Home Affairs, and it also verifies with the Department of Employment and Labour to check whether the person is UIF [Unemployment Insurance…
The National Skills Fund is expected to launch a training package in digital skills for unemployed youth in the country. This was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his weekly newsletter. According to the President, the move is aimed at ensuring that as investment into the digital economy continues to grow, South Africans are able to use their skills to take advantage of employment and economic opportunities. “To boost the job creation potential of these investments, the National Skills Fund will soon launch a new model for demand-led skills development, which will provide R800 million to fund training for unemployed…
Stage 5 load shedding will now be implemented throughout the day until further notice. This was announced by State power utility Eskom following an increase in demand. Eskom had ramped up load shedding to Stages 3 and 5 on Monday after delays in return to service and breakdowns at power stations caused further constraints to the power grid. Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has warned that the power grid is expected to come under increased pressure as demand soars over the winter period. The Minister was speaking in Tshwane on Tuesday afternoon following an outage…
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) on Thursday. The SAIC will be attended by delegates from varying industries in South Africa and across the world at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. In its 5th year since inception, President Ramaphosa convened the South Africa Investment Conference with an objective of achieving R1.2 trillion in investments targets. Investors heeding the call have over the last four conferences declared R1.14 trillion in investment commitments. “Of the 152 investment announcements made previously, 45 projects have already been completed, while a further 57 projects are currently under construction. These…
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says the withdrawal of the National State of Disaster on Electricity will have no impact on the ministry’s work going forward. Government formally withdrew the State of Disaster and its regulations on Wednesday. “The Minister of Electricity continues to be seized with that responsibility of reducing the severity of load shedding and its regularity. That’s why we have done extensive visits to the power stations of Eskom. We have got a better understanding at the granular level of what… it takes for us to be able to respond comprehensively. “[The State…