Author: Agency

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…

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on Independent Power Producers (IPP) to apply for water use authorisations to utilise its water resources, water courses and infrastructure to generate hydropower as an alternative energy to supplement the current electricity available in the grid. The department has initiated the DWS Hydropower Independent Producer Programme (DWS HIPP) in an effort to allow for the available water infrastructure and water courses, including rivers and dams, to be used to contribute to the power grid with renewable energy. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the department said government has approved multipronged interventions…

South Africa Government announced on Wednesday that it has terminated, with immediate effect, the National State of Disaster declared by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) on 9 February 2023. This comes after a legal challenge to stop the State of Disaster by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), which questioned its rationality. However, according to CoGTA, the State of Disaster was a necessary response to the impact of critical levels of load shedding on the economy and vulnerable sectors such as health and small businesses. Following the declaration of the State of Disaster in February, government…

Umalusi has officially launched the newly implemented online application system for the replacement of lost or damaged certificates. The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, recently held a webinar under the theme, ‘Innovatively replacing your lost or damaged certificate issued by Umalusi’. It announced that candidates can now access the system from anywhere via a cellphone or personal computer to apply directly to Umalusi to replace their lost or damaged certificates. The new system has significantly reduced the turnaround time and costs involved in replacing a lost or damaged certificate. At the cost of…

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has established South Africa’s first deposit insurance body to protect bank depositors and bring further confidence to a resilient financial sector. The Reserve Bank said the Corporation for Deposit Insurance (CODI) became a legal entity as of 24 March 2023, as set out in the commencement schedule published by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. “The commencement schedule outlined the dates at which the resolution and deposit insurance provisions in the Financial Sector Laws Amendment Act 23 of 2021 (FSLAA) come into operation. The FSLAA was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022,” the…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed Transnet to implement reforms swiftly and completely to turn around the crisis in South Africa’s logistics system. “Transnet must quickly embark on a clear path to take us out of this crisis and ensure that the operation of our railways and ports contributes to the growth of our economy,” the President said. He met with the members of the Transnet board and the executive management team at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday to discuss the challenges facing the country’s logistics system, including the declining performance of the freight rail network. During the State…

National Hawks head, Lieutenant General Advocate Godfrey Lebeya, says the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) will begin to focus its attention on ensuring that the country deals with compliance obligations raised by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) when it greylisted South Africa last month. To achieve this, Lebeya said the Hawks will collaborate with other agencies both at the national and international levels. The Lieutenant General made the commitment on Friday while delivering a public update on the Directorate’s operations in the third quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year. This comes after South Africa was put on a…

A man has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Musina Regional Court after being found guilty of tampering with essential infrastructure, theft of cable copper relating to essential infrastructure and illegal immigration. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Limpopo regional spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, said 30-year-old Shepard Munorwa and an accomplice – who managed to escape – were caught stealing cables which disrupted service delivery to a private farm. “During the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty to the offences. In aggravation of sentence, the state prosecutor Jan Krijt submitted that the country is currently experiencing unprecedented levels of cable theft…

South Africa government says it notes S&P Global’s decision to revise South Africa’s credit rating outlook to stable from positive on Wednesday evening. According to S&P, economic growth in South Africa is facing increasing pressure from infrastructure constraints, particularly severe electricity shortages. In reaction, Treasury said, reforms to address infrastructure shortfalls and to improve governance and performance at State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are slow, weighing on growth, while contingent liabilities from SOEs pose continued downside risks to South Africa’s fiscal and debt position. “However, the agency acknowledges that the fiscal position improved in the fiscal year 2022 as revenue rose, thanks…

Africa must be given the space to transition from high carbon usage to low carbon at a pace and cost that it can afford, says Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe. The Minister was speaking at the Africa Energy Indaba held in Cape Town on Tuesday. “Their voice [African people] on the Energy Transition must be heard. That is the voice that says, energy production in Africa must be aligned to Africa’s socio-economic development. This means that there must be a balance between energy demand for socio-economic development and energy supply that is premised on low carbon emissions.…