Author: Agency
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.…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the new Minister in the Presidency for Electricity. The announcement of the newly established position was made by the President during an address to the nation on Monday evening. President Ramaphosa said in his new role, Ramokgopa’s primary goal will be to drive government’s programme of significantly reducing the “severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency” and to expedite government’s work to ensure the full implementation of the Energy Action Plan. “To effectively oversee the electricity crisis response, the appointed Minister will have political responsibility, authority and…
Government has introduced a R9 billion tax relief programme to support South Africa’s clean energy transition, increase electricity supply and limit the impact of consistently high fuel prices. The programme was on Wednesday unveiled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana while delivering the 2023 Budget Speech at the Cape Town City Hall. In addition, the budget provides inflation-related adjustments to the personal income tax tables, the retirement tax tables, transfer duties and excise duties for alcohol and tobacco. The 2023 Budget Review report indicates that while R4 billion in relief was provided for households that install solar panels, R5 billion was…
Government spending on infrastructure is expected to reach some R903 billion over the next three years with state owned companies contributing the lion’s share to this investment. This was announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana when he delivered the Budget Speech at the Cape Town City Hall on Wednesday. The Minister said at least R448 billion of this will be spent by state owned companies and entities through public partnerships. “Infrastructure investments lay the foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth; they address supply-side constraints; and expand access to basic services. “Overall, the public sector is projected to spend R903 billion…
While South Africa’s economy grew by an estimated 2.5% in 2022, the growth outlook has deteriorated to a predicted 1.4% growth over the next three years. This was compared with the 1.6% prediction in the 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). The crystal glazing was on Wednesday outlined by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana while delivering the 2023 Budget Speech, at the Cape Town City Hall. In real terms, the Treasury anticipates that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow by a fractional 0.9% in 2023. The Minister said: “At R4.6 trillion, the size of the economy in 2022 was bigger…
For the second successive year, government will not increase the general fuel and the Road Accident Fund (RAF) levies, in a bid to reduce pressure on households and businesses. This will see government forego R4 billion in revenue. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana made this announcement in his 2023 Budget Speech, delivered on Wednesday at the Cape Town City Hall. Last year saw fuel prices soar driven by international crude oil prices, supply-demand balances and the rand-dollar exchange rate. This was as a result of steep increases in world market prices. During this period, inland unleaded petrol mostly remained above R20…
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has announced that social grants will increase by at least 5% in the next financial year. “R66 billion is allocated to Social Development over the medium term, with R36 billion to fund the extension of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress [SRD] grant until 31 March 2024. R30 billion will be used for inflation-linked increases for other social grants,” Godongwana said. The Minister presented the 2023 National Budget in Cape Town on Wednesday, The increases to social grants are as follows: The old age grant will go up from R1985 to R2085 The old age grants…
Government’s gross debt stock is projected to increase from R4.73 trillion in 2022/23 to R5.84 trillion in 2025/26, says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. “And because debt is high, our debt-service costs are also high,” Godongwana said while delivering the 2023 Budget at the Cape Town City Hall on Wednesday. Government, he said, must consider its consolidated position, which includes debt-service costs. South Africa’s consolidated fiscal deficit is projected at 4.2% of GDP for 2022/23, and this will reach 3.2% in 2025/26. The figures include the impact of the partial take-over of Eskom debt, with Godongwana saying that government debt will…
National Treasury has proposed to provide the country’s embattled power utility, Eskom, with R254 billion in debt relief over the next three years. This was on Wednesday confirmed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana while delivering the 2023 Budget Speech at the Cape Town City Hall. Of the R254 billion debt relief, R168 billion will be in capital while R86 billion will be in interest, said the the National Treasury in its 2023 Budget Review document. “Because of the structure of the debt relief, Eskom will not need further borrowing during the relief period. Government will finance the arrangement through the…
A National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) assistant director and her son (28), have been convicted by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court for unlawfully being in possession of top-secret information. Jacobeth Lepinka (52) and her son, Kedifentse (28), were convicted on Friday and will be sentenced on 16 May. National Hawks spokesperson Thandi Mbambo said: “In 2014, NPA discovered that Lepinka took the laptop with classified information to her place of residence without authorisation. “A case of theft was registered and the incident reported to the Hawks’ Head Office based Serious Corruption Investigation team for further handling. The investigation commenced and led the…
Eskom board member, Mteto Nyati, says the power utility and its board is working intently on five key priorities to improve the performance of power stations and ease load shedding as swiftly as possible. He was speaking on Thursday during a media briefing to update South Africans on the challenges facing the power utility. Nyati said there are priorities that require day-to-day focus, whilst others require the power utility to be “slightly more strategic”. The five priorities include the 24-month generation recovery plan, which has two key elements. “The first [element] is to make sure that we have and we…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all South Africans to pay for the electricity they use, as the country works towards overcoming the energy crisis. “As we work together to overcome the energy crisis, I call on all South Africans to pay for the electricity they use. We can only improve and expand the provision of electricity and other basic services if government and municipalities in particular have the means to do so. “Non-payment and illegal connections make electricity provision more expensive and less reliable,” the President said. Addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa said the global…
South Africa’s delegation at the recently concluded Annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, affirmed that the country is open to investment, and ready to partner with the local and global community to place the country’s economy on a higher, jobs-rich and more sustainable growth path. This is according to a statement by Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, who led South Africa’s delegation to the WEF meeting, which was held from 16 – 20 January 2023. “South Africa is on the road to economic recovery. The world recognises that. We have a long way to go, and economic outlook…
The Department of Small Business Development is working on an energy relief package for the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) with stakeholders to alleviate the devastating impact of load shedding on small businesses. SMMEs are particularly hit hard by continued power outages as many cannot afford alternative power sources such as generators. They are forced to pause trading during load shedding. As a result, some small businesses resort to selling perishable goods such as meat and vegetables at low prices, to avoid them rotting away, which affects their much-needed income. This has prompted Minister of Small Business Development Stella…
The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) says it is seeking legal advice and will respond soon to a lawyer’s letter sent to it pertaining to load shedding and the imminent electricity tariff increase. This after a group of lawyers sent a letter to the department demanding, among other things, that the increase granted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) not be implemented and that load shedding be immediately stopped or an explanation be provided as to why not. “The department received a letter from Mabuza Attorneys demanding that the department and Eskom make certain undertakings regarding load…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled his travel plans to Davos, Switzerland, in order to deal with the current load shedding crisis in the country. This was announced by the President’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, on Sunday evening. The President was due to lead a South African delegation to Davos on Tuesday and participate in several events linked to the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, including the Dialogue on Economics of Women’s Health and the Annual Welcome Dinner hosted by Professor Klaus and Hilde Schwab. “Due to the ongoing energy crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled his working visit to the…
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says international and local challenges continue to pose as obstacles in the growth of the economy. This as real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by some 1.6% in the third quarter of 2022. Speaking at the Pre-World Economic Forum (WEF) business breakfast held in Johannesburg on Thursday, the Minister said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and investment continue to have an impact on growth and warned that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine could have a devastating impact. “The theme [for the WEF meeting], Cooperation in a Fragmented World, captures the combination…