Author: Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded the country for being able to rebuild the supporting architecture to investigate and prosecute serious and other crimes within a short space of time. This comes after the announcement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) last week that it had reached a settlement with an international company implicated in corruption at Eskom. In his weekly newsletter to the country, President Ramaphosa described this as a huge development in the country’s effort to hold those responsible for state capture to account. The NPA Investigating Directorate finalised a landmark agreement with Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd to…

Presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says President Cyril Ramaphosa is still engaging stakeholders with regards to the way forward following findings by an Independent Section 89 panel that the President may have violated his oath of office. The panel was formed to look into the circumstances around a robbery at the President’s Phala Phala game farm and found that President Ramaphosa may have seriously violated sections 96(2)(a) of the Constitution and Section 34(1) of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities (PRECCA) Act – allegations the President said he “categorically denies”. At a media briefing last night, Magwenya said the President…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says Swiss engineering company, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), is expected to pay some R2.5 billion in “punitive reparations to South Africa” for its part in State Capture. The company was allegedly irregularly awarded a lucrative control and instrumentation contract at Eskom’s Kusile Power Station in 2015 after allegedly colluding with Eskom officials. “This settlement represents a bold and innovative step towards accountability and justice for alleged offenders, particularly in the form of restitution for the serious crimes committed at Eskom during the state capture period. “This agreement was reached in line with Section 64(e) of…

Cabinet has approved the 2022 Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Decadal Plan, which serves as an implementation guide of the 2019 White Paper on STI. Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said on Thursday that Cabinet approved the draft plan in March 2021 and has since been enriched through further consultation with relevant stakeholders. The plan has five thematic focus areas which are as follows: – modernisation of agricultural, manufacturing and mining sectors; – exploitation of new sources of growth, particularly the digital and circular economy; – large research and innovation programmes in the areas of health and energy; – utilising…

People living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) who collect their medication from government clinics have the option of collecting their medication from a Post Office collection point. On the eve of World AIDS Day on 1 December, the South African Post Office (Sapo) said anyone who collects chronic medication from a government clinic, but who lives closer to a post office than the clinic, can request to collect their medication from the Post Office. “The service is aimed at patients who live or work closer to a post office than a government clinic. The main benefit of the service is longer service…

Mineral Resources and Energy Deputy Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, says South Africa must find technological solutions that can maximise the usage of minerals such as coal with “minimal carbon” emissions. She was speaking at the 17th South African Geophysical Association conference held at Sun City on Tuesday. “As the DMRE [Department of Mineral Resources and Energy], we have emphasised moving from higher carbon emission towards lower carbon emissions as opposed to completely abandoning coal. “Technologies such as carbon capture usage and storage must be explored fully and so must mechanisms by which we could mix fossil energy sources with clean sources…

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has honoured Huawei for unearthing talent in the information communication technology (ICT) sector, especially during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). “The 4IR imperatives require drastic digital transformation and skills development. Digital transformation cannot happen without skills acquisition,” the Minister said on Monday. Nzimande was speaking during the Huawei South Africa ICT Talent Development Annual Awards ceremony on Monday, celebrating and honouring the excellent Huawei ICT Academy Instructors. The programme is one of the initiatives in which Huawei collaborates with universities and colleges to train, develop and certify ICT talent across South…

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has adopted a hydrogen investment strategy aimed at unlocking value through funding and the provision of early-stage capital for the development of the hydrogen value chain. Sekgoela Sekgoela, a Senior Investor Relations Specialist at the PIC, on Monday said the strategy further seeks to leverage on more than 200 hydrogen projects that have been announced worldwide and the more than $250 billion (approximately R4.3 trillion) required for the development of a hydrogen economy in South Africa. “The South African government, through its Hydrogen Roadmap, has identified hydrogen as a possible investment avenue. Hydrogen promises to…

The repurchase rate (repo rate) in South Africa reached 7% after the SA Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) agreed to a 75 basis points hike. The increase means that the repo rate will now be 7% per year from 25 November 2022, with prime now at 10.5%. The development was on Thursday announced by SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago during a press briefing. Addressing media, the Governor said three members of the MPC preferred the announced increase. “Two member preferred a 50% basis points increase,” he said. The level of the repurchase rate is now above the level prevailing…

While the South African economy has experienced various challenges, including electricity shortages, work is underway to ensure that the country attracts investment. “While there are many attractions and huge potential for investors in South Africa, there are a number of constraints on economic growth and social development. For more than a decade, South Africa has been confronted with a shortage of electricity,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa. The President made these remarks at the SA-UK Business Roundtable in London on the second day of his two-day State Visit to the United Kingdom, on Wednesday. “We have taken urgent steps to remedy…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the African Union to be made a permanent member of the G20. The G20 is a group of 20 countries with leading economies which come together to discuss policy on health, trade and other issues. The President was speaking during the Working Session on Food and Energy Security at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, held in Bali, Indonesia. President Ramaphosa said the addition of the African Union will give a more unified approach to solving challenges currently plaguing the world. “We call for continued G20 support for the African Renewable Energy Initiative as a means…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government remains committed to transformation of the economy and empowerment. He was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter. The President’s assertion follows a week where the National Treasury published a new set of Preferential Procurement Regulations. “The new regulations are not ‘a victory for sound business practices’ as one interest group has claimed. What is unsound, unsustainable and, above all, immoral, is an economy that benefits the few at the expense of the many. “Put plainly, we remain as committed as ever to broad-based black economic empowerment, meeting our localisation objectives and transforming an economy…

Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented from 4pm and Tuesday evening until 5am, Eskom said on Monday. Stage two load shedding will then kick off between 5am and 4pm on Tuesday. “The higher stage of load shedding is mainly due to high levels of breakdowns as well as the depleted emergency generation reserves. “Load shedding is implemented only as a last resort in view of the shortage of generation capacity and the need to attend to breakdowns,” an Eskom statement read. The power utility currently has 16 992MW of capacity unavailable due to breakdowns with a further 4177MW off due…

The National Planning Commission (NPC) has called for a sense of urgency in the execution of the National Implementation Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector. Cabinet recently approved the Framework, which provides five pillars on interventions in professionalising the public service. The pillars include pre-entry recruitment and selection within the public service; induction and onboarding; planning and performance management; continuous learning and professional development; and career progression and incidents. “The focus should now be on implementation. While some aspects of the framework will need legislative amendments, ministerial directives and regulations, others can be implemented immediately,” the NPC said…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the time has come for the African continent to integrate and work more closely together. The President was speaking at the Kenya-South Africa Business Forum held on Wednesday evening in the East African country where he is on an official state visit. “For us to surge forward, to address the issue of integration, it is about time that indeed Africa is more integrated. When we look at other continents, especially Europe, their inter trade is up to 70% and ours is a paltry less than 20%. “When you go into the markets that we have…I often…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Kenyans will now be able to enter South Africa visa free for a period of 90 days. The President made the announcement during an Official State Visit to the country on Wednesday. During the visit several Memoranda of Understanding and agreements were signed between the two countries. The President said an agreement was reached on the “thorny issue” during talks. “We agreed that indeed Kenyans should be able to visit South Africa without requiring them to have visas… this dispensation will commence on the 1st of January 2023 and that our officials will speed…

Eskom has announced an online platform in response to what it calls an “overwhelming response” to its call for skilled and experienced persons to support the power utility’s turnaround strategy. The platform enables prospective workers to submit their details directly to Eskom at https://www.eskom.co.za/crowdsource/. “A digital platform and governance mechanism have been designed and implemented to reap the full benefits of the diversity of skills across the country through the crowdsourcing of these skills into the business. “Crowdsourcing differs from recruitment, in that it is triggered by specific technical challenges, is not linked to a permanent position, and it targets a…

Eskom says addressing its debt challenges is key to its turnaround strategy. This after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in the Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) that government will be taking over a portion of the power utility’s R400 billion debt. “Addressing Eskom’s debt levels is a key component to the turnaround plan envisaged under the Department of Public Enterprises’ ‘Roadmap for Eskom in a Reformed Electricity Supply Industry’ and as noted in the MTBPS, a debt takeover by government (together with other reforms at Eskom and in the South African electricity sector) will ensure the long term financial sustainability…

Eskom has announced that Stage 1 and 2 load shedding will be implemented for the rest of this week. Stage 1 load shedding will be implemented every day from 5am until 4pm with Stage 2 then taking effect from 4pm until 5am. “The increase in load shedding is mainly due to the need to preserve emergency generation reserves, the delay in returning four generating units to service while many running units are operating at reduced capacity due to technical faults. “Eskom will publish a further update as soon as there are any significant changes. Load shedding is implemented only as…

The last generating unit of Eskom’s coal-fired Komati Power Station has officially been taken off the grid and the power station has been completely decommissioned after supplying electricity to South Africans since 1961. According to Eskom, the move is in line with legislative requirements. “Unit 9 was commissioned in March 1966, the last of the nine units that were built. Other units were shut down over the years as they reached the end of their operating life. “Eskom has transferred the majority of Komati employees from the power station to support and augment the skills in other power stations and…

The South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) trade statistics for September 2022 recorded a preliminary trade balance surplus of R19.70 billion. These statistics include trade data with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN), SARS said in a statement. “The year-to-date (01 January to 30 September 2022) preliminary trade balance surplus of R175.42 billion is a deterioration from the R346.88 billion trade balance surplus for the comparable period in 2021. Exports increased by 22.0% year-on-year whilst imports increased by 27.1% over the same period,” said the revenue collector. SARS said the R19.70 billion preliminary trade balance surplus for September 2022 was attributable…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africans should be best informed by the South African government on matters of State security. The President said it was unfortunate that the United States government issued a terror alert on Wednesday without discussing it with the South African government. “It was quite unfortunate that the US government issued that type of warning without having had deep… discussions with us. “Following that, we were able to engage them and to get to understand precisely where this warning or this information has come from. We are in the course of doing precisely that because warnings such…

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) Acting Group CEO, Hishaam Emeran, has welcomed a 15 years’ direct imprisonment sentence that was handed to two illegal immigrants for the theft and smelting of the entity’s stolen copper cables and assets worth R2.6 million. “Though the theft of rail infrastructure is still a reality, the efficiency of the justice system in dealing with this scourge is commendable,” Emeran said on Thursday. The incident happened in February 2020 when PRASA’s Area Security Commander was alerted of the theft of electrical overhead cables in the Benoni area near Modderbee Correctional Services. The…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the export of South African products to markets in other countries has a lasting effect on the fight against unemployment in the country. He was speaking at the opening of a Lulu Hypermarket in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during an official State Visit to the country. Lulu Hypermarket is an international chain which sells South African products in its Saudi Arabian store. The President said the 500 South African products that are being sold at the hypermarket make an impact on the lives of those exporting the products. “[These products] create jobs in South Africa…

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the “phenomenally successful” official State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this weekend has paved the way for billions of dollars’ worth of investments to flow into South Africa. The visit to the Middle Eastern country was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and trade relations between the two countries. The President was accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform Thoko Didiza, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe and Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula on…