Author: Agency

The Department of Health (DOH) says it is in consultation with scientists over a highly transmissible variant of the COVID-19 virus. This after media reports over the weekend said the country had found its first case of the variant. “[The department] has been alerted about this highly transmissible XBB.1.5 variant and is currently in discussions with the scientists to gather more information including its transmissibility and severity. Thus, an official communication will be made in due course. “In the meantime [the department] is appealing to everyone to vaccinate, get boosters, wear your masks, keep the distance, avoid overcrowded places and…

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced that the price of both grades of petrol will decrease by R2.06 per litre, while diesel is to drop by between R2.68 (500ppm) and R2.80 (50ppm). The new prices, effective from Wednesday, mean that a litre of 95 unleaded petrol will now cost R20.75 at the coast and R21.40 inland. 93 unleaded now costs R21.10. The wholesale price of 50ppm diesel is set to drop to R20.79, although retail prices, which vary between outlets, will be higher. The price of Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale) will drop by R1.93, while the Single…

Four men have been denied bail in the Carletonville Magistrates’ Court for their alleged involvement in illegal mining. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said the four men – Bethuel Ngobeni, Nhlahla Magwaca and the Sechele brothers, Thabo and Moseki – are part of six men are alleged to be kingpins in illegal mining activities in South Africa. At least two others, Dumisani Moyo and Kudzai Mashaya, also remain behind bars on similar charges. “The six are facing seven counts of unlawful dealing in precious metals, three counts of fraud and money laundering. Four of the accused, Ngobeni, Magwaca,…

Eskom has downgraded load shedding to Stage 4 this morning (Wednesday) after Stage 6 load shedding was implemented on Tuesday evening. Stage 4 load shedding is expected to continue until further notice. “[Stage 6 was] necessary to ensure sufficient generation capacity is available tonight to replenish the dam levels at the pumped storage power station so that this capacity will be available during the day [on Wednesday]. “The breakdown of six generating units during the day has necessitated the escalation in the load shedding stage,” Eskom said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the state owned power utility says electricity supply has been…

The National Treasury has welcomed the recent passing of two bills by the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). The General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Bill and the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities (POCDATARA) Amendment Bill were passed by the two houses recently. In a statement, the Treasury said the passage of the Bills demonstrates government’s commitment to fight corruption and terror financing, and represents “a giant step” towards South Africa complying with the 40 Financial Action Task Force (TAFT) recommendations. The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, introduced the…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has encouraged South Africans to remain optimistic, even as “we brace against harsh winds”. “We are a nation that perseveres, and that never gives up. We will overcome our current challenges, as surely as we did the pandemic that threatened to lay waste to our nation. “Misfortune has tested us over the past year, but these hard times have brought to the fore once more the traits for which we are known as South Africans,” the President said in his weekly newsletter on Monday. As 2022 draws to a close, President Ramaphosa urged the nation to reflect…

National Treasury says it continues to engage with the Department of Public Enterprises and Eskom with the aim of identifying solutions to the purchase of diesel. On Thursday, the Treasury said it had noted the recent public interest and media queries requesting clarity about discussions to assist Eskom with the purchase of diesel. In a statement on Thursday, it said: “The staggered nature of the budget process, which allows for the necessary legislative and executive oversight as well as for well-informed planning about how to allocate the country’s scarce financial resources, makes it difficult to consider and accommodate any ad…

Eskom has delayed the start of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s maintenance outage to next week Saturday to allow the strained national power grid to stabilise and recover some generation capacity. This after the power utility implemented Stage 6 power cuts until Friday morning – leaving some neighbourhoods without any power for up to four hours per rotation. Eskom Acting Chief Nuclear Officer, Sadika Touffie, said the decision to delay the refuelling and maintenance outage is necessary. “While Eskom is ready to commence with the outage, with the contractors and all the requisite resources on standby, grid stability is an…

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…