Author: Agency
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…
Eskom has signed leasing contracts with four renewable energy companies to build new renewable energy facilities on land owned by the power utility. The four companies – HDF Energy SA, Red Rocket SA, Sola Group and Mainstream Renewable Power Developments SA – are expected to be connected to the national grid within 24 to 36 months and contribute some 2000MW to the grid. The final capacity that these projects will contribute will be determined following comprehensive feasibility studies by the companies. Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said the land is near the Majuba and Tutuka Power Stations in Mpumalanga, allowing…
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has encouraged applicants of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R350 grant not to change their bank details frequently because every new account must be verified. “Once your bank details are loaded or updated, please wait for a response from your bank before changing your details. “With regards to payments, we are still having challenges with beneficiaries who upload incorrect bank details. We also urge all approved applicants who are not yet paid to check the status of bank verification, and if needs be, correct their banking details,” the Minister said. Minister Zulu was…
President Cyril Ramaphosa says Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres play a critical role in laying solid foundations for South Africa’s future leaders. The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter just days after opening the Little Flower ECD centre in Bizana, in the Eastern Cape. The President emphasised that children in these centres must be nurtured. “The young children in these centres are the next generation of South Africans who must be able to live up to their full potential as responsible, capable and outstanding citizens. “They must be able to pursue their dreams so that we all may…
Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has announced new fee amendments for South African passports and travel documents in terms of section 4(1)(e) of the South African Passports and Travel Documents Act, 1994 (Act No. 4 of 1994), and in consultation with the Minister of Finance. The amended fees, which were published in the Government Gazette No. 47256 (attached) on 06 October 2022, come into operation on 1 November 2022. Section 4(1)(e) of the South African Passports and Travel Documents Act, 1994, enables the Minister of Home Affairs to make regulations regarding the fees payable for the issuance of a…
President Cyril Ramaphosa says government will continue to build on the success of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) and expand its reach, as it pursues economic growth to deliver decent and sustainable employment at a much larger scale. In his weekly newsletter to the nation, the President said that the PES is still very much needed to complement recovery efforts in the job market. The PES was launched less than two years ago to create jobs and support livelihoods, as part of supporting economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The PES has just reached a milestone of one million participants reached…
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) welcomes the Special Tribunal order for the Systems Applications Products (SAP) to payback the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) more than R81 million. In March 2022, the Special Tribunal ordered SAP to repay DWS R413 million, which is the total amount paid by DWS to SAP between 2015 and 2016 for software licence and support contracts. The contracts value was over R1 billion. However, SAP disputed an amount of R83 million for third party costs it incurred. In a new order, dated 29 September 2022, the Special Tribunal ruled that SAP pays DWS the…
Special Investigating Unit (SIU) head, Advocate Andy Mothibi, says the unit has gathered enough evidence for civil, prosecutorial and disciplinary action to be taken against those who allegedly “siphoned” some R279 million from the coffers of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). Mothibi was briefing the National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry on Tuesday. The corruption-fighting unit recently concluded the first phase of an investigation into allegations of maladministration, fraud and corruption at the NLC, which revealed how some NLC officials and board members allegedly illegally benefitted from funding grants meant for public benefit through non-profit organisations (NPOs). “This…
Applications for Phase IV of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) in the Basic Education sector have opened today and will close on 16 October 2022. In a statement on Sunday, the Department of Basic Education announced that Phase IV will offer job opportunities to 255 100 youth across the nine provinces in around 20 000 public ordinary schools and schools for learners with special education needs (LSEN). “Phase IV comes as the country‘s youth have reaped the benefits of more than 850 000 job opportunities coupled with training that was offered throughout this initiative. The applications will officially open…
Eskom will continue to implement load shedding this week due to constraints from its diesel suppliers that is affecting the availability of bulk diesel to the Ankerlig and Gourikwa Open Cycle Gas Turbines, which have a combined capacity of 2 000MW. In a statement on Sunday, Eskom said Stage 3 load shedding would continue to be implemented between 00:00 and 16:00 until Thursday, while Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented daily during the evening peaks from 16:00 until 00:00. “While we expect diesel deliveries from Tuesday onwards, should this uncertainty of supply persist, higher stages of load shedding may…
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has launched a seminal discussion paper on Unclaimed Assets that have accumulated to almost R90 billion across the financial sector. The authority this week said the majority of these assets are in retirement funds. In a statement, the FSCA said the discussion paper builds on work done it had done with the National Treasury to find a solution that will lead to increased disbursements of unclaimed assets to beneficial owners. FSCA Commissioner, Unathi Kamlana, said work is continuing to establish the “true value of unclaimed assets in the sector, given that these assets are…
The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has hiked the repurchase rate (repo rate) by 75 basis points. The increase means that the repo rate will now be 6.25% per year from 23 September 2022, with prime now at 9.75%. The MPC made the decision during its meeting on Wednesday. This was the fifth consecutive increment following a two 25 basis points hike in November and in January. The repo rate was hiked by 50 basis points at the May meeting. The MPC upped the ante, with a 75 basis point rise at its July meeting. Addressing media…
Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, says the power utility is working hard to bring back failing generation units and restore stability to the grid. This after multiple trips, breakdowns and delays in return to service at generation units caused the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding over the weekend. De Ruyter said teams at coal fired power stations are “working flat out” to bring back generation units as quickly as they can. He warned, however, that not all units will be immediately available to feed the grid. “We are planning to bring back 1 590 MW by (Sunday) peak and…
Deputy President David Mabuza has acknowledged that illegal mining is a major challenge in South Africa. “It has grown to the point where it is a major source of concern not only for the government, but also for the mining industry and the communities that are located close to illegal mining operations,” he told Parliamentarians on Thursday. He was responding to questions for oral reply in the National Assembly. He told Members of Parliament that the police and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy will appoint specialised teams in each province to fight illegal mining. “We agreed that illegal…
Deputy President David Mabuza has assured Parliamentarians that there are no plans to privatise the national power utility, Eskom. “Government’s policy options and positions have not reached the point where privatisation is seen as an answer to providing better solutions to the current problems that are facing Eskom,” he said. The Deputy President was responding to questions for oral reply in the National Assembly on Thursday. Questions posed to the Deputy President by members of political parties represented in Parliament covered issues on Eskom, measures underway to curb illegal mining activities and the outcomes of the recent Communal Land Summit.…
A further three suspects have been arrested in relation to a R60 million fraudulent traffic licensing swindle at the Mbombela and White River Traffic Departments. The arrests were confirmed by the Hawks on Wednesday. Hawks spokesperson, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, said the trio, aged between 36 and 42, are from the Mbombela Municipality and the two traffic departments. They are expected to appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate Court today. They were arrest during a joint operation by the Hawks Nelspruit-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation and Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in Mbombela and White River for fraud, theft and money…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded the opening of the R7.7 billion Sappi Saiccor Mill upgrade and expansion project in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal. The Sappi Saiccor upgrade and expansion project is aimed at increasing the capacity and global competitiveness of Sappi Saiccor Mill, while also creating employment opportunities in the short- and lon- term. The project marks the fulfilment of a commitment the company made at the first South Africa Investment Conference in 2018, when President Ramaphosa called for investments into the South African economy. The first Investment Conference was convened with the aim of raising R1.2 trillion in new investments over…