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…