Author: Agency
The Information Regulator has invited all public and private bodies to submit their Annual Reports for the 2022-2023 financial year on access to information requests received and processed by 30 June 2023. In terms of section 32 of the Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA), the information officer of every public body must submit – on an annual basis – a report to the Regulator in respect of access to information requests received and processed by the public body. Section 83(4) of PAIA empowers the Regulator to also request the heads of private bodies to furnish it with reports about…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 880 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to safeguard a number of Eskom power stations around the country. The President has informed Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Amos Masondo, in writing. According to the statement released on Saturday, the soldiers work with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the prevention and combating of crime and maintenance and preservation of law and order in the Republic of South Africa under Operation Prosper. “Members of the SANDF employed will…
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, is expected to visit Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in the Eastern Cape today. The Minister will visit the Volkswagen (VW) and Isuzu plants based in Gqeberha. “The Minister’s visit to the OEM’s is part of his continuous engagements with the automotive industry on their challenges caused by the current electricity crisis and possible short to medium term solutions,” his office said in a statement. Prior to Friday’s visit, Ramokgopa on Thursday visited the chief executive officer of the Mercedes-Benz East London manufacturing plant Andreas Brand. During the visit, Ramokgopa said government…
State power utility Eskom has announced that load shedding will be ramped up to higher stages this afternoon (Tuesday) due to delays in the return to service of at least nine generating units. Stage 6 load shedding will commence from 4pm this afternoon until 5am on Wednesday morning. This will be followed by Stage 4 which will remain in place until 4pm. Stage 6 will then commence again with a drop down to Stage 3 from 5am on Thursday morning. “The delays in returning a unit to service at Arnot, Camden, Duvha, Kendal, Kriel, Lethabo, Matimba, Matla and Tutuka power…
Cabinet has called on South Africans to use electricity sparingly as part of the Demand Side Management (DSM) initiatives. This as Cabinet called on the nation to lower electricity usage, especially during periods of high energy consumption, typically from 5pm to 9pm, as part of Demand Side Management initiatives. “By lowering our consumption we can create a win-win situation that both reduces pressure on the power grid and saves households money without affecting business productivity or quality of life,” said Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. The Minister was addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing in Pretoria. “Cabinet calls on everyone…
Former Eskom’s Kriel Power Station finance manager, Sifiso Masina, has been convicted of fraud and theft in the Kriel Regional Court. According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), Masina was sentenced to some eight years imprisonment, wholly suspended “on condition that the accused is not convicted of fraud and theft during the period of suspension”. The Hawks explained that the conviction and sentence come as a result of investigations into payments Masina made during 2011 and 2012 to two companies linked to him. “The companies are Mandlenkosi Logistics, which, during investigation, it was discovered that it belongs…
Eskom is expected to implement various stages of load shedding over the upcoming long weekend. Stage 4 load shedding is expected to be implemented from 4pm today to 5am tomorrow (Thursday) morning and will drop to Stage 2 between 5am and 4pm tomorrow. From then on, Stage 4 will be implemented until 5am on Friday, followed by Stage 3. That pattern will continue until Sunday when Stage 4 load shedding will drop down to Stage 1 between 5am until 4pm, when Stage 3 load shedding will commence. On Wednesday morning, Eskom reported that some 16 283MW of capacity was unavailable due…
The National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has called on the public to comment on the draft legislative amendments to give effect to the two renewable energy tax incentives, announced in the 2023 Budget. The proposals, which were published on Friday, assist in partially addressing the country’s energy crisis and encourage private investment into expanding electricity generation. “This initial batch of the 2023 draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (TLAB) covers these two specific tax amendments, and are urgent, due to the proposed early effective dates for implementation, and to enhance certainty for individuals and businesses that would…
Eskom Acting Group Chief Executive, Calib Cassim, says the power utility has launched a national demand side management initiative which could save some 1500MW of energy for the grid. Cassim was addressing the National Demand Side Management Indaba on Monday. On Sunday evening alone, demand exceeded Eskom’s capacity availability by at least 3885MW. The deficit can reach more than 5000MW during afternoon peaks. Demand side management is seen as a tool that can help the power utility to potentially reduce load shedding. “Eskom needs to focus on the supply in terms of our own plants, as well as getting the…
In his weekly newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is determined to tackle both the energy crisis and climate change together. “The country is faced with both an electricity crisis and a climate crisis, which we must tackle together. Our position is clear and principled: it is possible for us to prioritise our immediate energy needs without jeopardising our climate commitments, and we are determined to do so. “In fact, we must accelerate the pace of investment in new renewable electricity generation as an important part of the plan to overcome load shedding,” the President said on Monday. While the country…