Author: Agency
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…