Author: Agency
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…
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the investment commitment by both Ford and Metair Investments reflects long-term confidence in South Africa as a key link in the global automotive value chain. On Tuesday, President Ramaphosa officiated the launch of the Metair Investments subsidiary Hesto Harnesses, where a new 35 000 square-metre state-of-the-art manufacturing plant was unveiled in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal. In partnership with Yazaki Corporation, Hesto Harnesses manufactures wiring harnesses and instrument clusters for supply to South African-based automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan and Ford. The President was very impressed at the grand opening of Metair’s R500 million manufacturing facility for…
The government has announced that it has increased the wind energy allocation for Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) bid window six to 3 200MW due to the urgent need for increased capacity in the electricity system. The procurement allocations now stand at 3 200MW for wind energy and 1 000MW sought from solar energy suppliers. The REIPPPP is aimed at urgently addressing the country’s energy needs and deficit by adding more megawatts to the grid through procuring and adding onto the grid renewable energy sources. According to a government statement, the increase is in response to the…
President Cyril Ramaphosa will be travelling to Washington this week following an invitation by United States President Joe Biden. President Ramaphosa accepted the invitation delivered by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during his recent visit to South Africa. President Ramaphosa will hold talks at the White House with President Biden on 16 September 2022. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Minister Naledi Pandor, said the President’s visit to the US provides government an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations through engagement and deepen multilateralism through the United Nations (UN), a primary vehicle through which the international community must…
Eskom says it has returned at least 37 generation units to service following what Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jan Oberholzer, called a “disastrous week” for the power utility. Last week, Eskom announced that Stage 2 load shedding would be implemented throughout the week. However, the breakdown of some 42 generation units quickly escalated load shedding to Stage 4 by Saturday. Oberholzer, together with Eskom management, briefed media on Monday morning on the state of the power system and the challenges it faces. Describing a week in which Eskom suffered generation unit breakdowns and slow returns to service, Oberholzer acknowledged that the…
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has warned that if not abated, illegal mining “will reach crisis proportions” and poses a “threat to national security, government authority and socio-economic development” in the country. Mantashe made these remarks during a National Plenary discussion on illegal mining in Parliament on Thursday afternoon. “This criminal activity is in contravention of our laws and forms part of many other economic related crimes that are afflicting our society. Illegal mining is associated with very serious crimes such as illicit financial flows and high levels of violence, including gender-based violence and femicide. Furthermore, we have…
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has received over 85 000 applications and will soon interview candidates for its project to digitise civil documents. The DHA working with the Department of Employment and Labour advertised job opportunities to recruit 10 000 unemployed young graduates to make digital copies of paper records. According to the department, of the 85 820 applications received, 23 374 have qualified to be assessed and interviewed. The new digitisation programme was first announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February 2022, which forms part of his Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES).…
Plans to expand the KwaZulu-Natal ports – which are expected to position KZN ports at the international forefront – have been approved by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) board. According Transnet, the expansion will see some R100 billion spent on the Durban and Richards Bay ports. “The expansion plans…seek to position the Durban Port as an international container hub that will boast an increased container capacity of 11.4 million TEUs [twenty-foot equivalent units] and automative capacity exceeding 900 000 units. “The Richards Bay Port is being positioned as a dry bulk port and the plans are also aligned to the…