Author: Agency
The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has welcomed a Responsible Asset Allocator Initiative (RAAI) survey that ranked the corporation amongst the top 30 global sovereign wealth funds and asset managers for their responsible investment practices. The annual survey acknowledges the PIC’s commitment to incorporate ESG principles – Environmental, Social impact and Governance – into all its investment decisions. The PIC, as a signatory of both the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investments (UNPRI) and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), subscribes to the Code for Responsible Investment in South Africa (CRISA) and applies the King IV codes on good governance. In…
Medical experts say it is beneficial to take the COVID-19 vaccine, as they try to address vaccine hesitancy. According to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (SAHPRA) Pharmacovigilance Manager, Mafora Matlala, adverse side effects is one of the leading drivers of vaccine hesitancy. The drug watchdog’s data shows that some of the top adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for COVID-19 include headache, local reaction, fever and dizziness. “We are not surprised they are minor. So, this is just to alleviate that fear that you do not have to be scared of the AEFI,” she said. “However, people should rather…
The Green Hydrogen Export Special Economic Zone to be developed in the Northern Cape, with Sasol as an anchor investor, is expected to economically benefit the previously marginalised sectors in a province that is one of the poorest in terms of demographics. “The intention is to have a dedicated green grid, electrolizer park and green hydrogen related Special Economic Zone to manufacture green hydrogen industry related goods and services in the Northern Cape,” Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy said on Monday. Addressing the launch of the Northern Cape Green Hydrogen Strategy at the United Nations Framework…
Energy investments will help overcome the debilitating load shedding that the country is currently experiencing, as new electricity generation capacity comes online, says President Cyril Ramaphosa. In his weekly newsletter to the country, the President said that energy continues to be an area of growth in South Africa as the 25 preferred bidders in the fifth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme are together expected to invest around R50 billion into the economy. He said that the increase of the licensing threshold for embedded generation to 100 megawatts is likely to result in substantial private investment…
South Africa has vaccinated 10 930 people on Sunday, of which 2 361 were children between the ages of 12 and 17. According to the Department of Health, this means there is now 23 151 823 distributed doses since the start of the inoculation programme. Data shows that 12 855 692 or 32% adults are now fully vaccinated. In addition, there are 210 149 single Pfizer doses given to teenagers in the country. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases identified in South Africa now stands at 2 923 956 with 205…
Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, says the Department of Public Enterprises is working closely with the Board of Eskom and management to ensure that it limits the daily duration of load shedding and the period for which this intervention will be required. The Minister announced this on Thursday during a media briefing on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. “Cabinet acknowledges the disruptions and inconvenience of intermittent load shedding experienced by South Africans in recent days.” Meanwhile, according to the Minister, National Treasury has been roped in to grant Eskom appropriate exemptions to acquire the spare…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on world leaders to take “bold action” in accelerating decarbonisation of energy systems. The President made the call in a message he delivered vitually at the COP26 Energy Session on Thursday. In his message, the President acknowledged that climate change undoubtedly presented a critical and urgent threat to humanity. “This is so because it will have devastating consequences for our economies and societies if we do not take action now. “There is no longer any doubt that climate change presents a critical and urgent threat to humanity.” Accelerating decarbonisation of energy systems, he said, would…
As more results are finalised in the aftermath of Monday’s 2021 Local Government Elections, a picture of coalition local governments has begun to emerge. Vote counting is progressing at the IEC’s Results Operations Centre on Tuesday and the Electoral Commission anticipates tallying 90% of the votes by this evening. With no outright winner in the seven-seat Kannaland Local Municipality, in the Garden Route District Municipality, a coalition government would have to be formed, results show. A breakdown of the total tallied votes show that while the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (ICOSA) secured a majority of the cast ballots,…
Eskom says it plans to add at least 30GW of new generation capacity – mainly from solar and wind energy sources – to the system over the next 10 years. This was revealed in the power utility’s Transmission Development Plan for 2022 to 2031 which was presented to various stakeholders. Eskom said it will be building the required infrastructure to accommodate the envisioned extra capacity. “To provide for an adequate and reliable transmission system, Eskom plans to increase the transmission infrastructure by approximately 8 400 km of extra high-voltage lines and 119 transformers to bring on board 58 970 MVA…
The R350 COVID-19 Grant beneficiaries who opted to use the South African Post Office for the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant payment have been encouraged to collect their R350 only after receiving an SMS informing them that their grant is available. The Post Office said beneficiaries can visit their nearest Pick ‘n Pay or Boxer supermarket or post office to collect their grant. “If you chose a bank account or cash send as your payment method, you will receive the money through the bank you chose. You cannot go to one of the supermarkets. Beneficiaries who have received…