Author: Agency

Government is expected to officially relaunch South African Airways (SAA) in Cape Town on Thursday. The event – which will mark two years since SAA returned to the skies – will also be used to announce the restart of the state-owned airliner’s direct flights to São Paulo, Brazil. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said the relaunch was a milestone for the airliner which had run into turbulence after it was grounded for 16 months and underwent business rescue and averted liquidation. “The upcoming event marks a very significant step in the resurgence of South African Airways. We look forward to…

South Africa is beginning to turn the corner in resolving the energy crisis. This according to Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who was briefing the media on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan in Pretoria on Monday. Improved performance of Eskom’s generating fleet meant the suspension of load shedding over the past weekend and much lower stages of the planned power outages during the week. “We have turned the corner, although we are not out of the woods yet. We are beginning to show sustained improved performance over an extended period of time and this…

South Africa Cabinet announced on Thursday that it has given the Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy (GHCS) the green light for implementation.  The move, according to the Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, will ensure South Africa becomes a major producer and exporter of green hydrogen. “Government has identified possible funding for green hydrogen projects and the draft Green Paper received extensive feedback from stakeholders,” she said on Thursday. The Minister was briefing the media on the outcomes of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting. Ntshavheni explained that the GHCS gives effect to the Hydrogen South Africa Strategy that was approved by Cabinet in 2007…

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has challenged tech conglomerate Meta to deal with misinformation and called for fair treatment when dealing with developed and developing countries. Speaking at the Meta for Government engagement on Wednesday, the Minister decried Meta’s platforms that are still flooded with fake news and misinformation. The engagement was in partnership with the Presidency and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), and Meta, the parent company of Facebook. “Anybody can be a journalist because of the ability of social media to be able to communicate and share information instantly.” The Minister also posed a question to…

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele has called on the union representing State Information Technology Agency (SITA) workers and the department to find an amicable resolution to the deadlocked wage negotiations. Earlier this week, members of the Public Servants Association (PSA) announced their strike action when wage negotiations had hit a dead end. “The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has been alerted by SITA of the deadlock with negotiations and the subsequent protest action.  The department acknowledges the rights of employees to embark on such action. “Although the department has noted calls for the Minister to intervene,…

Africa can produce more energy than it requires within the next 30 years if it takes advantage of its natural resources. This is according to Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who was delivering a keynote address on Green Hydrogen at the Africa Energy Week held in Cape Town. “We need to have a Pan African view in the exploitation of this energy carrier and our view is that by 2040 Africa can produce up to 50 times more energy from renewables than the world’s estimated demand. “This is as a result of our location advantages. I…

South Africa’s Census 2022 national results has shown an upward trend in ownership of refrigerators, televisions and cellphones.   “The overwhelming majority (92.1%) of households in the country owned a cellphone in working order, a notable increase from the 3.3% in 2001. Just under four-fifths (79%) of households owned televisions compared to the 52.6% in 2001,” Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke said. Furthermore, the data from Census 2022, which he handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday in Pretoria, shows that the ownership of a refrigerators/freezers increased from 53.8% in 2001 to 83.2% in 2022. “In contrast, households owning a radio…

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit has obtained a preservation order against assets related to a PPE matter worth R27 million in the Northern Cape. The order was granted against the assets of well-known Kimberley businessman Somandla Sibisi and his companies Macronym 37 and Aphiwokuhle Holdings. The frozen assets include a residential property bought for some R900 000, a business property – known as Live Café – bought for more than R2 million, kitchen equipment bought for over R300 000 and a 2013 model Audi A1 car bought for R130 000. NPA regional spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, explained that…

The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Energy Mobility Education Trust have concluded a three-year partnership agreement to fund postgraduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and commerce fields. The agreement is said to focus on traditionally marginalised groups and contribute to the transformation of the education landscape, with a specific focus on South Africans who are Black, female or people with a disability. According to the Energy Mobility Education Trust CEO, Vuyo Mwase, the move will promote academic, scientific, and technological cooperation by supporting full-time studies for South African postgraduate students at the Honours level for…

Eskom’s transmission expansion and strengthening will require a “considerable amount of resources” that will require government and the private sector to work together. This is according to Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, when he was briefing media on the progress of the Energy Action Plan. “We are looking to tap into the liquidity that is available from the private sector to allow us an opportunity to expand the grid so that we are able to accommodate the renewable energy solutions that have been rolled out in the country, and a number of them have not been…