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Legislative Environment News

Alexforbes launches new transformation policy

By: Darren Parker 19th May 2022 Financial services company Alexforbes Investments launched its new transformation policy on May 19. The policy launch took place in conjunction with the publication of the company’s new Transformation Survey, which helped inform the policy. →

Ramaphosa tables fourth part of Zondo report, Parliament to start working on published parts

By: News24Wire 18th May 2022 President Cyril Ramaphosa tabled the fourth part of the State Capture Inquiry's report with Parliament on Tuesday - and, in a turnaround from the African National Congress's previous stance, affected committees will deal with the published parts of the report. "Parliament confirms receipt of Part... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Input into draft National Labour Migration Policy, Employment Services Bill requested

By: Donna Slater 16th May 2022 The Mpumalanga Department of Employment and Labour is inviting stakeholders to make inputs at a May 19 workshop on the draft National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) and the Employment Services (ES) Bill, following their February 28 release. The workshop – to be held at 10.00 at the MacBest... →

Creecy issues call for air quality appeals panel nominees

By: Darren Parker 13th May 2022 Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has initiated the process to appoint an expert panel in terms of Section 3 of the National Environment Management Act, to advise her on appeals related to air quality matters currently under consideration. The Department of Forestry,... →

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy

Stats SA given R2.8bn for current financial year

By: Donna Slater 10th May 2022 Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele reports that through the 2022/2023 budget vote for Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the entity will, over the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF), be given R2.8-billion in the 2022/23 financial year; R2.6-billion in 2023/24 and R2.8-billion in... →

New infrastructure vulnerable to climate change owing to mismanagement, corruption

By: Darren Parker 10th May 2022 New infrastructure was just as vulnerable to climate change as ageing infrastructure, said South African Local Government Association (Salga) senior climate change adviser Slindile Maphumulo on May 10. She explained that, while ageing infrastructure was vulnerable to being damaged or destroyed... →

Groups welcome expiry of enviro authorisation for proposed coal-fired power station

By: Donna Slater 10th May 2022 The Pretoria High Court confirmed, on May 3, that the environmental authorisation for the planned 600 MW KiPower coal-fired power station had expired, meaning the proposed power station cannot be built. KiPower was intended to be built outside Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga – a region with poor air... →

ECSA elects its first female president

By: Darren Parker 6th May 2022 The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) elected its first female president Refilwe Buthelezi following the sixth term council special meeting on May 5. ECSA has not had a female president since its inception, with ECSA stating on May 6 that the election of Buthelezi in the engineering and... →

NPA, Eskom meet to collaborate on State capture and organised crime

By: Donna Slater 6th May 2022 The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), led by National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shamila Batohi and Eskom CEO André de Ruyter met on May 5 to discuss appropriate collaboration on State capture cases and other organised crimes against Eskom. Batohi and De Ruyter were accompanied... →

Nersa to hold public hearings on municipal tariff benchmarks in May

By: Darren Parker 6th May 2022 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) will approve its yearly percentage guideline increase and review municipal tariff benchmarks at a public hearing on May 13. This follows the publication of a consultation paper on March 30 on the review of the municipal tariff guideline... →

City of Jhb clamps down on construction of illegal structures

By: Darren Parker 6th May 2022 Over the past four months, from January to April, the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Development Planning has issued almost 300 compliance notices to property owners who have erected illegal structures without approved building plans, a statement issued by the city’s development planning... →

Unions in passenger bus wage talks ink 6% wage deal

By: News24Wire 6th May 2022 The South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (Sarpbac) has announced that unions at the passenger bus wage talks have accepted a 6% wage offer and signed a deal with employers in the sector. This comes after months of tense negotiating between employer representatives and labour at the... →

Competition practice note published to improve conduct, entry barriers, inclusivity

By: Donna Slater 4th May 2022 The Competition Commission published a practice note on the Promotion of Competition and Inclusion in Supplier Panels of Banks and Insurers on February 28, building on the enforcement and advocacy work the commission has undertaken with insurers and banks over time. The commission reports in a... →

Sick Dudu Myeni no-show in court, warrant of arrest issued against former SAA board chair

By: News24Wire 4th May 2022 An illness kept former South African Airways board chairperson Dudu Myeni away from court on Wednesday, forcing a second postponement of her case relating disclosure of the identity of a protected witness at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry in 2020. A warrant of arrest was issued against... →

Former SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni

Mavuso warns State’s potential new powers could be abused

By: Darren Parker 3rd May 2022 The State’s potential new powers that could arise from a permanent ratification into law of various Covid-19 regulations beyond the state of national disaster can be abused, warned Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso on May 3. In her latest weekly newsletter, she added that... →

Photo by Creamer Media
BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso

CBE calls for changes in approach to urban development

By: Darren Parker 26th April 2022 Following the mid-April flooding in KwaZulu-Naal that caused widespread damage and killed more than 400 people, the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) has called for new ways of tackling urban development, saying South Africa can no longer repeat what had been done in the past. CBE CEO Msizi... →

CBE CEO Msizi Myeza

Clean coal a ‘figment of the imagination’, says Olver

By: Darren Parker 26th April 2022 The concept of clean coal is a figment of the imagination, according to science, said Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) Secretariat executive director Dr Crispian Olver on April 26. “There is no such thing,” he said, speaking at the PCC-JSE Financial Sector Forum on Just Transition Framework... →

PCC Secretariat executive director Dr Crispian Olver

Pesticides, batteries and lubricants producer responsibility consultation process starts

By: Schalk Burger 20th April 2022 Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has started a consultation process with regard to the requirement of the pesticides, batteries and lubricant oils sectors to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) measures. “All producers of the identified products must... →

RMB CEO calls for localisation rules to be waived to catalyse transition to renewables

By: Schalk Burger 19th April 2022 Financial services firm RMB CEO James Formby says South Africa urgently needs a “megawatts first” policy and that localisation rules, which make renewable energy more expensive, should be waived. Local material content rules increase the cost of wind and solar energy production. Import tariffs,... →

Wind farm in South Africa

Sacci urges govt to do everything possible to assist KZN flood victims

By: Donna Slater 14th April 2022 The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) urges government to do “everything in its power” to assist KwaZulu-Natal businesses impacted by the recent flooding. Sacci also encourages insurance companies to attend to claims expeditiously, while condemning the few who are allegedly... →

Salba questions overarching powers granted to Health Minister to handle pandemic

By: Donna Slater 13th April 2022 The South African Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba) is concerned that the government’s lifting of its state of disaster, and alternative proposal to handle the pandemic through the regulations under the National Health Act of 2003, will introduce extraordinary measures taken under the state... →

Mavuso notes positive signs of increased investment in South Africa

By: Darren Parker 11th April 2022 A recent uptick in the frequency of meetings between foreign companies and relevant government departments were encouraging because such meetings typically preceded investment in the country, Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso said in her weekly newsletter on April 11. She said that... →

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso

Retaining refining capacity could pose long-term risks for South Africa

By: Darren Parker 8th April 2022 South Africa’s oil refining capacity has always been rather small when considered on a global scale, but there was some sense of national pride and of security in knowing that the country could deliver – even if most of the crude input had to be imported. While local refineries were never able to... →

Engineering News and Mining Weekly cover image

SARB notes benefits, risks in using distributed ledger technology

By: Schalk Burger 6th April 2022 The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on April 6 released a report on its financial technology research project Project Khokha 2 (PK2), which looked at the benefits and risks of using distributed ledger technology (DLT) and trialling DLT for interbank payments settlement. SARB governor Lesetja... →

MTN Nigeria implements NCC’s outgoing call restrictions

By: Schalk Burger 6th April 2022 Telecommunications multinational MTN Nigeria has assured shareholders that it has complied with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC’s) directive and implemented the restrictions on outgoing voice calls of certain subscribers, the group said in a statement. All other services remain... →

Mixed reactions to lifting of Covid-19 state of disaster, lingering regulations

By: Schalk Burger 5th April 2022 Business organisation Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has welcomed the repeal of the National State of Disaster regulations and calls for all sectors of society to demonstrate similar united effort to deal with severe socioeconomic problems. “We believe the declaration of a State of Disaster... →

End of National State of Disaster welcomed

By: Sane Dhlamini 5th April 2022 Democratic Alliance spokesperson Cilliers Brink has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that Cabinet has decided to end the National State of Disaster but cautions against allowing the Health Act amendments to replace it. Meanwhile, Business Unity South Africa said the lifting of... →

Transnet sides with ConCourt, goes with original BEE criteria in tenders

By: News24Wire 4th April 2022 Transnet's board has sided with the Constitutional Court with respect to government's broad-based black economic empowerment tender regulations, opting for a policy change that will allow it to procure goods and services in line with the original iteration of the contested Preferential Public... →

BLSA calls for ideas to tackle youth unemployment

By: Schalk Burger 4th April 2022 Business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso says regulation can make it difficult and expensive to hire more people and the responsibility remains with government to ensure it creates a business environment in which hiring is easy. “The unemployment figures at... →

Transnet Pipelines says Verkykerskop spill site contained, pledges rehab progress across 151 sites

By: Terence Creamer 31st March 2022 Transnet Pipelines says the containment processes at Verkykerskop, where there was a major theft-related diesel spill on the multiproduct pipeline in early March, are nearing completion and that rehabilitation efforts have started. Verkykerskop is about 50 km from Harrismith, in the Free State,... →

Photo by Transnet Pipelines
Containment efforts under way after diesel flowed into the Meul river

Travel industry welcomes removal of PCR test requirements at South Africa’s borders

By: Darren Parker 23rd March 2022 Several travel industry associations have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on March 22 that lifts the requirement for vaccinated inbound travellers to South Africa to show a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Ramaphosa stipulated that travellers could now present... →

IRR says Employment Equity Amendment Bill will push unemployment higher

By: Schalk Burger 18th March 2022 The Employment Equity Amendment Bill, if implemented, will damage any chances of the country attaining meaningful growth and unemployment will rise from more than 46% on the expanded definition to above 50% on the expanded definition, says Institute of Race Relations (IRR) head of policy research... →

Clarity needed on supply, energy plan

By: Cameron Mackay 18th March 2022 Local industry stakeholders need clarity on how the decision by multinational companies Shell and BP’s South African Petroleum Refineries (Sapref) to freeze spending and pause refinery operations at the end of this month will impact on security of supply of petroleum-based products, and the local... →

SCA clarifies Eskom’s right to payment for municipal electricity used

By: Donna Slater 14th March 2022 Power utility Eskom achieved a significant legal victory against municipalities when the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on March 9 affirmed its right to payment for services rendered to municipalities. This was the conclusion of a court case between Eskom and the Free State province, in which the... →

Public Works dept clears unpaid invoice backlog

By: Donna Slater 14th March 2022 Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille reports that “notable progress” has been made by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) on paying unpaid invoices from its suppliers, with unpaid invoices for more than 30 days, 60 days, 90 days and 120 days being zero... →

DPWI welcomes judgment on irregular Beitbridge border fence project

By: Darren Parker 9th March 2022 The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has welcomed the judgment handed down by Special Tribunal Judge Lebogang Modiba on March 8 in relation to the controversial Beitbridge border fence project, in which contractors Caledon River Properties and Profteam were paid R40-million to... →

Capacity, resource management critical to prosecuting State capture perpetrators

By: Donna Slater 7th March 2022 With the latest volume of the Zondo Commission report having been released, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso says it will be critical to manage the capacity and resources of South Africa’s investigating and prosecuting services. In this regard, she notes that the National... →

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