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South Africa inflation surge unlikely to bring forward rate hike

By: Bloomberg 23rd June 2021 The rise in South Africa’s inflation rate to a 30-month high is unlikely to bring forward an interest-rate hike as the central bank had forecast a second-quarter spike in price growth. Consumer prices rose 5.2% in May from a year earlier, compared with 4.4% in April, Pretoria-based Statistics... →

Ports authority to become an independent subsidiary of Transnet

By: Yvonne Silaule 22nd June 2021 President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) will become an independent subsidiary of Transnet. During a site visit to the Port of Cape Town on June 22, the President commented that the creation of a separate subsidiary would allow the ports authority... →

The Port of Cape Town

100 MW reform ‘precursor’ to new market-driven electricity supply industry – De Ruyter

By: Terence Creamer 18th June 2021 Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has described the decision to lift the licence-exemption cap on own- or embedded-generation plants from 1 MW to 100 MW as not only positive for addressing South Africa’s immediate electricity shortages, but also as “the precursor to the development of a new electricity... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter

Emergency power fiasco compounds South Africa’s energy crisis

By: Bloomberg 17th June 2021 The debacle surrounding South Africa’s bid to secure emergency power supplies has highlighted a dysfunctional energy policy that’s subjecting Africa’s most-industrialised nation to intermittent blackouts. Since March, the energy department has identified companies it wants to provide almost 2 000... →

RMB CEO commends govt for ‘taking the steps needed’ to mitigate South Africa’s economic challenges

By: Simone Liedtke 17th June 2021 Private sector banker Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) CEO James Formby has commended government for “finally taking the steps needed to tackle persistent power outages” by lifting the licensing-exemption threshold for embedded generation projects to 100 MW, from the previous 1 MW. He says it is an... →

Emergency power fiasco compounds South Africa’s energy crisis

By: Bloomberg 17th June 2021 The debacle surrounding South Africa’s bid to secure emergency power supplies has highlighted a dysfunctional energy policy that’s subjecting Africa’s most-industrialized nation to intermittent blackouts. Since March, the energy department has identified companies it wants to provide almost 2 000... →

Reinvestment in South Africa needed to ‘plant the seeds’ for a better future, says Exxaro

By: Simone Liedtke 15th June 2021 Reinvestment is needed to “plant the seeds” and create a better future for South Africa, says diversified miner Exxaro Resources projects and technology executive head Johan Meyer. This is especially critical considering that Covid-19 has made it more challenging to secure investments, but also... →

Collaborative effort needed to reignite sector

By: Halima Frost 11th June 2021 To address the effects of the lack of infrastructure projects in South Africa, cement manufacturer Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) MD Njombo Lekula has called for industry and government to work together to mitigate the knock-on effects on the cement sector. “We urgently need an agile and... →

PLANT POWER PPC has invested substantially in improving its various plants technologies and infrastructure to maximise efficacy

Projects, tariffs could boost sector demand

By: Halima Frost 11th June 2021 Although the local cement and concrete sector is experiencing its lowest production and supply levels in years, industry body Cement and Concrete South Africa (CCSA) CEO Bryan Perrie says earmarked infrastructure projects and import tariffs, if implemented, will be instrumental in boosting the... →

Cement & Concrete South Africa CEO Bryan Perrie discusses the current state if the industry, as well as the formation of the CCSA.

Ramaphosa moves to tackle growth-sapping electricity crisis by increasing licence-exemption cap on distributed projects to 100 MW

By: Terence Creamer 10th June 2021 In a surprise move, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that the licence-exemption cap on self- or distributed-generation plants would be raised from 1 MW to 100 MW to help address the country's electricity crisis, which has been weighing down economic growth and confidence for more... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Hawks, Eskom investigators nab syndicate selling illegal prepaid electricity with 'ghost machines'

By: News24Wire 10th June 2021 The Hawks have uncovered a well-organised syndicate selling illicit prepaid electricity on a large scale, costing Eskom millions in revenue, and arrested seven suspects. The Hawks pounced on the suspects, aged 28 to 67, in the early hours of Wednesday in Gauteng. →

UAE ratifies extradition treaty as South Africa pursues Guptas

By: Bloomberg 9th June 2021 The United Arab Emirates Embassy in South Africa said it has ratified an extradition treaty with the African country. The treaty was signed on April 11, the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday. Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for the South African Department of International Relations and... →

Stage 2 load-shedding to start at 10:00, to continue until Sunday

By: News24Wire 9th June 2021 Stage 2 load-shedding will start from 10:00 on Wednesday morning until 22:00 on Sunday night, Eskom announced. This is due to delays in returning generation units to service at Kusile, Tutuka, Duvha, Kendal and Koeberg power stations. →

Stage 2 load-shedding from 5pm – Eskom

By: News24Wire 8th June 2021 Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 17:00 on Tuesday due to delays bringing generating units back online, Eskom said in a statement. Eskom earlier warned that the power system was severely constrained. Breakdowns currently total 15 498 MW of capacity, while another 1 273 MW of... →

Uasa reassures its members at Denel as group faces liquidation threat

By: Rebecca Campbell 7th June 2021 Trade union Uasa has assured its members who are employed by the State-owned defence industrial group Denel of its support for them, as the tale of the financially-beleaguered company took another turn for the worse. Private-sector South African defence company Saab Grintek Defence... →

IITPSA welcomes Sars’ moves to harness big data, AI for tax collection

By: Simone Liedtke 2nd June 2021 The Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) has welcomed plans by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) to use big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve revenue collection and locate tax evaders. IITPSA board member Moira de Roche welcomed... →

Regulator to make decision on Eskom’s latest R8.4bn RCA claim by end-August

By: Terence Creamer 1st June 2021 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has published a new regulatory clearing account (RCA) application from Eskom, through which the State-owned utility is seeking to recoup R8.4-billion in cost and revenue variances for the 2019/20 financial year. The application is the first... →

Eskom warns of high probability of load-shedding for the rest of this week

By: Creamer Media Reporter 31st May 2021 Power utility Eskom will implement Stage 2 load-shedding from 16:00 on Monday afternoon until 05:00 on Tuesday morning. It has also warned that there is a possibility that load-shedding would continue throughout the week. The utility noted that it has had to resort to load-shedding as a result of... →

Eskom should not probe CEO over racism allegation, advocate says

By: Bloomberg 31st May 2021 Eskom Holdings CEO Andre de Ruyter should not be subjected to an investigation over racism allegations leveled by the company’s now fired chief procurement officer, an advocate hired to make a ruling on the CPO’s conduct said. By setting up the probe in response to allegations leveled by the CPO,... →

Eskom's debt

28th May 2021 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the R83-billion reduction in debt achieved by State-owned power utility Eskom, whether it is enough to place the utility on a sustainable debt footing and when a solution to Eskom's high debt burden could be... →

Eskom's debt (Camera & editing: Nicholas Boyd)

South Africa may need to save indebted State firms, Finance Minister says

By: Bloomberg 27th May 2021 South Africa’s cash-strapped State companies may struggle to refinance their debts, requiring the government to provide support, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said. The ten most-indebted State firms have an estimated R289.9-billion in loans maturing by the end of March 2025, Mboweni said in a... →

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni

Union blasts government for paying Cubans while Denel employees aren’t paid

By: Rebecca Campbell 26th May 2021 The Uasa trade union has blasted the South African government for spending a significant sum of taxpayers’ money on employing Cuban ‘service providers’ over the last few years, instead of using it to save the jobs of South African engineers. In its statement, the union said it was “infuriated”... →

McKinsey to repay R870m to Transnet

By: Marleny Arnoldi 25th May 2021 State-owned utility Transnet and management consulting company McKinsey & Company have finalised the settlement on the fees McKinsey committed to return to Transnet during the Judicial Commission of Inquiry in December 2020. The full settlement of R870-million due to Transnet includes fees paid... →

Transnet aims to implement three private sector participation projects this year

By: Terence Creamer 25th May 2021 Freight logistics group Transnet expects to proceed with three private sector participation (PSP) projects before the end of the year, with Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan confirming that the State-owned group’s new strategy is to drive volume growth “by developing key strategic... →

Eskom debt solution remains a ‘work in progress’ despite reduction to R401bn

By: Terence Creamer 25th May 2021 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan reported on Tuesday that, while Eskom was able to reduce its debt by R83-billion, from R484-billion to R401-billion, during the 2021 financial year, efforts to find a lasting solution to the State-owned utility’s unsustainable debt remained a “work in... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Labour court dismisses SAA pilots' application for interim relief

By: News24Wire 25th May 2021 The Labour Court in Johannesburg on Monday dismissed an application by the South African Airways Pilots' Association (SAAPA) that sought to prevent the state-owned airline from using so-called 'scab labour' in their absence. At issue are vital training functions needed for the airline to kick off... →

50 MW reform won't hurt Eskom and would stimulate recovery, leading proponent outlines in submission

By: Terence Creamer 25th May 2021 The organisation whose initial analysis indicated that reforming Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act to exempt embedded generation projects of at least 50 MW in size from the country’s cumbersome licencing process could unlock 5 000 MW of new capacity within five years has made its... →

Numsa, NUM says Eskom fails to 'engage meaningfully' in wage negotiations

By: Donna Slater 20th May 2021 Labour unions the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on May 20 said State-owned power utility Eskom's management team had refused to "engage meaningfully" in ongoing wage negotiations. In a joint statement, the unions said Eskom was... →

Judge to rule after South Africa sued over Sasol, Eskom pollution

By: Bloomberg 20th May 2021 A judge is set to rule after the first ever case filed against the government over its alleged failure to crack down on air pollution emitted by power plants operated by Eskom Holdings and refineries owned by Sasol. The case was filed in the Pretoria High Court by groundWork, an... →

Eskom approves higher Duvha coal price, facilitating South32 mine sale to Seriti

By: Terence Creamer 17th May 2021 State-owned electricity producer Eskom confirmed on Monday that the Duvha coal supply agreement (CSA) had been increased to facilitate the sale of South32’s majority shareholding in South32 SA Energy Coal Holdings (SAEC) to black-owned resources group Seriti. The utility also announced that the... →

Photo by Creamer Media Chief Photographer Donna Slater
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter

South African Airways aims to resume flights in July or August

By: Reuters 14th May 2021 South African Airways aims to resume flights in July or August, but the restart date will depend on how the COVID-19 pandemic progresses and whether the airline can resolve a pilot dispute, its chief executive said on Friday. State-owned SAA, which was put into administration in December 2019,... →

Trade unions call for wider government support for Denel turnaround plan

By: Rebecca Campbell 12th May 2021 Trade unions Uasa (which no longer uses its original full name) and the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), to which Uasa is affiliated, have urged the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) to seek help from other government departments to find funds to save financially-embattled... →

Eskom highlights financial limitations as it mulls industrial applications for discounted tariffs

By: Terence Creamer 12th May 2021 State-owned electricity producer Eskom confirms that it has been approached by customers in various industrial sectors with regard to possible applications for discounted Negotiated Pricing Agreements (NPAs), but says its weak financial position prevents widespread implementation. The first NPA... →

NUM rails against Eskom's claims on average staff salary

By: News24Wire 12th May 2021 The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has disputed claims by Eskom in a statement that the average salary of an Eskom employee stood at R737 000 per annum, contending that employees negotiating their salaries at a bargaining unit could not earn more than R650 460. The union said that the... →

Claims I bought R36-million in properties through Prasa are lies, Lucky Montana tells Zondo

By: News24Wire 11th May 2021 Former Passenger Rail Agency South Africa group CEO Lucky Montana took to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture - chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo - to deny claims made to the commission that Siyangena Technologies bought him properties to the value of R36-million.... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana

Eskom places senior coal procurement manager on suspension

By: Creamer Media Reporter 7th May 2021 Power utility Eskom has placed a senior manager in its coal procurement division on preliminary suspension, citing alleged corruption. This follows a whistle-blower tip-off to Eskom. →

TPT developing Cargo Connect logistics app

By: Schalk Burger 7th May 2021 State-owned Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is developing the Cargo Connect app, which will serve as a digital marketplace for logistics services in South Africa. The app will increase the logistics’ network visibility and benefit customers and the broader supply chain. Some of the app's features... →

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