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State Companies News

SA corruption arrests a show of teeth and boost of confidence, BLSA says

By: African News Agency 6th October 2020 A recent slew of arrests linked to corruption are a much needed show of teeth by authorities and a boost of confidence, the chief executive of Business Leadership South Africa has said. In a column published on the website of the association of South Africa's largest corporations and major... →

South Africa told to look to Ethiopia to rescue its airline

By: Bloomberg 6th October 2020 South Africa should act to preserve its insolvent national airline and seek to partner the carrier with Ethiopian Airlines Group, according to a study commissioned for ruling-party lawmakers. The assessment, obtained by Bloomberg, was prepared by African Aviation Services and dated October 4. It... →

SAA Technical reinstates aircraft maintenance to some customers

By: Simone Liedtke 5th October 2020 South African Airways Technical (SAAT) has reinstated aircraft maintenance services to some of its customers. The development follows a decision taken by SAAT to suspend maintenance services to four of its airline customers in September owing to outstanding payments on services already rendered. →

City of Cape Town drafting ‘mini IRP’ as it prepares way for IPP procurement

By: Terence Creamer 2nd October 2020 The City of Cape Town, which has been pushing for the right of municipalities to procure electricity directly from independent power producers for several years, is currently compiling what it describes as a “mini” integrated resource plan to guide its future procurement decisions and actions.... →

SA making the shift from coal to renewables

1st October 2020 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Editor Terence Creamer about a just transition in South Africa's energy sector and how the country should go about preparing the way for that transition. →

Koeberg’s 20-year life extension marks steam-generator milestone

By: Terence Creamer 30th September 2020 The steam generator replacement project, which is central to Eskom’s R20-billion programme to extend the 40-year design life of the Koeberg nuclear power station by a further 20 years, marked a major milestone this week with the arrival of the first units in Cape Town. The project, which was... →

Each steam generator is 20 m in length and weighs about 380 t

The first unit being transported the 40-km distance from the Cape Town Harbour to Koeberg using abnormal-load vehicles.

SAA to go under care and maintenance until funding found

By: Reuters 30th September 2020 Struggling state-owned airline South African Airways will be put under "care and maintenance" until funding discussions are completed, the airline's administrators said on Tuesday. A company's assets can be put under care and maintenance in order to keep them in good condition when they are not... →

Eskom tests market for Medupi flue gas desulphurisation solutions

By: Terence Creamer 28th September 2020 State-owned electricity utility Eskom has issued a no-obligation request for information (RFI) in a bid to gain insight into what flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technologies are currently available and to assess their potential suitability for deployment at the Medupi power station, in Limpopo.... →

National Treasury seeks conditions on SAA loan guarantees

By: Bloomberg 28th September 2020 South Africa’s National Treasury wants strict conditions attached to any guarantees it provides for loans to the country’s embattled state airline, according to two people familiar with the matter. Treasury and Department of Public Enterprises officials met Saturday to discuss ways to restart... →

IPP procurement a signal that growth-enhancing reform is moving ahead – Ramaphosa

By: Terence Creamer 28th September 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Gazetting of a Ministerial determination enabling the development of more than 11 800 MW of new electricity capacity by independent power producers signals government’s intention to move ahead with one of the key reforms needed to unlock growth and investment in... →

Photo by Creamer Media
President Cyril Ramaphosa

South African Airways Techical suspends services to parent over nonpayment

By: Reuters 28th September 2020 South African Airways' maintenance subsidiary has withdrawn services to its parent after the struggling airline failed to pay money owed to the unit, an SAA spokesman said on Saturday. Administrators took control of SAA in December after almost a decade of financial losses, and have been trying... →

Ten lessons to guide South Africa’s ‘just transition’ from coal to renewables

By: Terence Creamer 23rd September 2020 A new study, which outlines global best practices for just-transition journeys, includes ten lessons for South Africa to consider as the country prepares to navigate what it hopes will be a just transition, over the coming decades, from an electricity sector based on coal to one based... →

Public funding for SAA undermines government credibility and endangers State finances

By: Rebecca Campbell 22nd September 2020 The government’s undertaking to reprioritise State funding in order to finance State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) and so prevent its liquidation represented a defeat for the National Treasury (NT) and undermined the credibility of the government, Intellidex analyst... →

Nersa says Eskom must be buyer of IPP power arising from new determination

By: Terence Creamer 22nd September 2020 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) says that Eskom should remain the buyer of the electricity produced by independent power producers (IPPs) and procured by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in line with a new Section 34 Ministerial determination for 11 813... →

TIPS Tracker: The economy and the pandemic

21st September 2020 Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies' (TIPS's) 'Tracker: The economy and the pandemic' highlights important trends in the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa and how they affect the economy. Since August 18, when the country moved to Level 2 of the lockdown, the number of cases has plateaued at... →

Govt commits to provide SAA with R10.5bn – administrator

By: Reuters 18th September 2020 South Africa has pledged R10.5-billion to South African Airways, one of the administrators of the ailing state-owned airline said on Friday. The administrators took control of SAA in December after almost a decade of financial losses and have been trying to keep it afloat as the coronavirus... →

Unions threaten legal action if government does not commit to saving State-owned airlines

By: Rebecca Campbell 18th September 2020 Two trade unions, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca), have jointly announced that, together, they are going to challenge in court the liquidation of State-owned airlines South African Airways (SAA) and South African... →

IPP Office says next renewables bid window by end Jan ‘latest’, but possibly before year-end

By: Terence Creamer 17th September 2020 The head of South Africa’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office, which performs the IPP procurement function on behalf of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), says discussions are under way with the department to finalise the roll-out plan for the Section 34 determination... →

Some positive movement on the electricity front

17th September 2020 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Editor Terence Creamer about the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's concurrence with a Ministerial determination that paves the way for the resumption of regular procurement and the significance of Eskom having signalled its support... →

Some positive movement on the electricity front

Brand new 33 MW Western Cape wind farm connects to grid

By: Terence Creamer 16th September 2020 The 33 MW Excelsior Wind Energy Facility, in the Western Cape, has been connected to South Africa’s load-shedding-prone national grid, with all 13 of its wind turbines having been successfully commissioned. The facility is believed to be the first Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer... →

BioTherm Energy's 33 MW Excelsior Wind Energy Facility

CDC aiming to secure CEO replacement for long-serving Silinga by year-end

By: Terence Creamer 16th September 2020 The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has formally initiated a recruitment process to secure a replacement for its long-serving CEO, Pepi Silinga, who has been appointed CEO of Transnet National Ports Authority, effective October 1. The position has been advertised internally and externally and... →

Pepi Silinga

DMRE targeting December for initiation of fifth renewables bid window

By: Terence Creamer 14th September 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has clarified that it is aiming to release bid documentation for the so-called fifth bid window (BW5) of South Africa’s renewable-energy procurement programme in December, following receipt of the regulator’s concurrence with a Ministerial... →

Industry’s wings seemingly clipped

By: Mamaili Mamaila 11th September 2020 South Africa’s economy is hanging by a thread and this has presented massive challenges for the local aerospace industry, says aircraft design organisation Aerodesigns Africa director Murray Spoelstra. →

GLOBAL SIGHTS SET Similar to the local automotive industry that is manufacturing for European countries, so must there be opportunities to manufacture aircraft under licence for foreign companies

Level playing field key to moving industry forward

By: Mamaili Mamaila 11th September 2020 Transformation should be a top priority among the issues that need to be addressed in manufacturing for the aviation industry, says maintenance solutions provider Dynamic Aerotech technical operation and research director Mulalo Neluheni. →

OPEN UP THE INDUSTRY While there is scope for black people with potential to thrive in this space, this needs to take into account the whole value chain in the aerospace industry

Association laments sector decline

By: Mamaili Mamaila 11th September 2020 The aerospace manufacturing sector is in a “freefall” and there does not appear to be any parachute in sight, says industry body Commercial Aerospace Manufacturing Association of South Africa (Camasa) co-chairperson Themba September. →

AIRING IT OUT In its efforts to ensure that the sector returns to its former glory, Camasa has participated in the process of drafting a sector masterplan

SAA business rescue practitioners say progress on aircraft leases, but 'dire' financial state

By: Rebecca Campbell 10th September 2020 The Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) for State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways issued, on Thursday, an update notice on the business rescue process. The business rescue plan for the airline was published on July 28. In their update, the BRPs stated that they were busy... →

Transnet mulls lifting Chinese engine contract suspension

By: Reuters 10th September 2020 South Africa's Transnet may be forced to lift a suspension on China's CRRC Corp so that the firm can repair its locomotives, according to a document from state-owned Transnet, despite pending legal action against the Chinese giant. The world's biggest train maker CRRC - formed by the merger of... →

Medupi conveyor belt failure raises risk of load-shedding

By: Simone Liedtke 10th September 2020 State-owned power utility Eskom on September 10 warned of an increased risk of load-shedding following the failure of a conveyor belt feeding coal into the Medupi generation units on September 9. This means the four generation units in service are not able to take in the requisite amount of coal... →

Infrastructure projects fail when procurement is pursued administratively rather than strategically

By: Terence Creamer 9th September 2020 An analysis of public infrastructure delivery in South Africa, prepared for consideration by the National Planning Commission (NPC), identifies the quality of procurement and client-delivery management as the main differentiators between those projects that have succeeded in recent years and... →

EIUG appoints Mondi as new CEO

By: Terence Creamer 7th September 2020 The Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG), whose mining and manufacturing members account for over 40% of the electrical energy consumed in South Africa, announced the appointment of Fanele Mondi as its new CEO. Prior to joining the EIUG, Mondi worked at Eskom for over 23 years, 12 years of which... →

Fanele Mondi

Eskom launches new ‘system status’ portal in bid to begin bolstering transparency

By: Terence Creamer 7th September 2020 South Africa’s electricity utility Eskom has added a new page to its website through which it is providing information relating to the status and performance of the power system, including the use of load-shedding as a mechanism to stabilise the national electricity grid. The webpage, which bears... →

Load-shedding to move to Stage 3 on Friday

By: Creamer Media Reporter 3rd September 2020 Power utility Eskom announced on Thursday afternoon that it would implement Stage 3 load-shedding from 08:00 to 22:00 on Friday. Load-shedding moved from Stage 2 to Stage 4 on Wednesday afternoon. →

Taxpayers note tax audit process improvement – PwC survey

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 3rd September 2020 South Africa’s tax administration system has undergone significant change in terms of leadership, structure and policy over the past two years, professional services firm PwC reports. It notes that, more recently, the government has introduced several economic measures, including tax measures to... →

Eskom to move to stage 4 load shedding from 15:00, cuts to continue over weekend

By: News24Wire 2nd September 2020 Power utility Eskom says it will move from stage 2 to stage 4 load shedding at 15:00 on Wednesday due to "exceptionally high demand". Stage 4 power cuts will continue until 22:00. Eskom said cold weather had placed additional demands on the country's grid which was already severely constrained... →

Eskom: More load-shedding ahead, additional stages loom as utility battles breakdowns

By: News24Wire 2nd September 2020 Eskom has said in a statement that due to a severely constrained generation system as a result of multiple unit breakdowns, it will be implementing load-shedding again on Wednesday. A total of ten generation units have broken down at seven power stations in a matter of two days, with the power... →

State firms request bailouts over Covid-19

By: Reuters 1st September 2020 South African State companies have requested billions of rand in funding from the government to help them weather the impact of the coronavirus crisis, a finance ministry presentation to parliament showed on Tuesday. Loss-making State companies have long been an Achilles heel for Africa's most... →

OR Tambo International Airport expects passenger numbers to significantly increase next month

By: Rebecca Campbell 28th August 2020 OR Tambo International Airport (OR Tambo) will probably handle more than 210 000 passengers next month. That is the estimate of the airport’s management. The currently operating airlines have booked more than 2 500 take-off and landing slots at the airport (which is owned and operated by the... →

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