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PRASA turnaround under way despite delays

By: Simone Liedtke 7th May 2020 The turnaround of State-owned Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is on track, albeit with delays, in part owing to the situation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo has revealed. In a webinar on May 7, he lamented that the passenger rail agency had... →

PRASA operations to resume under lockdown Level 3

By: Simone Liedtke 7th May 2020 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA’s) operations are set to resume under Lockdown Alert Level 3, administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo confirmed in a webinar on May 7. The passenger rail agency terminated all services during the initial lockdown period (Level 5), and has continued to do... →

Full legal separation of Eskom divisions still years off, lawmakers hear

By: Terence Creamer 7th May 2020 Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter told lawmakers on May 6 that “good progress” had been made on the “divisionalisation”, under Eskom Holdings, of the utility’s generation, transmission and distribution businesses, with separate boards and MDs having been appointed for each unit. He also indicated,... →

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

Gordhan voices criticism of SAA business rescue effort

By: African News Agency 7th May 2020 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday has told MPs every effort is being made to resolve the desperate situation surrounding South African Airways (SAA) and has suggested the carrier's business rescue practitioners have fallen short of government's expectations. Gordhan, in a... →

Photo by Reuters
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Eskom reports lost income of R2.5bn in April

By: African News Agency 7th May 2020 Eskom's income has shrunk by about R2.5 billion in April as energy demand plummeted due to the country's national lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the power utility's CEO Andre de Ruyter said on Wednesday. "We have seen a reduction in cash-generation for April of some R2.5 billion.... →

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter

Mantashe seeks comment on draft regulations enabling municipalities to buy own power

By: Terence Creamer 6th May 2020 Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has released, for public comment, draft amendments to the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity that would enable municipalities “in good financial standing” to develop or procure their own power generation. In a statement,... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe

Report provides insight, makes recommendations for African Covid-19 response

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 5th May 2020 Lack of information, access to food and water, and money running out were some of the issues identified in an Ipsos survey on potential Covid-19 stay-at-home measures, released on May 5. The 'Responding to Covid-19 in Africa: Using Data to Find a Balance' report includes first-of-its-kind data... →

SAA says government exploring funding options

By: Bloomberg 4th May 2020 South African Airways’ (SAA's) administrators extended a deadline for workers to agree to severance packages after Minister for Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan said he needs time to explore funding options for the bankrupt state-owned carrier. The business-rescue team led by Les Matuson and... →

Incentives needed to aid local energy tech

By: Mamaili Mamaila 1st May 2020 While there is an increased focus on local content across several South African industries, government could do more in terms of incentivising local manufacturing, says energy solutions company i-G3n co-founder and director Sydney Phakathi. →

NO FUSS WHATSOEVER i-G3n offers standard solutions that it can also tailor to suit the specific needs of every client

Eskom shuts power plant after warning ash dam may collapse

By: Bloomberg 30th April 2020 Eskom Holdings, South Africa’s State-owned electricity utility, said it has temporarily closed its Camden power plant because the dam where it stores the ash from burning coal could burst and endanger local residents. The 1,600-megawatt power plant will be closed for up to three months after a... →

SA unions vow to work with government to save SAA, SA Express

By: African News Agency 29th April 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the South African Cabin Crew Association said they had had constructive discussions with the government on ensuring the continued existence of troubled national carrier South African Airways and fellow state-owned airline SA Express. The... →

SA Express provisionally liquidated

By: News24Wire 28th April 2020 State-owned regional airline SA Express has been placed in provisional liquidation after its business rescue practitioners filed an urgent court application, a reliable source confirmed to Fin24 on Tuesday. This comes after practitioners lodged the application in the Pretoria High Court on March... →

SOEs cooperate to ship essential radioisotopes overseas

By: Rebecca Campbell 28th April 2020 South Africa’s globally-important State-owned company NTP Radioisotopes, a subsidiary of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, has cooperated with State-owned flag-carrier South African Airways to deliver essential medical radioisotopes to international customers. The deliveries were made... →

Eskom says all repurposing options on table for Komati, Hendrina and Grootvlei

By: Terence Creamer 28th April 2020 State-owned power utility Eskom insists that all options are on the table as it considers proposals for the repurposing of three coal-fired power stations – Komati, Hendrina and Grootvlei – that are scheduled to cease producing electricity between 2022 and 2026. The utility issued an expression... →

Komati

SAA business rescue practitioners say SAA must be wound down or liquidated

By: Rebecca Campbell 24th April 2020 The joint business rescue practitioners for financially-embattled State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA), Leslie Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana, have released a “Notice to all Affected Persons”, dated April 23, regarding the situation of the airline. This followed the decision... →

SAA left with choice between wind-down or liquidation, say business rescue practitioners

By: African News Agency 24th April 2020 The business rescue practitioners (BRPs) appointed to implement a rescue plan for national carrier South African Airways (SAA) have announced on Thursday that without further government funding they will not be able to comply with their mandate and that their only options would be to either wind... →

Government, unions, reach some consensus on future of SAA

By: Rebecca Campbell 22nd April 2020 In a statement dated April 21, the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) reported that significant alignment had been achieved between the government and the relevant trade unions (and representatives of non-unionised workers) about the approach to be taken regarding financially beleaguered... →

East London port continues to facilitate movement of critical cargo

By: Simone Liedtke 20th April 2020 The Port of East London continues to facilitate the movement of critical cargo, related to the supply and distribution of essential goods (such as food, fuel and chemicals), during the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown in South Africa. Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) East London... →

HSL Parity in foreground with wheat vessel Jorita

Business Leadership South Africa CEO blasts government over SAA

By: Rebecca Campbell 20th April 2020 In her weekly newsletter, released on April 20, business group Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso criticised the South African government for its handling of the financial crisis at State-owned national flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA). The airline was currently... →

SA unions reject mass retrenchment proposals at national carrier SAA

By: African News Agency 20th April 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) said they had rejected a retrenchment proposal from the business rescue practitioners at financially-strapped national carrier South African Airways (SAA). The government placed SAA... →

Govt to finalise post-Covid-19 economic recovery plan, SAA resolution by April 20

By: Marleny Arnoldi 16th April 2020 The South African government plans to finalise, by April 20, its post-Covid-19 economic recovery plan, as well as a resolution on South African Airways (SAA). The Cabinet on April 15 hosted a virtual special Cabinet meeting to discuss the socioeconomic recovery plan once the Covid-19 lockdown... →

Parliamentary Committee welcomes decision by Minister to refuse another bailout for SAA

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th April 2020 Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) welcomed, in a statement released to the media on April 15, the decision of the Minister of Public Enterprises to deny an extra funding request from the Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) overseeing State-owned national flag carrier... →

Eskom probe clears Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer

By: News24Wire 15th April 2020 An investigation into Eskom's COO Jan Oberholzer has found no evidence of wrongdoing, the power utility announced on Wednesday. The probe commenced on March 20 this year, following what Eskom's board described as a series of allegations of "corruption, dishonesty, conflict of interest and abuse... →

Photo by Donna Slater
Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer

Research company claims SAA doomed to liquidation in near future

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th April 2020 Capital markets and financial services research company Intellidex reported on April 14 that State-owned national flag-carrier South African Airways (SAA) was now set for liquidation. Intellidex head of Capital Markets Research Peter Attard Montalto affirmed that liquidation had been “inevitable”... →

South Africa should consider additional funding sources to combat Covid-19, says BER

By: Simone Liedtke 14th April 2020 South Africa will require significant resources to fund the coronavirus battle and, because funding is lacking, the country should be open – or at least not be surprised by – (temporary) funding options that would have been unthinkable a mere two months ago, the Bureau for Economic Research (BER)... →

Covid-19 hits China-Africa trade and investment, but impact should fade

By: Rebecca Campbell 10th April 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has hit African trade with China and is likely to reduce Chinese investment on the continent, the Economist Corporate Network, Baker McKenzie and Silk Road Associates pointed out in their report ‘BRI Beyond 2020’. The BRI is the Belt and Road Initiative, which is China’s... →

Association aims to address storage hybrid projects

10th April 2020 The South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) has announced that it will be creating a discussion platform to support members and the broader renewable energy sector, by addressing questions that are emerging in relation to wind and storage hybrid projects. →

NTOMBIFUTHI NTULI There is a global wave of hybrid projects that use, among other things, wind and battery storage

Storage should aim to address cost reduction

10th April 2020 Ensuring that renewable energy is a useful asset to the grid and that the companies that own and operate it are profitable, while also producing less expensive energy, is a complex job. →

Eskom’s Bernard Magoro appointed as new head of IPP Office

By: Terence Creamer 8th April 2020 The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) announced on Wednesday, April 8, that former Eskom executive Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro had been appointed as the new head of the Independent Power Producers Office (IPPO). The appointment would be effective from May 1. →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro

Eskom extends bidding deadline for short-term power purchase scheme

By: Terence Creamer 8th April 2020 Electricity utility Eskom has extended the deadline, to May 11, for responses to a request for proposals (RFP) to participate in its Short-Term Power Purchase Programme (STPPP), owing to the imposition of a 21-day lockdown in South Africa in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The initial bid... →

Eskom wants Medupi Unit 3 defect repairs completed on schedule despite Covid-19 restrictions

By: Terence Creamer 3rd April 2020 State-owned electricity utility Eskom has not shifted its April 9 deadline for returning Medupi Unit 3 to service, despite work restrictions imposed at the Lephalale site, in Limpopo, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The unit was shut for 75 days on January 26 to address defects that... →

Photo by Bloomberg
All work has been stopped on Kusile units 4, 5 and 6 for the duration of the lockdown

Local project scarcity causes loss of top-class engineers

By: Darren Parker 3rd April 2020 The scarcity of public-sector projects is leading to massive retrenchments and the loss of South Africa’s world-class consulting engineers to foreign markets, says law firm LNP Attorneys CE Nikita Lalla. “Insufficient project implementation is causing the engineering and construction sector... →

NIKITA LALLA There is an abundance of talking without timeous, practical implementation

Adopt QCBS mindset – Cesa

By: Darren Parker 3rd April 2020 Industry association Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) is embarking on a focused marketing drive in the second quarter of this year as part of a renewed effort to raise awareness surrounding quality cost-based selection (QCBS) within the public and private sectors. QCBS is the notion that... →

Cesa CEO Chris Campbell discusses some of the key concerns facing the consulting engineers sector in South Africa. Camerawork: Nicholas Boyd. Editing: Nicholas Boyd. Recorded: 06.03.2020

Building for sustainability promotes valuable returns

3rd April 2020 There is a direct link between the stability of an economy and ongoing development, says consulting engineers firm WSP Africa structures regional director Johan Piekaar. Currently, the local construction and property industries are experiencing a lull owing to reduced expenditure by government on... →

Photo by Creamer Media
CONSTRUCTIVE BUILDING Implementing a sustainable building philosophy provides value-add throughout the value chain

New chair of financially beleaguered Necsa outlines priorities

By: Rebecca Campbell 3rd April 2020 The financially-beleaguered South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), which falls under the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), had a new board appointed in late January, to oversee and turnaround the agency. The chairperson of this new board, which has a term of three... →

SAA to operate repatriation charter flights, starting with operations to Germany

By: Rebecca Campbell 2nd April 2020 State-owned national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) is to undertake charter flights to repatriate foreign citizens caught in South Africa by the national lockdown which started at midnight March 26/27. This lockdown is an attempt to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. The first such flights... →

Wind IPPs given some clawback relief as Eskom issues surprise force majeure notices

By: Terence Creamer 1st April 2020 In its force majeure notice to wind independent power producers (IPPs), Eskom has indicated that, should the system operator issue an instruction to a wind farm to reduce energy output during the period of the Covid-19 lockdown, the IPP would be granted an extension equivalent to the period of... →

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