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The Springbok Women arrived in Spain on Sunday empowered by good learnings from their training sessions with Scotland and Wales and with their first Test match of 2024 less than a week away, the team have a good idea on where they are in their season preparations. According to Springbok Women assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt, …
An object made with skill, craftsmanship and deep intent forever reflects a moment in history. This is what mixed media artist Tamlin Blake showcases in her latest exhibition, After the Fire, at the Sisonke Gallery at The Cape Heritage Hotel, from 7 March 2024 to 28 April 2024. A devastating fire decimated a large portion …
CAPE TOWN, 6 March 2024: Africa’s Green Economy Summit, which took place in Cape Town in February, proved to be the catalyst for significant investments and interest in a variety of green projects from across the continent. The largest deal to come out of the summit was a $600 million agreement concluded by North South …
Principal Professional Officer for the City of Cape Town Caley Green announced the launch of the city's 2023 Infrastructure Report at a Masterclass during the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa (SIDSSA) on March 17.
Evaluating the city's bulk infrastructure from the past year, the updated report builds on its predecessors by focusing on infrastructure across five sectors, including energy, solid waste, water and sanitation, human settlements and transport. According to Green, “The report provides an update on the bulk infrastructure pipeline of projects assessed in the first report. This new report addresses areas of greatest need and highest demand.”
The Masterclass was led by South Africa's Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala and a panel of experts who called on investors and role-players to support an infrastructure-led economic recovery plan in South Africa.
Taking place on March 17-19 at the Century City Conference Center, SIDSSA brings together key stakeholders in South Africa and across the continent with the aim of driving infrastructure development. SIDSSA 2024 serves as a crucial platform for discussions and partnerships in the infrastructure investment landscape, with a focus on accelerating economic activity through strategic infrastructure plans. Energy Capital & Power – the leading investment platform for the African energy sector – is a media partner for this important platform. For more information, visit https://SIDSSA.org.za/.
During the Masterclass, speakers provided insight into the challenges and opportunities within the country's infrastructure sector. With a focus on infrastructure investment planning, the session explored South Africa's strategy to build state capacity while delivering an aggressive development program and closing the infrastructure investment gap.
“We recognize the importance of this masterclass…” stated Minister Zikalala. “This crucial session marks the beginning of the SIDSSA, which in its third year continues to be a platform to bring together think-tanks like yourselves and critical role-players in the infrastructure investment space.”
The Western Cape government has put a jobs growth and development strategy in place, which is aimed at enabling a R1 trillion economy by 2035. The seven-point plan focuses on short- and medium-term growth based on the need to sustainably enable the economy, drive energy security, ensure access to water and boost resilient investment.
“We must move away from typical thinking around public works within the government space,” stated Director-General for the Western Cape Government Dr. Harry Malila. “We cannot just focus on repairing hospitals and schools; we need to take an economic approach and venture outside of our comfort zone.”
Showcasing South Africa's plan to develop its local content capacity and advance national development goals, local industrialization, skills development, job creation, youth employment and regional economic integration were highlighted as key areas to ensure the implementation of a resilient infrastructure strategy.
“We aim to implement the objectives of the National Skills Development Plan 2030 to increase the number of people that obtain critical or scarce skills needed, and to build the capacity of the construction sector to be economically sustainable and globally competitive,” stated CEO of the Construction Education and Training Authority, Malusi Shezi.
In response to the country's strategy to incentivize infrastructure investment, it was noted during the masterclass that South Africa needs to implement a deliberate effort to mitigate capacity constraints and inefficiency to ensure project completion. This was highlighted as a requisite to attain investor confidence and promote localization and private sector participation in the country's infrastructure sector.
“We have a structural issue in terms of the quantum of infrastructure investment in this country,” stated Development Economist and Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University Dr. Nthabiseng Moleko. “We have to shift production towards production sectors. The key priority for that is infrastructure. We have to align investment and enhance the localization of these investments.”
Negligence in infrastructure maintenance has resulted in a lack of confidence in the sector. As such, improved governance, administration and capacity building were highlighted as solutions to addressing infrastructure challenges in South Africa.
“Overall investment has been on a downward trend since 2010 and started picking up in 2022. Despite the overall decline, private sector capital investment continued to grow faster than public sector investment. Yet, much faster growth is needed to expand the economy and reduce unemployment and end poverty,” stated Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency CEO, Mapatane Kgomo.
SIDSSA 2024 is organized by the Investment and Infrastructure Office under the Presidency, in collaboration with the Association of African Exhibition Organizers. The National African Federation for the Building Industry joins as an association partner, while the Development Bank of Southern Africa is the official sponsor of the event. The Masterclass on Sustainable Infrastructure Development is held in collaboration with the National School of Government.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
Stage 2 load shedding implemented 'until further notice'
Eskom has implemented Stage 2 load shedding with effect from 5am today.
By Sunday afternoon, unplanned outages at power stations accounted for the unavailability of some 14 641MW of generating capacity with a further 7 850MW offline due to planned maintenance.
“Due to the loss of two generating units over the past 24 hours and the increase of planned maintenance as part of Eskom’s plan to improve its generation fleet reliability, Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 5am on Monday until further notice. Eskom will closely monitor the power system and provide an update should any significant changes occur.
“Eskom Power Station General Managers and their teams are working diligently to ensure that additional generating capacity is recovered by bringing units on unplanned outages and planned maintenance back to service as soon as possible.
“A total of 3 830MW of generating capacity is anticipated to return to service by Wednesday,” the power utility said.
Eskom urged all consumers to use electricity sparingly, particularly during peak times.
“We would like to thank those who heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to pm or during load limiting. This lowers demand and helps alleviate the pressure on the power system, contributing to lower stages of load shedding,” the power utility said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Mon, 03/18/2024 - 09:15
SA Rugby is calling on all former national and provincial women players to make contact in a major drive to identify and create more female rugby coaches in the county. The initiative is the start of an Elite Coach Pathway group that is being established by Lynne Cantwell, SA Rugby’s High-Performance Manager for Women’s Rugby …
Johannesburg , 18 March 2024 : Daybreak Farms’ corporate image had been marred by negative media in the past few years, recently it has started to convey the fixtures and work done to reposition it, strongly signalling to the market its governance renewal journey and the operational overhaul. Daybreak Farms underwent a restructuring process in …
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Navigating mental health challenges in African traditional settings South Africa – Last year, Fort Hare University’s Psychiatric Nursing department found that not only was the country’s growing mental health crisis exacerbating the country’s substance and rising suicide levels[1], but it was a major contributor to increasing crime levels.[2] In the recently released National Crime Statistics[3] …
Makhensa Mabunda and Auswell Mashaba were at the heart of the corrupt deals
CENTURION, 17 March 2024 – Centurion Mall, the iconic retail hub nestled in the heart of Centurion, is thrilled to announce its 40th-anniversary celebration, marking four decades of delivering unmatched shopping adventures to the community. The mall invites shoppers to celebrate 40 Years of Shopping, taking a journey through its illustrious history while highlighting its …
They have been demanding that government use the State Land Disposal Act of 1961 to rapidly free up land for housing
Zikalala hosts Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala will host the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) 2024 between 17 and 19 March 2024 in Century City, Cape Town.
SIDSSA is a pioneering event aimed at bringing together key stakeholders, experts and decision-makers in the field of infrastructure development.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address at the symposium on Tuesday, 19 March, while Deputy President Paul Mashatile will deliver an address at the stakeholder dinner on Monday.
Various Ministers and Deputy Ministers will anchor panel discussions and technical discussions throughout the symposium.
“The symposium serves as a platform to explore partnerships between the public and private sectors, as well as pivot investment opportunities in infrastructure in South Africa. Additionally, the symposium is intended to shape the conversations about regulatory and policy reforms, innovative funding models for infrastructure, and investing in infrastructure for a shared prosperity for all,’’ the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure said.
This year, the symposium will feature the following milestones:
• Launch of the construction book: A repository of infrastructure projects going into procurement/construction in the 2024/2025 financial year.
• Leaders forum: A gathering of South African Ministers with other Ministers invited from the continent.
• Top 12 infrastructure project priorities: These projects will receive project preparation funding from Infrastructure South Africa.
• Signing of MOUs with important partners and stakeholders.
The symposium will also provide the following updates:
• Update on the gazetted Strategic Integrated Projects.
• Update on the projects already receiving project preparation support.
• Infrastructure Fund Project Pipeline.
- SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 03/17/2024 - 11:11
Mashatile reiterates commitment to accelerated service delivery in N West
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reaffirmed government’s commitment to continue to provide basic services to its people and ensure that all South Africans have equal rights, as outlined in the Freedom Charter.
Mashatile said government recognises that accelerated service delivery is not just about efficiency and convenience; it is also about creating a society where every individual has equal access to basic services.
“Improving the delivery of basic services in South Africa is more than just a question of duty; it is also about social fairness, equality, and dignity. By ensuring that everyone has access to essential services, we can empower people, strengthen communities, and create a more successful and inclusive country,” he said.
The second-in-command was leading the Thuntsha Lerole Accelerated Service Delivery programme in Rusternburg, North West, on Friday.
Thuntsha Lerole is an initiative led by the North West provincial government aimed at confronting the critical issue of service delivery in communities through strengthened partnerships with government, the private sector as well as civil society organisations.
The programme is in accordance with the District Development Model (DDM), which aims to tackle service delivery issues by facilitating collaboration and coordination among all levels of government, from local municipalities to the national government.
It is currently in its third phase, which aims to launch and hand over service delivery projects in identified communities, running from March to May 2024.
READ | District Development Model: A game changer
The Deputy President said they support the 'Early Warning System' in the form of an electronic dashboard that will monitor municipal performance and reporting in a more coordinated manner.
The Thuntsha-Lerole mobile app, which has now gone live, will provide an interactive communication platform to connect government with citizens, allowing them to report service delivery challenges in real time in their localities.
Through this app, communities will have the ability to promptly escalate service delivery issues to the appropriate department and municipal officials.
“This will enable speedy responses to challenges such as water disruptions, sewer spillages, electricity outages, and more. Given the high cost of data in our country and the prevalence of poverty in our society, we anticipate that the application will soon become accessible without requiring data, hence enhancing access for individuals, especially those residing in rural areas and townships,” the Deputy President said.
READ | Mashatile calls for accelerated service delivery in communities across SA
Mashatile visited several sites in Tlhabane, including a newly-built school and the Tlhabane Community Health Centre, unveiling a state-of-the-art X-ray machine.
He handed over the R2.2 million modern technology X-Ray machine, which was donated to the Health Centre by Glencore Mine. The machine allows doctors and radiographers to view patient scans on display, reducing hospital referrals and wait times. It also stores X-ray records for up to five years, enhancing patient care.
“Let me express our deepest gratitude, as government, to Glencore Mine for this donation, which will go a long way towards improving the health of our people. It is through working together as social partners that we will attain our country’s developmental aspirations and a better life for all,” Mashatile said.
The Deputy President said these initiatives are just part of providing solutions to the service delivery challenges faced by the North West community.
“We are aware that a lot still needs to be done to meet the needs of our people. Greater and more focused endeavours are required, particularly in addressing the reversal of the governance collapse in the province,” he said.
He highlighted that the 6th administration of government faced difficulties related to the stability and collapse of administration and as a result, the President and Cabinet utilised Section 100 of the Constitution to intervene in the province.
“Nevertheless, I was pleased to hear Acting Premier Nono Maloyi's State of the Province Address, in which it was said that despite these difficulties, your determination remains unshaken and your commitment to serving the people of the North West has been fortified.
“We applaud your ability to successfully implement a sustainable turnaround strategy in all 22 municipalities in the province, using the District Development Model (DDM),” he said.
READ | Mashatile officiates launch of North West service delivery programme. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 03/17/2024 - 14:57
Spotlight on women empowerment at CSW68
National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Deputy Chairperson Sylvia Lucas has told delegates at the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) that advancing gender transformation necessitates parliaments to regularly assess prevailing gender norms in communities.
This, she stated, will ensure that policy interventions are targeted for each community to improve the efficiency of policies.
Lucas addressed the second session of the gathering on the theme, 'Gender-sensitive Institutions to Break the Poverty Cycle'.
In her address, she said parliaments’ capacity to craft gender responsive law-making and policy interventions is a critical area that needs attention.
Parliaments should also continue to build women’s capacity to advocate for gender-responsive oversight and law-making processes across important sectors like development and transformation.
The Deputy Chairperson is accompanying National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to the CSW68, which is organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and United Nations (UN) Women. It is taking place in New York until 22 March.
Lucas said parliaments have a critical role to play in reducing poverty through gender transformation by enacting laws that are gender-responsive and which are framed with dexterity to disrupt gender-regressive norms and behaviors across society at large.
“In working towards achieving gender transformation, we must continue to be guided by existing international and national protocols and legal frameworks, including prescribed norms of gender transformation, which can be used to strategically shape policy-making and promote gender equality,” she said.
Lucas told the session that South Africa has recently adopted the 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development. This charter is based on international best practice and mandated by South African women. It outlines critical areas for parliamentary intervention in policy, legislation and programming. The charter’s goal is to meaningfully advance gender transformation and reduce poverty.
“To this end, critical policy areas highlighted through our Women’s Charter Review process include the recommendation for the amendment of budget policies, money bills, fiscal policies and tax laws, including macroeconomic policies, which we view as critical areas for sustained and high-level analysis and amendment.
“If amended to make them more gender-responsive in their shape, form and content, these policies and legislative instruments will serve as enabling instruments to achieve poverty reduction and gender transformation objectives,” Lucas said.
Lucas said some of the capacities and resources parliaments should continue to invest in include gender-responsive budget analysis capabilities and law-making, gender-responsive oversight and oversight agenda-setting, and increasing capacity to use gender-disaggregated data to shape budget decisions and commitments. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 03/17/2024 - 14:59
Parliament calls for intensified training on domestic violence among officers
The Portfolio Committee on Police has directed South African Police Service (SAPS) senior managers to increase and enhance training for SAPS members to ensure compliance with the Domestic Violence Act (DVA).
This comes after the committee received a report on compliance with the Act and complaints against SAPS members, as contemplated in Section 18(4)(a) of the Act.
The committee said non-compliance with the Act undermines the fight against gender-based violence, and that increased training will equip police officers with the tools necessary to ensure proper reporting and investigation of domestic violence.
“It is unacceptable that in a country like South Africa, with abnormally high cases of domestic violence, there are still some members of the SAPS that are not compliant with the Act. While there is a general improvement in the number of complaints received, complete compliance is non-negotiable, according to the committee,” the chairperson of the committee, Nocks Seabi, said.
SAPS and the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service informed the committee that from 1 April to 30 September 2023, 60 complaints were reported. Fifty of those cases involved failure to complete a SAPS 508(a) form (a domestic violence form used to descriptively register the incident of domestic violence received) and the Domestic Violence Register (SAPS 508(b)).
Seven cases involved the failure to record domestic violence incidents in the occurrence pocketbook, and two cases concern failure to assist a complainant to open a case.
While the committee acknowledged that various actions have been taken, including the issuing of verbal warning and final written warnings, the committee believes continuous training will assist police officers to properly handle cases of domestic violence and comply with legislation.
The committee has also urged departmental investigations to be speedily concluded to ensure that members are held accountable.
The committee was also critical of the high number of police officers accused of perpetrating domestic violence in the period under review.
“It is alarming that 165 members of SAPS are accused of being perpetrators of domestic violence. How can we expect perpetrators to assist and protect the most vulnerable? This is unacceptable and urgent strategies must be developed and implemented to remedy this concern,” Seabi emphasised.
The committee has also called for enhanced psycho-social support for members to help them cope with the violent environment in which they operate.
Another concern for the committee is that 116 police stations are still without victim-friendly rooms. While the committee acknowledges that there are measures to mitigate this gap, it emphasised the need for more focus on capital projects to develop such rooms.
Meanwhile, the committee also received a report on the outcomes of Safer Festive Season operations. It said it is "generally pleased" with the police visibility and operations during the festive season.
While the committee acknowledged that budgetary constraints hinder the continued roll-out of similar operations, it requested a budgetary estimation on the costs involved for Parliament to consider. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 03/17/2024 - 15:01
“As I reflect on my journey as an entrepreneur, one of the 5 values I’ve chosen to hang my hat on is authenticity,” says Jacqui van Rooijen, Sales Growth and Lead Generation Expert at Ycagel Consulting. She believes that in a world where imitation and superficiality often reign supreme, staying true to yourself can be …
The internet offers a vast landscape for freelance writers to share their knowledge and creativity. Here’s a curated list of 20 websites and publishers actively seeking freelance writers, along with estimated pay ranges and submission page links (where available). Remember, these rates can vary, so check each site’s guidelines for the most up-to-date information. 1. …
Motsoaledi clarifies allegations on the processing of tourists
Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has clarified allegations that his department is “chasing away tourists from South Africa” following an internal circular that was issued by the department on 21 December 2023.
Briefing media on Sunday in Pretoria, Motsoaledi explained that the circular was directed to the Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), as well as managers of ports of entry. The circular was also sent to Provincial Inspectorate and Visa Facilitation Centres.
Motsoaledi said the circular was meant to guide BMA officials at the ports of entry on what to do when they encounter nationals of other countries falling within particular categories at the borders. This includes individuals who have applied for visa extensions, waivers or appeals and have not yet received their outcomes - negative or positive.
“I wish to emphasise that this circular was an internal communications document. It was targeted for Home Affairs and BMA officials, who I have mentioned.
“Rather than guide anybody, unfortunately this document raised a storm in the media and within establishments that have to do with tourism,” he said.
The Minister said the Department of Home Affairs was accused of “chasing away tourists from the country”, and in the process weakening, and even risking the collapse the tourism industry.
“One specific group of tourists mentioned in this regard are called ‘Swallows’. These are people who move between the northern and the southern hemisphere in search of sunny days and they are regarded as very important to the tourism industry.
“I wish to state categorically that the Department of Home Affairs would gain nothing by destroying the tourism industry, which is regarded as one of the pillars of the economy, not only in South Africa but in many other countries,” he said.
Motsoaledi further explained that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism always work in partnership on issues of tourism because both departments are important in this regard, and this particular issue is no exception.
The Minister said he has contacted Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille to discuss the matter and after this consultation, he tried to clarify the matter in the debate of State of the Nation Address on 14 February 2024.
“In my input, I did concede that this was a very unfortunate circular, which should not have been issued because the matters it was trying to clarify could have… been addressed in the normal course of operations between BMA and the department.
“I further clarified this matter on the occasion of the responses to oral questions by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) during plenary in Parliamentary on 28 February 2024.
“Judging by the reactions, it appears that my explanation in Parliament was not enough. We arrived at the conclusion that if indeed the circular had the effect of chasing tourists out of the country, we needed to find a way to resolve that. Hence, we needed to check at the borders if there was a significant spike of people who had visited South Africa as tourists and are leaving. If there was such a spike, we wanted to act in mitigation.
“In this regard, we reasoned that if tourists are in trouble, their first port of call will be the tourist industry operators and the ministry of tourism. If the industry feels threatened, they will approach the Tourism Ministry. It is with that in mind that we approached Minister De Lille to find out how many people approached her as a consequence of actions emanating from this circular,” he said.
Motsoaledi said De Lille informed the department that only one case was referred to her department and she immediately contacted the Department of Home Affairs and the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of the individual concerned.
He said they also scouted ports of entry, especially the airports, to see if such individuals were encountered.
“It was at the Cape Town International Airport where five people are said to have encountered problems because they were declared undesirable due to their overstay in the country. We have instructed officials to take steps so that this undesirability status could be lifted without any waste of time,” he said.
Declaring people ‘undesirable’
Turning to the concept of declaring people undesirable, Motsoaledi said the word ‘undesirable’ is perhaps by itself unfortunate, but it is the term used when the Immigration Act of 2002 was enacted in Parliament.
He explained that in all the ports of entry in and out of South Africa, they have an electronic movement control system (MCS). When people enter the country, the MCS electronically records the date and time of entry.
“As you would know, your passports and visas indicate the number of days you have been allocated to be in South Africa. If you exceed your allocated days, even by just one day, the MCS at the borders will pick it up, regard it as an overstay, and automatically declare you undesirable.
“Fortunately, lawmakers in this country also realised that there could be myriad reasons that may cause a person to exceed their allocated days. Hence in the Act, the legislature empowers the Minister to review and set aside an undesirability status on application by the affected individual if cogent reasons are provided,” he said.
The Minister explained that when one applies for the extension of their visa before it expires, they are given a receipt, which has a reference number with which they can trace their application.
“In case your visa expires before the department has responded to your application, that receipt will act as an extension of your visa until such time you get a response, negative or positive. This means that no law enforcement officer, immigration officer or officials at the port of entry may trouble you while you are carrying such a receipt.
“As I said earlier on, when the circular was issued, it was an attempt to guide BMA officials because they were regarded as new at the borders.
“If there is anybody who was declared undesirable whilst they were carrying their receipt, they need to present themselves to the department so that their undesirability status can be removed,” he said.
The Minister said given that they have identified only one person from the Department of Tourism and five at the Cape Town International Airport, they are not in a position to conclude that these were the only people who were negatively affected by the circular.
“So today, we are making a call to the people in the industry or any other institution which is in a position to identity such people, so that we can immediately resolve their issues. Up [till now], the accusations directed at Home Affairs are full of generalities, anecdotes and no specific cases were given to us.
“We are pleading today, that anybody who wants to [make accusations] must please be specific because accusations without providing specific details won’t help the individuals affected…” Motsoaledi said. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 03/17/2024 - 13:32
Mineral Resources and Energy committee chair welcomes passing of ERA Bill
The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, Sahlulele Luzipo, has welcomed the passing of the Electricity Regulations and Amendment (ERA) Bill by the National Assembly (NA).
In a statement, Luzipo said the Bill is a product of the collective wisdom of everyone who participated in the process, including the public hearings held in all nine provinces and those who made written submissions.
The provincial public hearings were held from 26 September 2023 to 29 January 2024 and the majority of those who participated supported the Bill.
The Bill seeks to amend the Electricity Regulation Act of 2006 and once enacted into law, it will enable the transformation of the country’s electricity sector to ensure electricity sustainability, supply and affordability.
READ | National Assembly passes Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill
“It proposes an end to the monopoly-driven market and allows competition through key legislative reforms. This move is underscored in the Department of Public Enterprises’ 2019 Roadmap for Eskom in a Reformed Electricity Supply Industry.
“The Bill, however, does not propose the privatisation of Eskom, which the majority of participants in the public hearings said they opposed,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the Bill proposes the establishment, within five years, of a State-owned Transmission System Operator (TSO) that is legally distinct from Eskom; the expansion and alignment of the powers of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to regulate the competitive market and the empowerment of NERSA to set and approve tariffs and prices, as well as regulate the participation of independent power producers (IPPs), among other things.
In the interim, it authorises a ring-fenced subsidiary of Eskom Holdings, in the form of the National Transmission Company of South Africa, or NTCSA, to fulfil the functions of the TSO.
The TSO is an enabler of a competitive market. Therefore, the functions of the TSO are grid ownership and operation, system operation, market operation, and the creation of a Central Purchasing Agency that will take care of the legacy and vesting contracts.
“I am happy that the NA has passed the Bill that is responding to the people’s concerns about the need for setting parameters on the competitive behaviour of IPPs [independent power producers], as this will ensure that the sector delivers sustainable electricity at competitive prices,” Luzipo said.
According to Luzipo, this is important not only for competition but also because it addresses global commitments around climate change issues with regards to the country’s transition within the context of the Just Energy Transition framework. This is because the participation of multiple players will result in diverse electricity generation technologies, such as renewable energy.
“It is anticipated that, in the long-term, the Bill will drive down the cost of electricity generation, which will be passed on to consumers in the form of lower electricity bills.
“Further, new investment in the industry will bring new technologies and multi-year capital programmes that will enable new local industries and local businesses to empower youth and create new-age skills and digital capabilities because individuals who generate electricity for their use will be allowed to sell surplus to the government,” Luzipo said.
The ERA Bill criminalises the unlawful destruction and damage of electricity infrastructure, inclusive of transmission, distribution or generation equipment and infrastructure.
This provision ensures that cable theft and unlawful electricity damage, amongst other things, are decisively addressed.
The Bill states that if a person is convicted of these offences, a fine not exceeding R1 million will be imposed.
If a person is found guilty of unlawful trading of the electricity infrastructure as listed above, a fine not exceeding R5 million will be charged, or imprisonment not exceeding 10 years, or both such a fine and imprisonment.
Luzipo said that the committee intends for the Bill to not only address the immediate electricity challenges and load shedding but also to enable long-term electricity supply for businesses and the broader society.
He thanked all political parties that supported the Bill in the NA and for putting the interest of the country and its citizens ahead of their political interests in the forthcoming elections.
Luzipo further thanked members of the committee and the staff for their dedication. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 03/17/2024 - 12:14