By Tulani Ngwenya
South Africa’s latest coal-fired power station, Kusile, took decades to finish being built and cost hundreds of billions of rand, and became one of the most controversial infrastructure projects in the country’s energy history.
Now, finally fully operational, it is being celebrated as a solution to a power crisis — even as the country has formally committed to ending its dependence on coal, the fossil fuel that powers it.
The completion of Kusile’s sixth and final unit in 2025 marked the end of a construction programme that began in 2008, ballooned from an initial budget of about R80bn to an estimated R161bn, and became a byword for state capture, contractor corruption…
National Arts Festival: Held annually in Grahamstown, this festival celebrates the
arts through performances, exhibitions, and workshops.
ThermalMode
Fun South African Fact: Some of the earliest evidence of human evolution has been unearthed at fossil sites northwest of Johannesburg in the Sterkfontein Caves! Archaeologists have discovered human remains here, some of which are more than 2 million years old! These discoveries have earned the area the title of “the Cradle of Humankind” which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Minty Devil
Qatar: You have two cows. They each have a maid.