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The Springbok Women will face Samoa in their final WXV 2 match at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Friday without Tayla Kinsey, Luchell Hanekom and Aseza Hele. Kinsey, the most capped scrumhalf in Springbok Women history, left the field in the first half of last Friday’s match against Italy due to HIA protocols and …
Government activities for the week, 23 - 27 October 2023
Government has scheduled the following briefings/activities for the week: 23 to 27 October 2023.
From Tuesday, 24 October, to Thursday, 26 October, South Africa will host the 7th Global Alcohol Policy Conference at the Cape Town Convention Centre in Cape Town.
On Tuesday, 24 October, the Electoral Commission will launch the 2024 National and Provincial Elections from 10:00 at the Ballroom, Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.
From Tuesday, 24 October, to Thursday, 26 October, Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, will host the BRICS Tourism Ministers meeting in Cape Town.
From Tuesday, 24 October, to Friday, 27 October, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies will host the National Digital and Future Skills Conference at the East London ICC in the Eastern Cape.
Janine
Mon, 10/23/2023 - 10:07
The City of Cape Town’s spectacular Festive Lights Switch-On is scheduled for 26 November 2023 on the Grand Parade. This will be the 54th outing for this family-oriented free event, which is a highlight on the City’s event calendar and attracts thousands of people of all ages from across the entire metropole, including a growing …
Zahir Vallie’s Z-PROP plans to go aggressive on the South African real estate market. While capitalizing on current conditions, it has decided to offer personalized services and a wide range of properties. Cape Town, SA, October 13, 2023 – Zahir Vallie, founder of Z-PROP, has made a distinctive name in the South African real estate …
Woodstock police say they are investigating
Husqvarna Tiller unlocks small-scale farm’s potential Sihle Ntozini only started farming three years ago but with his passion, determination and dedication, he has transformed a fallow piece of land into a thriving small farm in East London that employs six people and supplies fresh produce to two leading retailers in the area. The cornerstones of …
BLOEMFONTEIN: South Africa (SA) Emerging were crowned champions of the Division 2 Cricket South Africa (CSA) 1 Day Cup after a...
TSHWANE: Dewald Brevis provided an anchoring performance for the Momentum Multiply Titans in the much-anticipated encounter against Western Province at SuperSport...
CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE – FUTURELIFE®, a leading food company wholly owned by PepsiCo South Africa, celebrated the grand opening of its second concept store at Canal Walk in Cape Town on October 18, 2023. This event comes just four months after the inauguration of its flagship store in Umhlanga’s Oceans Mall. According to Justine …
Western Cape prepares for record-breaking summer tourism season
With preparations for the summer tourism season underway, the Western Cape province will - for the first time ever - have more than one million in-bound international seats, breaking the record for travellers during the festive season.
“Looking ahead, Cape Town International Airport’s seat capacity for summer 2023/24 is estimated to increase by an impressive 25%, compared to the same period last year. This means that inbound international seats this summer will exceed 1 million, for the first time ever,” the MEC for Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, said on Sunday.
She said the province is pleased with the significant progress made over the past year in bringing the private and public sectors together to implement practical solutions to combat and pre-empt safety risks for visitors.
"Over the 2023/24 season, 250 tourism monitors will be deployed across the Western Cape to identified hotspots, and will be trained and equipped with mobile apps to link them to critical security services,” she said.
In addition, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism and Cape Town Tourism will implement tourist-in-distress programmes, which ensure that visitors have professional support available when they most need it.
“I am also pleased that the Department of Tourism has secured a commitment from South African Police Service (SAPS) that police reservists will be available during the summer season to assist with tourism safety,” she said.
The MEC said work is being prioritised to ensure a successful upcoming season, as well as future seasons.
“At the top of my list is making it as easy as possible for international visitors to holiday in the Western Cape and South Africa. I am determined to work with our national government partners to fix the inefficiencies. I therefore welcome the commitment from the Department of Home Affairs that the long overdue Remote or Digital Nomad Visa will be live by the end of March 2024,” Wenger said. – SAnews.gov.za
nosihle
Sun, 10/22/2023 - 10:38
Protesters demand that South Africans who join Israeli Defence Force be prosecuted
The landscape of paediatric dental care in South Africa is poised for a significant transformation, marked by the launch of the nation’s first specialised Paediatric and Special Needs Dental Care Unit. This pioneering initiative, a result of the dedicated efforts of the Department of Paediatric Dentistry of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), The …
Paradoxal, Both Worlds, SWR – FabFiction and Prime Video today announced the start of principal photography of the television series The Morning After. The series, created by Thierry Cassuto & Karen Jeynes (Recipes for Love and Murder, Puppet Nation) and set in Cape Town, South Africa, stars award-winning up-and-comer British actress Amara Okereke (In The …
Johannesburg 20 October 2023 – Sometimes, all a great idea needs is a little fine-tuning to give it the confidence and gravitas it needs to succeed. A nudge in the right direction can be life-changing for many aspiring entrepreneurs in South Africa. Brand South Africa, through their Play Your Part Ignite roadshow, have been travelling …
There are about 4,000 households occupying the line between Nyanga and Philippi, according to the Housing Development Agency
And Then…, the latest iteration in an award-winning dance series, opens at the Artscape Arena Theatre on 29 November 2023. jackï job is an accomplished artist known for constantly raising the bar of contemporary dance performance. Her dance series And Then… began in 2018. It has taken on many forms – each one planting the …
Durban beaches closed following damage to shark nets
The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality has closed all Durban beaches until further notice after the recent heavy rains in some parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
The municipality said the decision to close the beaches follows advice from the Natal Sharks Board.
Murky water which is full of logs and other unsafe objects, as a result of the heavy rains, has resulted in the shark nets at most beaches breaking - making beaches unsafe for the public to use.
“All water activities are prohibited. However, residents can still enjoy other activities along the beach that do not require them to come into contact with sea water,” the municipality said in a statement.
The municipality said teams are hard at work fixing the nets and infrastructure that was damaged by the heavy rains and urged the beachgoers to heed the warning.
All city’s beaches are therefore closed until further notice.
Camps Bay tidal pool
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town has announced that the city’s Coastal Management branch will commence with work at the Camps Bay tidal pool on Monday, 23 October 2023.
The city will be levelling the beach that was badly washed out due to the recent storms.
The City’s Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews said during the recent storms the adjacent river flooded and washed away a significant portion of the northern section of the Camps Bay tidal pool beach, depositing a significant amount of sand in the near shore.
“This has resulted in a large sand bank that is impacting the functional space of the pool. On Monday the city will commence mechanical activities to remove as much of the sand bank as practically possible and to reinstate the beach.
“These works will require lowering the water level in the pool. As such, the pool will experience lower water levels during the execution of the works and will take a day or two to fill up to capacity depending on the tides and swell size post the work,” Andrews said.
The Deputy Mayor urged all visitors and regular users of the tidal pool to visit another facility, while the work is underway.
“While the pool will not be closed in its entirety, it is recommended that the public consider visiting one of the city’s other facilities during this period, such as Maidens Cove, Saunders Rocks or Milton Pool. We thank the public for their patience while we do our best to restore this facility as efficiently as possible,” Andrews said. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Fri, 10/20/2023 - 11:04
The significant advantages of nuclear energy in addressing Africa's energy needs and eradicating energy poverty was highlighted during a panel discussion at African Energy Week, in Cape Town.
Enobot Agboraw, Executive Secretary of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy noted factors including longevity, cost-effectiveness and the environmental resilience of nuclear power as reasons why more African states needed to consider investing in this energy source, underscoring its importance in ensuring a stable energy supply for the rapidly growing African population.
"Africa realizes that the issue of energy poverty is an emergency. With our population expected to double to 3 billion by 2050, we need to introduce energy solutions fast. Nuclear power, with its long lifespan and reliability, stands out as a key pillar in Africa's energy transition efforts," he said.
He added that although most countries in Africa would not be able to finance such projects on their own, he believed that through combined efforts, such as multilateral approaches, countries looking to invest in nuclear energy would be pooling their resources, reducing financial and proliferation risks.
Meanwhile, Sayed Salah Eldin Motyaser Aly, NNP Egypt chief of sector, shared updates on Egypt's nuclear initiatives, as the northern African country is currently constructing its first nuclear energy plant in El Dabaa. “This nuclear project represents the start of our future industrialization. It has created the opportunity for highly skilled jobs and the development of local industries and Egypt has invested in many initiatives such as the dedicated El Dabaa vocational school, as well as a training program implemented with our strategic partner to ensure we have the skills needed to take this project forward.”
Also speaking during the panel discussion, Keith Featherstone, Chief Nuclear Officer at Eskom, highlighted South Africa's potential for extending the lifespan of existing nuclear plants, adding that it was currently the only country on the continent which had nuclear energy generation capacity. He highlighted the opportunities presented by small modular reactors (SMRs), which had been placed on hold, and the potential use of nuclear energy to repurpose fossil fuel sites, contributing to cleaner energy production. "I personally am hopeful that the future requests for proposals will allocate more capacity to nuclear as it definitely is one of the most reliable baseload energy options we've got, especially in the South African energy sector.”
Emphasizing the need for sustainable energy solutions, Vassily Savin, Head of Power and Utilities at KEPT, noted although African states could rely on its natural resources of sun, wind and water to provide alternative power sources, a recent analysis focused on South Africa and East Africa showed that it would not be enough to allow for industrialization. "Our modeling shows that achieving this only on renewables is not achievable at all. Africa needs a sustainable grid and sustainable sources of energy. Nuclear energy is a reliable, low-carbon source that could replace retiring fossil fuel plants and allow for the integration of renewables.
"The main bottleneck here is financing. Fossil fuels are not favored by multilateral banks, and surprisingly, neither is nuclear. But if multilateral banks would finance nuclear, it would dramatically help eliminate energy poverty in Africa,” he concluded.
#AEW2023 – organized by the African Energy Chamber takes place this week in Cape Town under a mandate to make energy poverty history by 2030. Keep following www.AECWeek.com for information and updates about Africa's premier energy event.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Taking place during the 2023 edition of African Energy Week (AEW) the Invest in Uganda Energies country spotlight served to showcase the various investment and partnership prospects available across the East African country's energy sector.
Sponsored by Uganda's National Oil Company (NOC), the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) Limited, and featuring the participation of high-level public and private sector players, the session shone a light on Uganda's energy journey, with a focus on new investment opportunities in the East African energy hub.
“For the energy space, in terms of regulation, in terms of policy, in terms of opportunities, there is huge potential for private sector players to participate in Uganda,” stated Aggrey Ashaba, Uganda Chamber of Mines General Secretary.
Boasting approximately 1.4 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil reserves and significant gas resources, Uganda ranks among Africa's fastest growing energy markets, and has emerged as an attractive investment destination for global energy companies and investors alike.
“In respect to licensing, the laws require that we follow a production sharing regime, which creates a certain level of certainty; compliance to international standards on safety, environment, and social aspects; and regulate the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors,” stated Ali Ssekatawa, Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda.
The country aims to produce first oil in 2025, having achieved a Final Investment Decision for the $10 billion Lake Albert Development – comprising the Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfields as well as the 1,443km-long EACOP – alongside oil and gas supermajor, TotalEnergies, and Chinese National Oil Company, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation in 2022.
“We are currently building an investment portfolio of over $10 billion,” stated Proscovia Nabbanja, CEO of UNOC Limited, adding, “This will be to develop resources of about 1.4 to 1.7 billion recoverable barrels of oil while monetizing and developing our downstream sector.”
“As we charge the future, we need to leverage past experiences,” stated Sandisiwe Ncemane, Interim CEO for South Africa's NOC, PetroSA, adding, “When it comes to infrastructure, we see value in having invested in that infrastructure, even as we witness changes in attitude towards energy sources.”
On the mid- and downstream fronts – in addition to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline – the country is inviting foreign investors to fund a series of infrastructure projects, both in-country and across the region. Representing a relatively new market, opportunities for players across the refining, transportation, service provision, and associated industries are growing.
“We currently have a project resource portfolio of about $15 million as a local entity,” stated Job Kahigwa, Chairman and CEO of construction company, ROHI Investment Ltd., adding, “For enabling Uganda's supporting industries, we have a huge opportunity to source from the country's population to promote and develop local content while engaging in partnerships with other local entities.”
Meanwhile, the country's boasts substantial renewable energy resources, with over 80% of its generation mix being driven largely by hydropower. Meanwhile, it was noted that the country is poised to increase its generation capacity two-fold by 2040, largely driven on the back of renewable energy.
“Today, our energy mix is largely driven by hydropower, so we are boasting an energy mix where only 7% is driven by hydrocarbons,” stated Eng. Ps. Irene Batebe, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda, adding, “Our total installed capacity is over 2,000 Mw, but in our ambitious plan to industrialize, we are looking to increase our generation capacity by 52,000 MW by 2040.”
Taking place in Cape Town from 16-20 October, #AEW2023 is held under the theme, ‘The African Energy Renaissance: Prioritizing Energy Poverty, People, the Planet, Industrialization and Free Markets'. AEW is the African Energy Chamber's annual event, uniting African energy stakeholders with global investors to discuss the future of African energy.
#AEW2023 takes place this week in Cape Town under a mandate to make energy poverty history by 2030. Keep following www.AECWeek.com for more information and updates about Africa's premier energy event.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
African Energy Week (AEW) 2023 hosted a high-level panel discussion analyzing trends within the continent's downstream segment, as African countries seek to ensure optimal exploitation of domestic resources for energy security, affordability and independence.
Moderated by Daniel Evans, Vice President, Global Refining and Marketing, S&P Global Commodity Insights, the discussion began with a keynote speech by Anibor Kragha, Executive Secretary, African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA).
“Fossil fuel demand in Africa will grow by 45% to 50% over the next three decades, hence the need to boost refinery and storage capacity to avoid the continued surge in energy imports which are increasing prices across the continent,” stated Kragha.
Supporting his statement Daouda Kebe, Technical Director, Senegal's SAR, said “Most of the refineries in Africa were built in the 1960s and are reaching end of life and need to be updated in line with changing energy and environmental sustainability standards.”
Peter Adeshola Olowononi, Head, Client Relations - Anglophone West Africa, Afreximbank, added that “Industrialization is the only way that Africa can remain viable and for that to happen the continent needs to have sustainable and resilient downstream systems. That is why we are working with APPO to establish the African Energy Bank to invest in African refinery projects.”
While the panel identified a lack of adequate financing as the biggest barrier hindering the growth of Africa's downstream projects, it served as a platform to showcase best solutions to driving investments within the segment.
Olowononi, added that with international banks pulling out financing in hydrocarbon projects due to the energy transition, there is a need for more cooperation between African banks and governments in coming up with home-grown financing solutions.
“Africa has to understand that we have an emergence. As long as we don't externalize this challenge, we will keep on suffering. Banks need to see that it is no longer about profits and capitalization but rather about guaranteeing African energy security, which will, in turn result in economic growth and more profits for them.”
Kragha emphasized on the role leveraging market-based pricing, the enactment of clear policies and coordination between key sectoral ministries to support investor business plans play in accelerating the flow of investments in the continent's downstream landscape.
“We have to look at what makes sense from an investment perspective. Not all countries need to have a refinery. We need a tighter and robust intra Africa refinery value chain to ensure intra trading and cooperation between upstream and downstream players. For instance, South Africa, with its four refineries, can be leveraged by the SADC region to refine energy sourced from Namibia and Mozambique for regional energy security,” added Kragha.
Zakaria Dosso, Managing Director, AEICORP said with global investors prioritizing ESG, the continent can attract new investments by building new refineries which have the latest sustainability certification instead of focusing on updating existing assets which are outdated.
Organized by the African Energy Chamber, #AEW2023 takes place this week in Cape Town under a mandate to make energy poverty history by 2030. Keep following www.AECWeek.com for more exciting information and updates about Africa's premier energy event.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
The Mossel Bay, Overstrand and Swartland K-9, inclusive of the Rural Safety Units (RSUs) in the Overstrand and Swartland areas, continues to make inroads against crime in their respective areas. Between 9 to 15 October 2023, these units with various other municipal law enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service (SAPS), arrested seventeen (17) …
Durban ICC scoops major accolades at World Travel Awards
KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has congratulated Durban and Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) for scooping major awards at the World Travel Awards held in Dubai.
The ICC walked away with Africa's Leading Meetings and Conference Centre and Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination Awards, beating the likes of Accra (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria), Marrakech (Morocco), Nairobi (Kenya), Zanzibar (Tanzania), Kigali (Rwanda), Cape Town and Johannesburg in both awards.
The glittering 30th World Travel Awards, held on Sunday, marked seven years on the trot since Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, has been winning this award back-to-back from 2017.
The World Travel Awards are regarded as the most prestigious event in the global travel calendar, attended by the industry's key decision-makers, influencers and media. They serve to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.
Dube-Ncube said the awards are a great vote of confidence by the global travel and tourism sector in KZN province, the City of Durban, and the Durban International Convention Centre facility.
“We appreciate this honour but importantly value the sterling and untiring work put in by our entity, KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau for continuously attracting business events to our province. Such achievements are not a given nor come to us for free, we have to work hard to achieve them” Dube-Ncube said.
The Premier also noted with excitement that in the 23-year history of Africa’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre Award category, the Durban ICC has won this title for the 18th time.
“This vote of confidence by the World Travel Awards organisation in the Durban ICC is as bold and significant as the establishment of the Durban International Convention Centre itself. During the formative years of our democracy the city’s fathers took a daring and futuristic view of making the Convention Centre one of the single largest investments in the future growth and development of the city.
“Today we are reaping the rewards of such decisions. Naming it after Africa’s first Nobel Laureate, Inkosi Albert Luthuli is indicative of the global stature of this facility. Hosting these awards in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC will be a befitting tribute to the vision of our forebears,” the Premier said. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Thu, 10/19/2023 - 12:36
Featuring a diverse group of influential women leaders in the energy sector, a Women in Energy Roundtable Discussion was held during the African Energy Week (AEW) 2023 conference and exhibition. The panel explored innovative strategies and collaborative efforts to ensure access to affordable and reliable energy for all Africans, with women at the forefront of progress.
Moderated by Grace Orife, CEO of Adelaar Energy, the roundtable was hosted by the African Women Business Energy Network and bp SA.
The discussion kicked off with Sarah Baashan, Head of Global Insights and Engagements, Saudi Aramco, providing insight into how Africa can address its current energy challenges while also ensuring a sustainable future. She stated that, “We need to increase energy generation capacity while guaranteeing that energy produced is affordable. At the same time, we should not forget decarbonization, as it is crucial for a healthy environment.”
Baashan added that the continent hosts the world's youngest workers, and therefore, should prioritize creating more job opportunities to advance sustainable socioeconomic development. Ibi Ogunbiyi, Partner at Olaniwun Ajayi, added that the continent needs to adopt a “compromised strategy where we are having hydrocarbons producing baseload power and off-grid and other renewable systems providing access to underserved communities.” She also believes that, “Gas should serve as a transition fuel.”
Additionally, the panel identified a lack of adequate infrastructure and project financing across the value chain as key challenges hindering the expansion of African energy economies. Commenting on how the continent can address infrastructure deficits, Oluseyi Afolabi, Principal Consultant/CEO at Reservoir and Facilities Solutions Nigeria, stated that it starts with African governments prioritizing the development of assets which allow secure and resilient generation and transportation of energy to both rural and urban communities.
“Investments in the research and development of innovative solution needs to also be prioritized while streamlining the deployment of projects and ensuring construction is fast-tracked. Lastly, there is a need for maximizing value addition in local content development in projects rollout,” added Afolabi.
Echoing Afolabi's notion, Allyson Anderson Book, Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes, said increasing investments in Africa's capacity building initiatives is crucial for the diversification of Africa's energy mix and for the continent to be able to reduce the reliance on international aid.
Commenting on the factors that have influenced the current state of Africa's energy industry, Taelo Mojapelo, CEO of bp SA, stated that, “Energy demand is growing by at least 3% a year while investments in new projects have been slow. We have also failed to define our own principles, hence we have significant inequality which are compromising [progress regarding] Sustainable Development Goals. We need to exploit all the energy resources we have including coal, gas and oil before we do into the transition.”
Ayanda Noah, Chairperson of South Africa's Central Energy Fund, provided insight into best practices for the continent to improve its current energy status. According to Noah, governments should improve cooperation with the private sector, and that “Connectivity and collaboration at the basic level is crucial. Africa has tangible examples of interconnectivity success projects such as the Southern African Power Pool which we can maximize to enhance energy security. Women have the potential to be innovative, coming up with out-of-the-box solutions to critical energy challenges.”
Amb. Martha Nyamal Choat, Deputy Managing Director and CEO, Nile Petroleum Corporation, shared similar remarks, adding that for African projects to be able to attract private investments, governments need to ensure security and market stability which are absent in an increasing number of African countries.
Shirley Webber, Head of Natural Resources & Energy at ABSA, concluded the session by adding that in addition to market stability, governments need to prioritize Environmental Social Governance and the adoption of a mix of financing mechanisms for the different energy infrastructure development projects.
#AEW2023 – organized by the African Energy Chamber – takes place this week in Cape Town under a mandate to make energy poverty history by 2030. Keep following www.aecweek.com for more exciting information and updates about Africa's premier energy event.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Will there also be a good news story about Metrorail?