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Mopani Residents Support Proposal to Increase Number of Electricity Companies

Location: News

Republic of South Africa: The Parliament
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A proposal in the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill to open the market to allow for competitive electricity trading received strong support during public hearings on the Bill in Limpopo's Mopani District Municipality yesterday.

The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy held public hearings yesterday at Thomo Community Hall in Giyani to solicit views on the Bill, which seeks to introduce reforms in electricity generation in order to address South Africa's current energy crisis.

Residents supporting the Bill told the committee that the proposed amendments would augment electricity generation and ensure the country's security of energy supply. They also said that Eskom must compete with other companies in the electricity generation sector,as in the telecommunications sector, where state enterprise Telkom competes with the private sector.

Others raised concerns that the opening of the market to allow for competitive electricity trading will result in high prices, which will disadvantage the poor. There were also those who argued that this was an attempt to sell Eskom to the private sector and it must not be allowed to continue. Other citizens told the committee that they are not convinced that Eskom does not have capacity, nor do they believe it needs assistance from private power generators; they argued that the state electricity company is just poorly managed.

Committee Chairperson Mr Sahlulele Luzipo thanked the people of Mopani and commended them for speaking to exactly what the Bill is about. “We take your views very seriously; no input is less important. We understand that this is a very emotive and serious matter in our society and your views are important for this process to review or amend the legislation,” said the Chairperson.

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill aims to effect changes to the Electricity Regulation Act in order to provide for additional electricity generation capacity and infrastructure, as well as the establishment of the Transmission System Operator SOC Ltd.

The draft legislation also seeks an open market platform that will allow for competitive electricity trading; and to assign the duties, powers and functions of the Transmission System Operator SOC Ltd to the National Transmission Company South Africa SOC Ltd.

Today, the committee will continue with public hearings in Sekhukhune District Municipality at ELCSA Lutheran Church in Motetema, starting at 10h00.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Read moreMopani Residents Support Proposal to Increase Number of Electricity Companies

Top litigation lawyer returns to her roots at Bowmans

Location: MyPR

Leading African law firm Bowmans is further strengthening its dispute resolution capacity in South Africa by appointing senior litigation lawyer Vanessa Jacklin-Levin as a partner in its Johannesburg Litigation Practice. ‘Vanessa is one of the most highly regarded dispute resolution lawyers in South Africa, with a formidable combination of skills, not only in litigation, adjudications …

Read moreTop litigation lawyer returns to her roots at Bowmans

South Africa’s Tourism Renaissance: A Journey of Growth and Innovation

Location: MyPR

By Jaco Minnaar, CEO of The Houghton Hotel, Spa, Wellness and Golf For hotel operators in South Africa, Tourism Month represents a unique business opportunity with the potential for substantial growth and sustainability. Jaco Minnaar, CEO of The Houghton Hotel, Spa, Wellness and Golf in Johannesburg, shares a heartening perspective on the state of tourism …

Read moreSouth Africa’s Tourism Renaissance: A Journey of Growth and Innovation

Work continues between government and business to tackle SA’s immediate challenges

Location: News

Work continues between government and business to tackle SA’s immediate challenges

President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with members of Cabinet and senior business leaders to receive an update on progress made in the collaboration between government and business. 

This collaboration was initiated in June 2023, with the aim of significantly growing South Africa’s economy, and restoring public and investor confidence through critical interventions to address the key challenges of energy, logistics, and crime and corruption. 

Highlighting the meaningful progress made since the start of the initiative in a joint statement, President Ramaphosa said they have established an effective working relationship between government and business to tackle the most immediate challenges facing the economy. 

“While we have identified key milestones and set out the processes to achieve these, the real test of our success will be in the results felt by ordinary citizens. 

“We are confident that by working together and marshalling the significant resources and expertise that exist in our country, we will end load shedding, fix our logistics system, and tackle crime and corruption,” the President said. 

Adrian Gore, co-convenor of the business delegation, said while it’s early in the partnership, the collective work rate has been excellent and "there are clear areas of progress", which he believes they can build upon to achieve real change.

 
“Putting in place a viable, critical path per focal area, with clear short-term deliverables against which we collectively measure our progress, is crucial for building confidence in our ability to deliver,” Gore said. 

The joint statement sated that good traction has been achieved within the energy focal area, through the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM), which has been established to ensure delivery of the Energy Action Plan (EAP).

Business and government reaffirmed the importance of the EAP as the country’s blueprint for reducing the severity and frequency of load shedding in the short term and ending it altogether in the long term. 

“Full implementation of the plan across three core priorities – improving the performance of Eskom’s existing power stations; adding new generation capacity, and reforming the energy sector – will result in over 12GW of generation capacity being recovered or added to the system from Eskom and the private sector by the end of 2024,” the statement read. 

As part of this collaboration, CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Cas Coovadia, and chair of the Steering Committee of Business for South Africa (B4SA), Martin Kingston noted that business is mobilising additional capacity and skills to support the implementation of the EAP. 

This includes nearly 130 volunteers from the private sector who are being coordinated through the Energy Council of South Africa to work in partnership with Eskom and government. The deployment of technical support teams to five power stations – Kendal, Kriel, Majuba, Matla, and Tutuka – is on track, in addition to ongoing support for the return of Kusile Units 1 to 3. 

Energy stabilty

The joint statement highlighted that the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill has been tabled in Parliament, and the public comment period is underway. Government is engaging closely with Parliament to prioritise the passage of this Bill, given its crucial importance for the reform of the energy sector. 

Encouraging progress has been made in the establishment of the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), with all three licenses approved by the National Energy Regulator of SA (NERSA), and the appointment of an independent board is in process. 

The One Stop Shop for energy projects has been established, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed with the Energy Council to support enhancement of its capacity and systems to further streamline regulatory processes and facilitate private investment in energy generation.

In the logistics focal area, the collaboration is centered on ensuring implementation of immediate operational interventions, which have already been defined, alongside the development of the Freight Logistics Roadmap. 

Government has committed to finalise the roadmap, which will outline a sequenced set of actions to fundamentally reform the logistics system, by the end of October 2023. Business emphasized the urgency of this roadmap in the context of the ongoing challenges in the logistics system.

 
“Six of the eight work streams of the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) are now fully operational, while the remaining two will transition from Operation Vulindlela. Interventions to improve the operational performance of the multimodal bulk freight rail network and port system are well underway through the NLCC”. 

Corridor Recovery Teams have been established for five strategic corridors, comprising Transnet managing executives, industry representatives and independent experts, and a delivery plan has been developed with specific actions and timeframes to achieve the targeted increase in freight volumes. 

Business and government further emphasized the need to support the Board of Transnet in its turnaround plan in order to drive operational improvement and sustainability. 

“A multi-disciplinary team has been formed to address congestion challenges at the Lebombo border crossing, resulting in a reduction in the border processing time, while a dedicated work stream has been established to expedite the restoration of passenger rail services. Law enforcement agencies are working to protect rail infrastructure through a range of interventions, including aerial surveillance on the North and Central Corridors as well as the Majuba rail line,” government and business said. 

In the crime and corruption focal area, current engagements centre on building capacity within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), along with the modernisation of the 10111 emergency response centre and collaboration between industry and the SAPS to address crimes targeting infrastructure. 

The NPA Amendment Bill has been tabled to establish the Investigating Directorate as a permanent entity with investigative powers. 

This Bill responds to a key recommendation of the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, and will strengthen the capacity and independence of the NPA to tackle corruption-related crimes. A further meeting will be held in six weeks’ time to assess progress on these commitments. 

“During this period, the immediate focus will be on ensuring the passage of critical reform legislation such as the ERA Bill and the NPA Amendment Bill; scaling up technical support for power station performance recovery; finalizing and adopting the Freight Logistics Roadmap; and establishing a joint delivery mechanism to coordinate agreed interventions to tackle crime and corruption,” the joint statement said. 

Both government and business continue to engage with other social partners in parallel, as part of their respective commitments to advance collaboration on shared national objectives. – SAnews.gov.za 

DikelediM
Wed, 09/27/2023 - 13:42

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Read moreWork continues between government and business to tackle SA’s immediate challenges

Mchunu calls for water shifting to address water outages

Location: News

Mchunu calls for water shifting to address water outages

Water service authorities have been called on by Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, to implement water shifting as part of interim plans to address the challenges that have left some communities in Gauteng without water.

Mchunu held an engagement with community members from South Hill in Johannesburg on Tuesday, following the water supply challenges experienced in the area.

Residents in South Hills have been without water for over two weeks. Johannesburg Water advised that this was as a result of low levels in Rand Water’s Klipriviersberg reservoir, which was caused by the power failure at Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant following the storm on 19 September 2023. 

During the meeting, residents complained that while some of them have been without water for weeks, they have received high water bills. 

The residents told the Minister that grievances are taken seriously only when they take to the streets. They further said there was zero accountability from the government regarding lack of basic service delivery.

Responding to the community members, Mchunu said decisions taken from the meeting should be implemented as soon as possible.

“We must not subject people to emotional stress all the time. Hold us accountable because water is a sensitive and emotional subject. We are focused on resolving the problems,” Mchunu said.

He said the issues that came from the meeting include accountability, water shifting, poor infrastructure, reservoirs and water conservation.

Regarding water shifting, Mchunu said Rand Water has assured him that they will do load shifting from a line that is not too busy and redirect to Palmiet, until the system recovers and is able to supply even high-lying areas.

“We are going to water shift as an interim measure. Technicians will be monitoring the system 24/7 as we shift water from systems to systems,” Mchunu explained.

The Minister called on Rand Water to have a set timeline for when the extra 150 mega litres will be made available from Station 5A.

He said the City of Johannesburg must start the process of replacing old leaking pipes to stop large volume of water being lost due to leaks.

“Water shifting is not a permanent solution, so we have to do something permanent to address this challenge. I support Joburg Water's initiative to construct a temporary pump station to assist with the turnaround recovery of water shortages.

“Joburg Water will share implementation plans and time frames regarding the development of the sump at the South Hills tower,” he said.

The Ministry of Water and Sanitation is currently conducting site visits to various areas in Gauteng that have been affected by water outages. – SAnews.gov.za

 

GabiK
Wed, 09/27/2023 - 13:50

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Read moreMchunu calls for water shifting to address water outages

Over 20 schools in W Cape closed after severe storm

Location: News

Over 20 schools in W Cape closed after severe storm

A total of 21 schools affected by the Western Cape storms have been forced to close due to infrastructure and road damages blocking access to schools’ premises.

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier said 249 schools in the province have been affected by the storm over the weekend.

“Infrastructure damages were reported by 150 schools out of the 249, ranging from minor leaks to major roof damage, and we are working to assess these damages at present. Thirty-nine schools were closed on Tuesday, and this was reduced to 21 schools on Wednesday, with the vast majority as a result of access roads to school being blocked,” Maynier said. 

Briefing the media after visiting Franschhoek High School on Wednesday morning, Maynier said the school has been closed since the weekend’s storms, as it currently has no water and electricity supply, and substantial flooding to the access roads makes it impossible for 650 learners to attend school. 

While other schools are open, Maynier said many schools reported low attendance as learners struggle to reach schools in flood-damaged areas. 

“The preliminary attendance figures indicates that 30.1% of learners were not able to attend school on Tuesday, and 31.4% were not able to attend on Wednesday. The officials are working with schools to ensure that all schools can reopen as soon as possible, and we encourage parents to keep in contact with their schools for updates regarding closures.

“The schools will implement catch-up plans to ensure that learners do not fall behind as a result of the school days lost this week. Schools close for the spring holidays this Friday, which will provide some breathing room for repairs and restoration of access,” Maynier said. 

Th MEC also expressed his deepest condolences to the families of three learners who passed away over the long weekend due to the storm. 

He said counselling support has been provided to families and students who have lost lives.

“We thank the emergency services, our government and NGO partners, and our schools for the assistance they are rendering to our teachers, learners, and parents as we recover from this devastating storm,” Maynier said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

GabiK
Wed, 09/27/2023 - 15:01

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Read moreOver 20 schools in W Cape closed after severe storm

Communities urged to be cautious as inclement weather still expected

Location: News

Communities urged to be cautious as inclement weather still expected

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng, has urged communities across the country to be extra cautious as the potential for further inclement and windy weather conditions remains high. 

According to the department, the Minister is concerned about the prevailing adverse weather conditions characterised by wildfires and heavy rains affecting most provinces. 

“The Minister urges communities across the country to be extra cautious as the potential for further inclement and windy weather conditions remains high,” the statement read.  

Nkadimeng has directed respective disaster management centres to activate relief and response measures to ensure the preservation of life through their rescue and recovery efforts.

The Western and Eastern Cape have thus far experienced major flooding, resulting in significant damage to infrastructure and property. 

“Sadly, several communities have been displaced and some roads are inaccessible, which is detrimentally affecting lives and livelihoods.” 

The department said it has noted the high alert early warning issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS), particularly for the Western and Eastern Cape. 

Some of the worst-hit areas include the City of Cape Town, Garden Route, Central Karoo District; West Coast District, Theewaterskloof, Gugulethu, Sarah Baartman and Nelson Mandela. 

“Based on the reports and the weather forecast for the next couple of days as predicted by the SAWS, communities must be extra vigilant, especially in coastal areas.” 

Warnings have also been extended for some parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga for 27 September 2023.

“The heavy rains are accompanied by strong winds which can lead to high tide, with the ocean's waters creeping up the shore, thus endangering lives.”

To this effect, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) is working collaboratively with Disaster Management Teams from across the three spheres of government and other teams to provide assistance where required. 

“Minister calls on all social sectors and partners to mobilise aid and resources to respond adequately to the needs of affected communities.”

As more rain is still expected, the Minister calls on communities to observe the following safety measures: 

- Be extra vigilant and exercise caution, especially in flood-prone areas.

- Follow regular updates and warning messages from the SAWS.

- Work with relevant authorities and follow safety tips.

- Those residing in low-lying areas must take extra care during storms, as sudden floods might affect them. 

- Monitor the rising water levels and evacuate the areas to a safer place in case or water level rises.

- Be cautious of power lines that might be lying on the roads and debris on the roads.

- Cross through flooded roads or bridges or low-lying bridges, streams and rivers – use other safer routes.

- Try not to walk, swim or drive in swift-flowing water. Even if the water is 15 cm deep, it can sweep you off your feet.

- Motorists are urged to drive and park in safer areas.

- The public should contact their municipal disaster management centres or the nearest police station or call the national emergency numbers (112, 10177 or 107) when faced with threats.

- Sensitise children about the dangers of floods.

- Keep important documents in a water-resistant container.

- Keep your cellphone near you and have emergency numbers at hand.

- Be vigilant at night as it is harder to recognise potentially deadly road hazards.

- Beware of possible water contamination due to raw sewage or other dangerous substances. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Wed, 09/27/2023 - 10:51

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Read moreCommunities urged to be cautious as inclement weather still expected

In a declining SA market, diversifying real estate portfolios offshore makes qualified sense

Location: MyPR

There is a perception that property is a good investment delivering healthy returns over time. A bonded property requires that the property owner practices financial discipline and makes regular monthly repayments with the end result being a fully paid off asset. Depending on the property cycle when the property was acquired, that perception has held …

Read moreIn a declining SA market, diversifying real estate portfolios offshore makes qualified sense

Mayor signs declaration to assist Cape Town communities affected by storm

Location: News

Mayor signs declaration to assist Cape Town communities affected by storm

Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, has signed a major incident declaration that allows for the unlocking of additional resources and relief measures to deal with the impact of the recent severe storm.

Hill-Lewis said the city is working around the clock to assist communities impacted by the storm, which wreaked havoc in the Western Cape over the weekend. 

The severe weather has resulted in significant damage due to flooding, mudslides, rockfalls, fallen trees, and damage to buildings and infrastructure, as well as the disruption of services. 

Giving an update on the City of Cape Town's disaster response, Hill-Lewis said at least eight fatalities in the city have been linked to the severe weather impact.  

He said while many areas were significantly affected, the Helderberg area - including Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Sandvlei Macassar, Strand, Somerset-West and Gordon’s Bay - was particularly badly affected, with extensive mudslides affecting Sir Lowry’s Pass Village. 

The mayor said significant work is under way to assist with recovery, to offer humanitarian relief, and to reconstruct and rehabilitate the affected areas. 

“It is very important for me to have visited the affected areas in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village and Rasta Kamp and to make an assessment of the number of structures that will need to be rebuilt and people needing immediate relief due to the damages. Today, as Mayor, I signed the necessary documents required to declare a major incident, which will enable a greater response,” Hill-Lewis said. 

The mayor also conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the families who lost loved ones through various tragic incidents. 

“May we keep these families in our prayers and thoughts.” 

The mayor also expressed his appreciation to the city officials who worked throughout the weekend, and continue to support the affected residents. 

“I wish to thank all members of the public and organisations who have donated food items, clothing and other items as part of the community response. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has been advised of the incident and has been requested to provide social relief assistance,” Hill-Lewis said. – SAnews.gov.za
 

GabiK
Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:44

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Read moreMayor signs declaration to assist Cape Town communities affected by storm

Navigating the AWS Ecosystem: From Marketplace to Partnerships

Location: MyPR

The digital transformation wave has ushered in a plethora of tools and platforms designed to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and foster innovation. At the forefront of this revolution is Amazon Web Services (AWS). With its vast array of services, AWS has become an indispensable tool for businesses worldwide. One of its standout offerings is the …

Read moreNavigating the AWS Ecosystem: From Marketplace to Partnerships

Work underway to resolve KZN water woes

Location: News

Work underway to resolve KZN water woes

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) says it is working tirelessly to assist municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal that are facing water challenges.

This after the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) released its final report and recommendations following an investigation into water challenges in that province.

“The challenges are known to the department, and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation is working tirelessly to assist the municipalities in the province, which are Water Services Authorities (WSAs), to meet their constitutional obligation for water and sanitation services provision to citizens.

“The Blue, Green and No-Drop reports, released in June 2023, are regulatory and support mechanisms of the department for municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management and water conservation and demand management. [The reports] also provided evidence of the deteriorating state of water and sanitation situation in most of these municipalities.

“The department… welcomes the report and its recommendations, which align to the findings of the department. The department further acknowledges the critical task of improving the management of waste water and restoration of water quality and reliability of supply, and that this will require increasing investments, ensuring revenue sufficiency ,as well as professional and capable technical and managerial skills,” the department said in a statement on Friday.

The DWS explained the steps it is taking to address these challenges, including funding of some R7.8 billion for several water infrastructure projects.

“Through its water entity, uMngeni-uThukela Water Board, the department has also allocated nearly R2.3 billion for the following projects: Greater Mpofana Bulk Water Supply Project in uMgungundlovu District; the Maphumulo Bulk Water Supply Project in iLembe District; UMshwathi Bulk Water Supply Project servicing both uMgungundlovu and iLembe Districts, and Lower uMkhomazi Bulk Water Supply Project in eThekwini. 

“uMngeni-uThukela Water Board is also implementing a Bulk Regional Water Scheme for Alfred Duma Local Municipality in uThukela District Municipality, at an estimated cost of R5 billion.

“Earlier this year, Minister Mchunu commissioned the completed Spring Grove Water Treatment Plant in Rosetta and Bruntville Reservoir in Mooi River, in the uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal. It is one of the largest rural-based projects to be implemented in recent years and is aimed at providing access to safe drinking water to Mpofana and uMngeni Local Municipalities,” the department said.

According to the statement, the Minister has also invoked Section 63 of the Water Services Act in uMkhanyakude District Municipality.

“This involved providing strong support and direction to the municipality regarding the management, operation and maintenance of its water and sanitation infrastructure in order to restore services within the district.

“The uMkhanyakude District’s multibillion rand water projects include the Greater Ingwavuma Bulk Water Supply Scheme in Jozini Local Municipality, which will supply Jozin, Big Five Hlabisa and Mtubatuba municipalities, and the Mtikini Water Supply Scheme in Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality, which will supply safe drinking water to the communities of Skhemelele, Mtikini and eScabazini.

“Ugu District Municipality has also been experiencing difficulties with water and sanitation service delivery, due to old and strained infrastructure and growing demand, exacerbated by illegal connections and vandalism. To address this, the department has allocated R150 million from the WSIG to the district in order to address immediate challenges,” the statement read.

Other steps taken by the department include:

  • Establishing a water partnerships office within the Development Bank of Southern Africa  “to encourage and stimulate strategic partnerships with the private sector to invest in water infrastructure”.
  • Reconfiguring water boards “to enable them to give more support to the under-capacitated WSAs”.
  • Establishing the uPongola-Mzimkulu Catchment Management Agency (CMA), which will be tasked with decentralised water resource management and the protection of all rivers in KwaZulu-Natal.
  • A notice has been gazetted to transform the existing Irrigation Boards to Water User Associations, in terms of Section 98 of the National Water Act.

“While all the support provided above is necessary, it is not sufficient to reverse the decline in water services. There is also a need for legislative reform, and the department will shortly be gazetting an amended Water Services Act, which will strengthen and clarify the role of municipalities as Water Services Authorities to ensure that Water Service Providers provide water services in accordance with minimum norms and standards.

“The amendments will also enable the national department to intervene more decisively a last resort when municipalities fail to respond to directives to address deficiencies in the provision of water and sanitation services,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Sun, 09/24/2023 - 14:42

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Read moreWork underway to resolve KZN water woes

Deputy President to open UNESCO engineering conference

Location: News

Deputy President to open UNESCO engineering conference

Deputy President Paul Mashatile is expected to deliver a keynote address when engineers from across the globe gather from Monday at the UNESCO 9th Africa Engineering Week and 7th Africa Engineering Conference at the CSIR in Pretoria.

According to the Presidency, the event will be held under the theme, 'Celebrating and Growing Engineering Excellence in the African Region' and seeks to celebrate engineering excellence prevalent in the African continent.

“The Deputy President will be supported by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, as the host department; Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa; Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation,  Bhuti Manamela, as well as Governors and Ministers from the African continent.

“The event will feature the who is who of the engineering fraternity in Africa and abroad, who will be attempting to solve the world and the African continent’s pressing challenges.

“Furthermore, scores of aspiring engineers from South Africa will also get the opportunity to obtaining knowledge and skills,” the Presidency said.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Deputy President is expected to convene an engagement with inter-faith leaders to “strengthen existing partnerships with the faith sector towards the country’s social cohesion and nation-building project”.

“The engagement will consider practical steps towards institutionalising partnership between government and inter-faith leaders as part of the Deputy President’s delegated responsibilities. It will also address the challenges and seek to resolve issues raised by the inter-faith community. 

“The Deputy President will be supported by the Ministers of Social Development and Sport, Arts and Culture; Deputy Minister of Social Development, Premier of Gauteng Province and senior government officials,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Sun, 09/24/2023 - 08:48

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Read moreDeputy President to open UNESCO engineering conference

Mashatile: Work underway to resolve service delivery issues in local govt

Location: News

Mashatile: Work underway to resolve service delivery issues in local govt

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has assured Members of Parliament (MPs) that the State is attending to issues facing local government. 

The Deputy President on Friday said the challenges are multi-dimensional and primarily rooted in governance, institutional capacity, poor financial management and political instability. 

“To this end, we have conducted oversight visits to six provinces to ensure that we resolve the challenges of poor governance and lack of service delivery in these areas,” he said. 

The Deputy President was responding to questions in the National Assembly on a range of issues facing the country.

Mashatile said outreach programmes were conducted in North West, Gauteng, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape. 

“This was to ensure that we resolve challenges of poor governance and lack of service delivery in these areas,” he explained, adding that they also identified areas of improvement for coordinating service delivery related to infrastructure backlogs and essential services. 

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has identified 66 out of 257 municipalities as those that need support. 

The State, Mashatile said, is also working through the District Development Model (DDM) to improve intergovernmental relations on policy planning, budgeting and execution. 

“Together with the Department of COGTA, we established what we call the Result Management Office (RMO), which will be used to strengthen this work.” 

The RMO will focus on ensuring that municipalities improve service delivery with support and capacity from the war room.

It will also act as an engine for integrated service delivery that links to the community, coordinates profiles and integrates service delivery. 

The State is also looking at addressing resources, capacity and skills in the local government space. 

It also plans to facilitate improvements in planning, coordination, execution, monitoring and reporting on the delivery of projects. 

“We aim to create resilient, sustainable and cohesive communities, where municipalities serve as catalysts and enablers of development,” said the Deputy President.

In addition, he said government will be looking at the hardships facing the City of Johannesburg. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Fri, 09/22/2023 - 11:57

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Tourism Committee Expresses Concern over Appointments of Acting Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer

Location: News

Republic of South Africa: The Parliament
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The Portfolio Committee on Tourism received a briefing from the Department of Tourism and South African Tourism on Tuesday on the implementation of the Budget Review and Recommendation Report (BRRR) recommendations for the 2021/2022 financial year and implementation of the recommendations made in the Limpopo and North West oversight visits reports.

Responding to the presentations delivered by the department and the South African Tourism (SAT), the committee expressed its dissatisfaction with how the recommendations have been implemented. The committee was of the view that the department did not respond to the recommendations as it provided general responses to specific recommendations.

In some instances, the department just indicated that the recommendation was noted without tangible explanation of its translation into action. The committee said the responses were incomplete and lacked detail. The committee called on the department to furnish it with a comprehensive report that addresses matters raised in the BRRR and given it until Friday, 22 September 2023 to submit adequate responses to the committee.

The committee will also afford the department an opportunity, in a closed meeting session, to provide an update on the outcomes of its forensic audits and consequence management taken against companies and officials who have been found to have committed financial malfeasance in the implementation of tourism infrastructure projects and other departmental programmes. This decision was taken after relentless, but futile efforts by the committee to get an update on the forensic audit report commissioned by the department.

The committee expressed its concern and shock when it was informed that the moratorium has not been fully lifted on the appointment of staff at SAT. The committee was assured by the Minister of the department that the moratorium had been lifted and that the entity will be able to start the recruitment process. However, on Tuesday 19 September 2023, it emerged that the moratorium has only been lifted on critical posts only.

The committee learned that the former Acting CEO was removed by the board based on the whistle-blower alert that led to an investigation. The committee acknowledged that the whistle-blower information was about an alleged bribe taken by the former Acting CEO. The committee accepted the decision of the board in bringing somebody without a cloud hanging above to allow a full investigation. However, the concern is not about the replacement of the former CEO, but rather about appointing the CFO as an Acting CEO of the organisation.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Tandi Mahambehlala, voiced her concern after the committee learnt that the Acting CFO at SAT, Ms Nombulelo Guliwe, has been appointed as Acting CEO at the entity. She said: “There is something problematic about this appointment and arrangement.” The committee raised an issue with financial delegations of the CFO as an Acting CEO in that there will be no clear demarcation if the Acting CEO who is the CFO takes financial decisions with organisational implications.

Ms Mahambehlala said the appointments of the CFO and the CEO should be corrected. She said good governance does not allow the CFO to act as CEO. “It is a wrong practice and as a committee we will stand by our conviction. This is an unfortunate situation where governance has been compromised at SAT, where someone is a referee and a player something which compromises the entity. We are a committee vested on knowledge and education, hence today we can refer to King IV report on the principles of governance.”

The King IV code of governance and principles assist the country and everyone in public administration for effective governance. National Treasury subscribes to these codes and implements them accordingly. “We now have an entity that disregards such important aspects as if it has no capacity. We take this matter seriously,”  said Ms Mahambehlala.

On continued underperformance by SAT, the committee was concerned that although the entity has developed an audit action plan and a monthly dashboard to track performance, it was still underperforming whilst incurring over expenditure.

Regarding the first presentation that was delivered by the National Heritage Project Company, which has a monumental procession of 100 life size bronze statues located at Century Cit, Ms Mahambehlala said: “We note what the Director-General of the department suggested, in saying the government cannot fund establishments if the land of the tourist attraction or business is being run and operated privately.”

She added: “For the state to be able to assist, the Heritage Monument Project needs to have land that is leased by government. The committee will advise the National Heritage Project Company to approach the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to identify and provide a suitable land to support the project."

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Read moreTourism Committee Expresses Concern over Appointments of Acting Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer

Natural gas set to ignite African economies

Location: News

Africa Oil Week
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The recent signing of an agreement to develop what has been called South Africa's largest liquified natural gas project in Mpumalanga province has emphasised the potential of natural gas as a viable energy source for the country.

The agreement, a “non-binding term sheet” (https://apo-opa.info/3PN65zR), is a partnership between South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Afro Energy, a subsidiary of Australian gas explorer Kinetiko Energy. The initiative is projected to generate 50MW of equivalent energy, growing to 500MW over time. There are also options for the development of further LNG gas equivalent projects.

The deal comes amidst renewed interest in onshore gas, as South Africa's power crisis shows few signs of easing. TotalEnergies has won approval (https://apo-opa.info/48phiOs) to search for oil and gas off South Africa's west coast, and in May, the South African government even announced plans to revisit the idea of shale-gas exploration in the Karoo region.

The Mpumalanga discovery is relatively advanced, and involves an innovative public-private partnership approach. However, the resource – estimated at 3.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas – pales in comparison to the gargantuan gas reserves in other parts of Africa.

Africa's natural-gas reserves have been estimated at around 620 trillion cubic feet (https://apo-opa.info/46iQ4qU), with the largest resources in Nigeria, Algeria and Senegal.

Thanks to its proximity to Europe, and well-developed LNG infrastructure, Algeria is currently Africa's largest exporter of natural gas, and the fourth largest gas export in the world (https://apo-opa.info/46m7Zgw), with the 10th largest proven natural gas reserves on the planet.

As Europe looks to wean itself off Russian energy, following that country's invasion of Ukraine, North and West Africa are well positioned to fill the gap. Established trans-Mediterranean gas pipelines can facilitate this, and several more pipelines are in the planning stages.

Supply bottlenecks and political challenges need to be resolved, but the upside for African oil-and-gas exports to Europe is enormous.

Natural gas has also long been heralded as a “transition fuel”, that can help ease the move from oil and coal towards renewable energy. By some measures (https://apo-opa.info/3sZeMy5), gas is a cleaner-burning, efficient fuel that produces fewer carbon-dioxide emissions than other fossil fuels.

It is abundant, and can be compressed, liquified and stored. This storage capability gives natural gas the advantage over forms of renewable energy like solar and wind, which are less easily dispatchable. Storing and providing renewable energy as and when required necessitates complementary technology like batteries, hydrogen or pumped storage.

Gas resources can simply be integrated into the well-developed global natural-gas infrastructure – through pipelines, and the international shipping. This means frontier natural-gas territories – such as South Africa – would be able to “plug in” to this system and begin supplying gas to where it is needed relatively soon after fields are established.

Ghana provides an instructive example of what is possible. The country's oil-and-gas industry launched with its first discoveries around 2006, and it was able to produce its first product within 40 months (https://apo-opa.info/3rkEXz1). In 2021, the country produced 2,4 million metric tons of gas (https://apo-opa.info/3PY0as9).

The imperative to minimise global greenhouse gas emissions to meet Paris 2050 commitments and to reverse climate change is a serious concern, which must be balanced against Africa's development imperatives.

Almost half of Africa's people remain without electricity (https://apo-opa.info/48BiLS2). The Africa Energy Commission (https://apo-opa.info/3ZtYv0d) has confirmed that it still sees a role for natural gas in the continent's evolving energy mix.

In a context where Africa still generates only four percent of global carbon emissions, and the majority (https://apo-opa.info/46oImM7) of its people still rely on biomass to meet their energy needs, a move to natural gas would still represent a net improvement (https://apo-opa.info/3RzRGIH).

That is the domestic scenario. Globally, the planet is hungry for natural gas. Africa is sitting astride enormous resources, but currently only provides 6% of global gas exports (https://apo-opa.info/46ioryf).

The opportunities are significant. There is worldwide gas activity going on, and Africa needs to come to the party. 

  • The continent's energy leaders will convene to discuss emerging energy opportunities at Africa Oil Week (https://apo-opa.info/466pce3), “Africa's leading upstream event” from 9-13 October in Cape Town. The event is a global platform for deals and transactions, bringing together governments, national and international oil companies, independents, investors and service providers for the betterment of the African continent. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Oil Week.

Read moreNatural gas set to ignite African economies

Tshepo Kgobe appointed modern Gautrain CEO 

Location: News

Tshepo Kgobe appointed new Gautrain CEO 

Gauteng MEC for Transport and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, has announced the appointment of Tshepo Kgobe as the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), with effect from 1 February 2024.

The incumbent, William Dachs, will step down at the end of his tenure on 31 January 2024. 

“On behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Executive, GMA Board, and the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, we congratulate Tshepo Kgobe on his appointment.  

“We believe his strong leadership will help steer GMA to greater heights, maintain its standards of excellence, innovation and good governance, and cement its position as a Centre of Excellence in the rail and public transport sector,” said Diale-Tlabela.

Kgobe is an engineer with diverse technical expertise in infrastructure, energy, mining and the railway environment. 

According to the provincial department, he has extensive experience managing complex projects and operations.  

“At the start of the Gautrain project, he was responsible for the engineering and project management of the track work subsystem.”

He joined the GMA in 2014 as the Senior Executive Manager responsible for the Technical Services Unit and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2020. 

The department noted Kgobe's contribution to a number of novel and visionary ideas at the agency, He was part of a senior leadership team that ensured that the GMA delivered innovative and smart mobility solutions for the province.

The MEC further thanked the outgoing CEO for his relentless commitment to excellence. 

“He navigated the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic and led train ridership recovery post-lockdown while maintaining Gautrain’s world-class service,” Diale-Tlabela said.

The MEC also welcomed new Gautrain Management Agency Board members, effective from 1 January 2024. 

These include Mfanelo Patrick Ntsobi, who will be the Chairperson, and Deputy Chairperson Malebo Matolong. 

The other members are Tebogo Nancy Seale, Lungile Mtiya, Mamela Luthuli, Desmond Khalid Golding, Kgotso Maja, Irvin Bafana Sibisi and Bongisizwe Mpondo. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Fri, 09/22/2023 - 10:27

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Read moreTshepo Kgobe appointed modern Gautrain CEO 

Urgent need to address Eskom transmission to deal with load shedding

Location: News

Urgent need to address Eskom transmission to deal with load shedding

Electricity Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has described load shedding as an economic problem that government is urgently addressing, as his department relentlessly tackles generation and transmission challenges. 

“It's a structural constraint to the economy of the country and therefore it's indispensable to the resolution of the economic question in the country,” he said on Thursday. 

The Minister is hosting a Transmission Financing Seminar with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).  

The gathering will discuss the financing of South Africa’s Transmission Development Plan, which seeks to expand, support and secure the sustainability of South Africa’s energy mix and electricity supply.

The seminar brings together government, energy industry veterans and potential private sector investors to engage in a critical conversation on South Africa’s energy crisis. 

Ramokgopa touched on the country’s Energy Action Plan (EAP), a comprehensive response by government to address the challenge of power cuts. 

“In 1997, we were told that at the rate at which you are connecting households to the grid and the economy is growing, you're going to run into a generation problem, a capacity problem 10 years later, and we know that we ran into that problem.” 

This is the reason he believes the country needs to speedily attend to transmission with the same vigour it is handling generation capacity. 

“We are saying also now if you don't resolve the issues on the transmission side, having that problem today might not be as pronounced and I want to argue that it will be pronounced in the next six to 12 months. 

“The similar amount of effort and exertion you’re placing on the generation side requires that they be placed also on the transmission side.” 

Eskom's transmission has the mandate to reliably control, maintain, plan, expand and provide access to an interconnected transmission system.

Ramokgopa told the summit that part of the problem that is confronting Eskom is structural constraint primarily presented by two issues – energy deficit and issues of logistics. 

The Minister spoke frankly about the impact of load shedding. 

He highlighted agriculture and manufacturing as sectors that are heavily impacted by severe shortages in power generation capacity.  

“And what this does really borrows from the modelling that has been done by the South African Reserve Bank, which begins to illustrate the kind of injury that is inflicted by load shedding on the South African economy, potentially contracting the economy.”

The Minister has since called for all hands on deck to contribute towards the resolution of this “bleak picture”.  

Ramokgopa, who has visited all power plants to better understand the challenges, said there are communities and businesses that have not had electricity for about six years. 

“This is not an exaggeration. And so as a result of the failure of the distribution infrastructure, I'm talking about transformers and substations, and this comes about as a result of municipalities being financially unviable.”

The Minister said he will introduce regular updates on the transmission side. 

“[This] is after we've gone to Cabinet [to present] the options that are available to us. Once that is adopted, then we will give feedback and then we're doing a significant amount of work on the distribution side (sic).”

These interventions will see the country significantly strengthen and increase South Africa’s electricity supply and capacitate the energy sector in meeting global decarbonisation targets, thereby ensuring South Africa’s long-term energy security and energy sovereignty. – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Thu, 09/21/2023 - 11:17

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Read moreUrgent need to address Eskom transmission to deal with load shedding

Officials working to ensure smooth payment of grants in October

Location: News

Officials working to ensure smooth payment of grants in October

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele says officials are working around the clock to ensure that next month, social grant beneficiaries are not affected by payment delays experienced this month. 

Gungubele said that the two departments -- Social Development, and Communications and Digital Technologies -- and their agencies, understand the regrettable strain that the grant payments challenges experienced this month has caused the most vulnerable in society. 

In this regard, he reiterated government’s sincerest apologies to all social grants beneficiaries, who have encountered difficulties accessing their social grants this month.

The Minister said he was pleased to report that Postbank assured them that all South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant beneficiaries, who were affected by the system challenge, have now been corrected. 

“Today, we are delighted to report that Postbank has provided us with the assurance that, according to their records, all SASSA grant beneficiaries, whose accounts were adversely affected by these system challenges on the 5th and 6th of September, have now been corrected. 

“These funds are readily available in the accounts of these beneficiaries and if not withdrawn, can be accessed through bank ATMs, retailers and Post Office branches,” the Minister said. 

Gungubele said once the beneficiaries’ money is paid into their Postbank bank accounts, they can access the money at any time convenient to them. 

He said that this is a normal bank account and clients do not need to withdraw their money all at once. Clients can also use the SASSA gold card to purchase goods at merchants.

Responding to a question on why other beneficiaries remain without their September payments, the Minister said they are going to follow up on the recipients that have not received their grants. 

Hijacking grant challenge for personal gain

Gungubele addressed numerous accounts and statements circulating on various platforms, misrepresenting the root cause of the Postbank system challenges that affected social grant recipients’ Postbank accounts this month.

“We want to place it on record that these stories are false and generally fabricated. The root cause of Postbank’s system challenges that affected the September social grants payments to some beneficiaries, which have now been resolved as of the 6th of September, relate to Postbank’s migration to a new system,” he said. 

The Minister said Postbank’s systems upgrade programme, of which the recent migration forms a component thereof, has been unfolding for a while in line with its 2022/23 as well as 2022/23 Corporate Plans, and it is also a South African Reserve Bank requirement, as part of Postbank’s banking license application process.

“Social grant beneficiaries are also urged to ignore the false information that the September payments challenges are as a result of the expired SASSA card. The Reserve Bank has granted extension for the SASSA cards to continue to work until December 2023, so beneficiaries can continue to use the same cards,” he said. 

The Minister said that the departments and their entities will regularly update SASSA beneficiaries on the details of the card replacement programme.

New Postbank Board to be appointed

Gungubele has assured social grant beneficiaries and the nation that the changes in the Postbank Board will not have an impact on any of the banking operations or the capacity of the Postbank.

Gungubele explained that the Postbank Board is an oversight body appointed by the Minister as non-executive directors, so they are not involved with the executive level of decisions or day-to-day operations of the bank.

“The ministry has already commenced with the process of filling the vacant Postbank Board vacancies, and an advertisement for nominations has been issued.

“In the interim, and to ensure that decisions that reside within the delegation of authority of the board are enabled, the ministry has appointed Khayalethu Ngema as the Postbank Administrator until a new Board is appointed,” Gungubele said. 

The Minister concluded that they are actively taking measures to prevent future challenges in the banking ecosystem, and in particular for social grant account holders. 

“Our commitment to the welfare and well-being of our social grants beneficiaries remains unwavering.

“We are investing in robust technology infrastructure, enhancing communication and collaboration among relevant agencies, and strengthening oversight mechanisms to ensure the uninterrupted flow of grant payments to those who depend on them most,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

DikelediM
Thu, 09/21/2023 - 14:28

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Read moreOfficials working to ensure smooth payment of grants in October

Joburg water reservoirs, towers left empty after thunderstorm

Location: News

Joburg water reservoirs, towers left empty after thunderstorm

Johannesburg water reservoirs and towers are currently critically low to empty following Tuesday night’s thunderstorm, which caused a power failure at Rand Water's Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant.

This has affected all the municipalities supplied by Zuikerbosch, including the City of Johannesburg. 

“This comes as Johannesburg Water systems are already struggling, and Rand Water systems are also strained by high consumption, which is going to exacerbate the situation,” Johannesburg Water said.

The entity said the affected reservoirs and towers include South Hills; the Commando system (Brixton, Hursthill, and Crosby); Midrand systems; Crown Gardens; Eagles Nest; Naturena; Alexander Park; Berea; Linden 1 tower; Quellerina;,and Waterval.

Water status in reservoirs and towers

South Hills tower: Critically low and poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. Pumping will resume once supply pressure improves. 

Commando System 

•    Brixton reservoir: Critically low and poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. Outlet will be throttled (pressure and flow to be reduced) to 70% overnight to build capacity.
•    Brixton tower: The tower is empty. No water is expected in the supply zone. Pumping will resume once the reservoir level improves. 
•    Hursthill 1 reservoir: Despite attempts to augment supply, the reservoir is still critically low. The supply zone is anticipated to have low pressure to no water. 
•    Hursthill 2 reservoir: Critically low due to low supply. Low pressure to no water is expected in high-lying areas. Outlet will be closed overnight to build capacity.
•    Crosby reservoir: Critically low and poor pressure to no water is expected in certain areas of the supply zone.

Crown Gardens reservoir and towers: The reservoir is critically low, and poor pressure to no water will be experienced in high-lying areas of the reservoir zone. Both towers are critically low, and no water is expected in the supply zone. Pumping will resume once reservoir levels improve. 

Eagles Nest reservoir: Remains critically low. Customers in this supply zone should expect low pressure to no water. 

Naturena reservoir: Critically low and poor pressure to no water is expected. 

Alexander Park reservoir: Critically low. Poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. 

Berea reservoir: Critically low and on bypass mode. Low pressure to no water expected in the supply zone. 

Linden 1 reservoir and tower: The reservoir is critically low, while the tower is supplying normally. Low pressure to no water is expected in the reservoir supply zone. 

Midrand systems update

Grand Central reservoir: Critically low and poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. 

Grand Central tower: The tower is low and moving in a downwards trends. Pumping will resume once the reservoir capacity improves.

Errand reservoir 1 and 2: Both reservoirs are critically low. Poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. 

Errand tower: Tower is empty and on bypass mode. Pumping will resume once the reservoir levels improve. Poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. 

President Park reservoir and tower: Critically low and poor pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. The tower is empty and on bypass mode. Low pressure to no water is expected in the supply zone. 

“Alternative water supply has been arranged for the affected customers and will be placed at strategic locations,” the entity said.

Johannesburg Water has also urged residents to observe level 1 water restrictions, which are currently implemented.
 
“These restrictions prohibit the use of hosepipes to water gardens, wash cars, clean driveways, as well as fill up swimming pools and water features between 06am and 06pm. Instead, the use of greywater is encouraged. 

“This is to ensure that systems are kept stable throughout the coming months. We urge residents to report any form of vandalism and theft of water infrastructure to 0800 00 25 87,” Johannesburg Water said. – SAnews.gov.za 
 

GabiK
Thu, 09/21/2023 - 12:00

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Read moreJoburg water reservoirs, towers left empty after thunderstorm

Africa among regions with highest number of industrial systems under attack in the first half of 2023

Location: News
Kaspersky

Malicious objects of all types were detected and blocked on 34% of Industrial Control System (ICS) computers in the first half of 2023, according to the ICS CERT landscape report (https://apo-opa.info/3LwG719) by Kaspersky (www.Kaspersky.co.za). In Africa over this period attacks were detected on 40,3% of ICS computers, placing it in first place among the other regions. The top industries under attack were energy (45,9%), engineering & integration (44%) and building automation (40%). All these attacks were blocked after detection.

ICS computers are used in oil & gas, energy, automotive manufacturing, building automation infrastructures and other spheres to perform a range of operational technology (OT) functions – from the workstations of engineers and operators to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) servers and Human Machine Interface (HMI). Cyberattacks on industrial computers are considered to be extremely dangerous as they may cause material losses and production downtime for the controlled production line and even the facility as a whole. Moreover, industrial enterprises put out of service can seriously undermine a region's social welfare, ecology and macroeconomics.

An analysis of the most significant and targeted threats detected on ICS computers in selected countries of Africa in the first half of 2023 shows that the threat landscape can vary between countries and between industries due to the differences in the security maturity of different countries/industries and the current focus of threat actors. In South Africa in the first half of 2023 malware was detected and blocked on 29,1% of ICS computers, in Nigeria on 32,6%, in Kenya on 34,5% of machines.

There are different types of cyberthreats that OT-related computers face – malicious scripts, spy trojans, worms, ransomware, and others. In the first half of 2023 Africa had the highest percentage of ICS computers on which spyware was blocked (9,8%). The Middle East and Southeast Asia had similarly high percentages (8,3% and 8,1%). The global average stands at 6,1%. 

Africa was also the region with the highest percentage of ICS computers (14,8%) on which attacks from denylisted Internet resources were blocked (these are web resources associated with distributing or controlling malware). The global average is 11,3%.

Viruses and worms spread across ICS networks by means of removable media, shared folders, infected files, such as backups, and network attacks on outdated software. The percentage of ICS computers on which worms were detected was very high in Africa (7% vs. 2,3% global average), making this region the leader by percentage of ICS computers on which threats were detected after removable devices were connected.

“Africa's industrial landscape is diverse, ranging from large-scale mining operations to small-scale agriculture. This means that ICS cybersecurity solutions need to be adaptable to various sectors and technologies. In some regions, legacy ICS systems that lack modern security features are still in use. These systems are often more vulnerable to cyberthreats and require significant upgrades. Lastly, some critical infrastructure in Africa is located in remote areas with limited connectivity, which can make it difficult to monitor and secure ICS assets effectively,” comments Evgeny Goncharov, Head of Kaspersky ICS CERT. “By understanding these risks, organisations can make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and efficiently fortify their defenses. In doing so, they not only protect their bottom line but also contribute to a safer and more secure digital ecosystem for all.”

Read more about the ICS threat landscape in the first half of 2023 on the Kaspersky ICS CERT website (https://apo-opa.info/3LwG719).

To keep your OT computers protected from various threats, Kaspersky experts recommend:

  • Conducting regular security assessments of OT systems to identify and eliminate possible cyber security issues.
  • Establishing continuous vulnerability assessment and triage as a basement for effective vulnerability management process. Dedicated solutions like Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity (https://apo-opa.info/451Yguw) may become an efficient assistant and a source of unique actionable information, not fully available in public.
  • Performing timely updates for the key components of the enterprise's OT network; applying security fixes and patches or implementing compensating measures as soon as it is technically possible is crucial for preventing a major incident that might cost millions due to the interruption of the production process.
  • Using EDR solutions such as Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response (https://apo-opa.info/3OsQQvs) for timely detection of sophisticated threats, investigation, and effective remediation of incidents.
  • Improving the response to new and advanced malicious techniques by building and strengthening your teams' incident prevention, detection, and response skills. Dedicated OT security trainings for IT security teams and OT personnel is one of the key measures helping to achieve this.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.

For further information please contact:
Nicole Allman | INK&Co.
nicole@inkandco.co.za

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Blog: https://apo-opa.info/42Apbxn

About Kaspersky:
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection, specialized security products and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help over 220,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.Kaspersky.co.za.  

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Read moreAfrica among regions with highest number of industrial systems under attack in the first half of 2023