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President Cyril Ramaphosa says although load shedding will not be resolved overnight, Eskom and government is making “significant progress” in areas aimed at reducing and eventually removing it altogether.

The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday.

“Today, we are releasing a detailed report outlining the work done to improve the performance of Eskom’s power stations, accelerate the building of new generation capacity and drive regulatory reforms to transform the electricity sector.

“The winter months will soon be coming to an end. Although load shedding has continued, as was anticipated, we have managed to avert a worst case scenario by stabilising the performance of Eskom’s power stations and reducing demand,” President Ramaphosa said.

He explained that the power utility is hard at work to address challenges at power stations.

“Eskom’s generation fleet continues to show sustained improvement. Unplanned losses have been reduced to less than 16 000MW in in the last two months, down from more than 18 000MW previously. Planned maintenance has been reduced during the winter period, with Eskom having undertaken significant maintenance in the months preceding winter.

“Looking ahead, damaged units at the Kusile and Medupi power stations are being returned to service on an expedited basis. In combination, these units represent more than 3 000MW of capacity.

“The Eskom debt relief package announced by the Minister of Finance will enable necessary investment in maintenance and expansion of the transmission network,” he said.

Energy Action Plan

A year has passed since President Ramaphosa announced the Energy Action Plan aimed at addressing load shedding and achieving energy security for the country.

President Ramaphosa said since then, fervent work has been done “to add as much power as possible” to the vulnerable power grid.

“Eskom has unlocked close to 400 MW from companies with extra available capacity, and a further 600 MW is currently in the contracting process. We have sourced an additional 400MW from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique.

“We are fast-tracking the procurement of new generation capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage. Later this year, the first three projects from the emergency power programme are expected to connect to the grid. Also later this year, around 2 300MW from the most recent bid windows of the renewable energy independent power producer programme should be in construction,” he said.

President Ramaphosa explained that home and rooftop solar uptake is one of the key outputs of the Energy Action Plan coupled with accelerated private investment in capacity generation.

“It is encouraging to see that more municipalities are allowing customers to feed electricity into the grid when they have surplus electricity. This will provide yet another incentive for businesses large and small to invest in alternative energy sources.

“Regulatory changes have helped to boost private investment in new generation capacity. This work has enabled a massive boom in private investment in electricity generation, with a pipeline of more than 10 000MW of new capacity that will begin to connect to the grid later this year,” he said.

The President acknowledged that although load shedding remains a challenge, gains are being made in addressing it.

“We have maintained that load shedding will not be resolved overnight, but we are making clear progress towards reducing it and eventually bringing it to an end.

“Let us maintain this momentum, and let us all play our part, wherever we can, as we lay the groundwork for an energy secure future,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za

South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has welcomed an order issued to Tiar Construction for its sole member to cooperate with the liquidators in the administration of the company’s estate.

The application was instituted by the co-liquidators of Tiar Construction as a last resort to secure the cooperation of the sole member, Mr L Marimuthu, of the insolvent entity.

“This was to compel Marimuthu to cooperate with the co-liquidators in the execution of, and to secure compliance with, legal obligations in the winding up of the estate.

“The issues before the court included the failure of Mr Marimuthu, to disclose the existence of all Tiar Construction’s assets, providing the co-liquidators with all documents and assets relating to the entity, and handing over all documents and assets of the entity,” SARS said on Monday.

During last week’s hearing, legal representatives for Mr Marimuthu applied for the postponement of the matter.

This application for the postponement was refused by the court because it was not satisfied that the application was in good faith and that the litigants could not be allowed to evade processes of court.

“The main application was, however, heard and an order handed down by the court ordering the sole member to deliver a statement of affairs of Tiar Construction as well as to hand over all documents and assets in his possession relating to Tiar Construction and/or confirm the whereabouts of those not in his possession,” the revenue service said.

SARS has acknowledged that in trying economic times the frequency of taxpayers’ facing insolvency rises.

In this regard, the liquidators play a pivotal role during the process of winding up the business of companies and in the recovery all assets, as well as protecting the rights of creditors in the estate – including SARS.

“SARS will resist any efforts by any taxpayer to wilfully engage in a strategy to evade compliance with their obligations in liquidation proceedings and frustrate court processes.

“This is done to the detriment of creditors in the insolvent estate. In many instances, the fiscus is the main victim. SARS will continue to act without hesitation against non-compliant taxpayers and calls on those who act obstructively to stymie the pursuit of liquidation and sequestration to desist,” Kieswetter said.

The Commissioner reiterated that SARS would not tolerate it when taxpayers act maliciously through the abuse of court processes and employ dilatory tactics to deprive SARS what is due and payable to the fiscus.

“I urge all insolvency practitioners to continue to execute their duties fearlessly and determinedly.  These efforts are fundamental to creditors’ abilities to recover debts due to them,” he said.

SARS said it will always work in the manner that supports the growth of the economy, creating jobs, while fighting poverty and inequality.

“Where, for whatever reason businesses do not perform optimally and they are not viable, every role player in the process is duty bound to act ethically and professionally, without fear, favour or prejudice,” SARS said. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ronald Lamola, says the National Prosecuting Authority Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) has recovered billions of Rands stolen from the state through corrupt activities.

The Minister was speaking during the opening of the Association of African Anti-Corruption Authorities’ (AAACA) 6th General Assembly in Gauteng on Monday.

“The finalisation of two high value corruption cases has contributed to the AFU recovering R2.83 billion in corruption and related matters during the financial year, and a total of R10.2 billion has been frozen over the past four years. In state capture cases alone, the NPA has recovered R2.55 billion.

“Over the past four years, we have seen 13 new investigations, totalling 97 matters. The previous year, the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) secured freezing orders worth R570 million to recover the stolen monies from the corrupt and those who facilitated state capture.

“The Special Investigating Unit and the Special Commercial Crimes Unit’s collaboration is essential in fighting money laundering and illicit financial flows. This led to the finalisation of 364 cases in the last financial year and a conviction rate of 87.6%,” he said.

The Minister said the department is hard at work implementing plans to strengthen the fight against corruption in the public sector.

“Firstly we are looking at various measures to enhance the efficacy of our whistle-blowing framework and ensure that whistle blowers are adequately protected.

“Secondly, we have set up a National Council Anti-Corruption Advisory Council…to advise the government on the critical preventative measures, institutional capabilities and resources that are required to curb a recurrence of state capture proactively and to prevent fraud and corruption in South Africa.

“Thirdly, we are currently busy with inter-departmental consultations to strengthen our Investigative Directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority to enable it to have dedicated capacity to resolve cases identified by the judicial commission,” he said.

Lamola said in the context of The Corruption Perceptions Index – which ranks countries based on public sector corruption – countries on the continent are facing challenges in the battle against the scourge.

“The report highlights that the battle against corruption faces significant obstacles due to conflicts and political instability. It reinforces the idea that democracy and its associated values play a crucial role in establishing transparency and accountability within institutions.

“Put another way; corruption flourishes in places where democracy is weakened. Implementation is key. Without it, policies remain non-existent, and the fight against corruption lacks substance,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

Ending the intricate web of construction site disruptions which threatens lives and thwarts government’s mission of turning the country into a giant construction site that creates jobs and grows the economy, requires a concerted effort from all.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala is acutely aware of this problem and the importance of the construction sector to the South African economy.

He has condemned these disruptions and subsequent extortions linked with it.

“It is important that we all speak with one voice in condemning site disruptions and extortion affecting this sector.

“It is even more important that we act together to root out these illegal practices which are bringing disrepute and dragging away investment in the South African construction and property sector,” the Minister told a recent Creamer Media webinar.

This as government and role-players have expressed concern over site disruptions which over time, have gained media coverage.

Zikalala has described the construction sector as the “backbone of the economy and social development” and a pillar for economic growth and recovery as per the instruction of President Cyril Ramaphosa when he presented the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP).

Head of the Justice and Violence programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Gareth Newham said disruptions cause damage and affect the ability of the country to use construction in a way that drives economic development and prosperity.

Since taking office in March, the Minister has visited several construction projects to monitor progress.

Among these were blocked and delayed projects caused by the hijacking and disruption of project sites in KwaZulu-Natal.

The rising phenomena of so-called construction mafia who invade, intimidate and disrupt the delivery of projects on the ground has resulted in the opening of 605 cases.

Impact

While some arrests have been made, Zikalala has highlighted the importance of arresting, prosecuting and sentencing of those involved in the scourge that is mostly affecting KwaZulu-Natal.

According to the Minister, site disruptions have cost the economy R68 billion.

Vice President of the Black Business Council, Gregory Mofokeng said the industry is actively cooperating with the police on the matter while contractors have also obtained court interdicts in efforts to curb the scourge.

“Unfortunately, in most of these instances the very criminals do not respect the court interdict. So we find ourselves in a situation where once again we either have to go back and rely on the police to make sure that those court interdicts are enforced.”

He adds that the sector is not seeing “increased activity in terms of making sure that these very criminals are arrested and brought to book.”

Minister Zikalala said that following the intervention of the President, a police unit is now in place.

 “I would say that since the unit came into being … there are results that we’ve seen though we have not reached a point where we see kingpins being arrested and sentenced which is quite key.”

Grievances

Meanwhile, a number of reasons have been given as to why some people engage in site disruptions.

Some feel marginalised and excluded from participating in economic opportunities that are available. According to the Minister, these individuals argue that government contracts are given to one and the same companies.

“They argue that when government says for any contract [awarded] that [is] above R30 million then 30% must be subcontracted. They argue that they are not given space to participate, even in that 30%,” said the Minister.

This is in light of the 2017 Preferential Procurement Regulations that state that public works contracts above the R30 million mark, should subcontract an element of 30%, if feasible to advance designated groups.

Commenting on the matter, Director of MDA Attorneys, Euan Massey said employers should be participative in the identification of work that can be subcontracted. 

“This requires that employers are participative in the process of identifying work which can be subcontracted. They are therefore required to undertake a number of things firstly to ensure that the work that's being awarded in that contract contains sufficient work that can be subcontracted to advanced designated groups,” he said.

While the country continues to battle historic challenges including poverty and inequality, site disruptions cannot be condoned.

“I must hasten to say there is no grievance among these that would justify site disruptions, extortion and sabotage of the economy,” said the Minister.

On the other hand, others are of the view that while they try to accommodate small business, some of these companies don’t deliver quality work and therefore fail to fulfil their obligations.

“The argument further says that those who are disrupting [sites] are sometimes given work but don't want to work … they demand money. Now we must be able to confront this situation and deal with it in a way that will ensure that legality is preserved,” said the Minister.

Empowering communities

On the other side of the coin, is the imperative to ensure that companies are committed to transformation agenda of the country in that they should support small business, the youth, women and people with disabilities.

“In doing so, the policy commitment of localisation must be preserved in all areas.

“It is important that we continue to work together to meet the targets that we've agreed upon in the transformation charter of the built environment,” said Zikalala.

He added that when construction projects are commissioned, communities must be briefed to ensure their buy-in in the project adding that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) will strengthen its internal social facilitation unit.

Mofokeng said the industry is geared towards empowering communities.

“As the construction industry we are geared towards empowering local subcontractors. We are geared towards …creating employment for the locals but the problem comes in where people are saying it is me who is not benefiting therefore this project must stop.”

Sector observations

Chairperson of the Construction Association of South Africa’s (CASA), John Matthews said site disruptions largely occur in the post-implementation stage of a particular contract. That it is often accompanied by the threat of violence or the act of violence itself.

One of the other worrying observations made by the industry when coming to site disruptions is that in some areas, councillors were also being co-opted by criminal elements.

“[This is] especially at the local level where you find that some of these criminals in fact pitch up on construction sites to talk to main contractors with the counsellors.  You find that the counsellors are now also involved in this whole unfortunate incidents where they are actually encouraging people to come and stop projects simply because certain individuals in the community are not directly benefiting,” Mofokeng said.

Responding to this, Zikalala said this needs to be addressed. “If we get that report, we will be able to engage with councils through speakers and then be able to take disciplinary actions against those councillors.”

The Minister also called on contractors to refuse to pay bribes while also adding that whistleblowers must be protected.

The District Development Model said the Minister, could be used as an anchor to working together with industry.

The model is a practical mechanism to enable the three spheres of government to work together, with communities and stakeholders, to plan, budget and implement in unison.

Mathews also spoke of the cost implications incurred as a result of disruptions in having to secure project sites and more importantly, protecting the lives of those working on site.

”Such disruptions have many facets from community groups wanting a piece of the pie so to speak, with real and legitimate concerns, to the extreme threats of the so-called construction mafia-type organisations wanting 30% of profits.”

Kile Mteto, of the South African Women in Plumbing and Trades, said site disruptions not only increase the cost of doing business, but their impact is felt “mostly by the SMMEs, especially women-owned entities as they are at the bottom of the food chain in accessing opportunities of the sector.”

Taking action

Despite the various challenges, Massey said it is encouraging to see that there is interest to tackle this issue.

“… I completely agree with Minister Zikalala that we have to act with one voice in terms of addressing this issue.

“I think that up until now, that hasn't happened. There's been a lack of unity amongst all role players in how this is addressed and it seems that more recently, there's been a real desire to work together to get to the bottom of this problem.”

Massey said proactivity is needed in order to “properly remove the scourge that we are faced with.”

The Minister said a thorough discussion on how to grow infrastructure is necessary.

“I believe we do need to look at whether we need a construction sector master plan.”

Removing all the spanners in the works, definitely requires a societal response. –SAnews.gov.za

 

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments, which will be held in Cape Town.

The dialogue is convened by the Leader of Government Business, Deputy President Paul Mashatile and will be held on Friday and Saturday.

“The two-day dialogue, themed 'Working together to build strong and resilient democratic institutions to serve the people', aims to lay a foundation for a National Framework on Coalition Governments, which will serve as a guide for effectively managing and navigating coalition governments where they become necessary,” the Presidency said in a statement.

Furthermore, all segments of society will be brought together for the event.

“The dialogue will bring together different sectors of society to work towards crafting a clear and predictable framework for coalition governments in South Africa to ensure cohesive and effective governance,” the statement read.

Last week, the Presidency explained that communities have been negatively affected by coalition governments in the country.

“The need for such dialogue is informed by the adverse effects that have been observed in certain coalition arrangements at local government, particularly their impact on service delivery and governance.

“In order to mitigate these negative effects and foster a more productive and harmonious governance approach, it has become necessary to embark on a transformative national conversation,” the Presidency said. – SAnews.gov.za

Concerted efforts by the provincial multi-disciplinary anti-kidnapping task team to curb incidents of kidnapping in the Western Cape and bring the perpetrators to book yielded positive results with the rescue of a kidnapping victim and arrest of 11 suspects over the weekend.

The suspects are expected to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate Court today.

On 26 July 2023, a business robbery was perpetrated at a supermarket in Kuilsrivier, where the suspects took cigarettes, smoking equipment, substantial amount of cash and kidnapped a 34-year-old businessman.

Upon reporting of the crime, the multi-disciplinary team sprang into action and an investigation commenced.

All available leads were followed up which led to the arrest of ten suspects.

Further investigation into the matter led the multi-disciplinary team to an address in Tamrisk Street, Delft, where they found the hostage, rescued him and a suspect was subsequently arrested.

The efforts of the team comprising the Hawks investigators, Special Task Force members, Provincial Organised Crime detectives, hostage negotiators, Crime Intelligence and the City of Cape Town commended the management of SAPS in the Western Cape as the team’s efforts are gaining momentum in dealing with kidnappings. – SAnews.gov.za

Projects are underway to upgrade Eskom's infrastructure in the areas of generation and transmission in effort to increase their capacity and resolve load shedding.

Addressing a media briefing on Sunday, Minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, said 25 projects to upgrade the existing transformers and increase their capacity are currently in construction.

“We are talking about 25 projects that can unleash about 13 gigawatts of electricity into the grid. The work starts now to be connected by 2026 to ensure there is additional capacity. We need to ensure we expedite the projects and bring them quicker online so we can expand the grid capacity.

“These are the twin challenges [generation and transmission] that we are facing at the moment and we must resolve to address load shedding. Of course, the issue of distribution must receive attention,” the Minister said in Pretoria.

In addition, Eskom has identified 22 projects that can provide 24 gigawatts by 2033.

The concentration of these projects is in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape, as the coastal areas have the highest wind speed.

“From the Northern Cape, we can get about 5 845MW. In the Eastern Cape, we can get 5 875MW and 8 954MW in the Western Cape. Eskom will need R100 billion going into the 2025 financial year and by 2029, we will need about R170 billion.

“The Eskom balance sheet will not be sufficient to finance this. We need alternative sources of financing and that is the work we are doing,” the Minister said.

Grid capacity

Ramokgopa also gave an update on the Energy Availability Factor for the week 24 July – 28 July 2023.

“During this week in question, we had a peak on 25 July, where we had capacity available to the tune of 29 376MW.

“This energy availability is the sum of a number of elements, which include planned outages.

“On Friday (28 July), we had the highest of that period with 4 126MW. That represents 1 600MW above what we had projected for our planned outages for the winter period.

“When the planned outages are up, it means that we are doing everything that is possible in an orchestrated fashion to ensure we are able maintain the units and when they return, hopefully they will be more resilient and overtime, it will improve the capacity available,” the Minister said.

Ramokgopa said the albatross remains the capacity loss factor, where units fail as a result of a multiplicity of factors.

“The principle reason… is boiler tube leaks. They are a big contributor to the failure rate. In the context of the winter outlook, the best case scenario was that the unplanned loss capability factor would be about 15 000MW and the worst case scenario was that it would be about 18 000MW.

“We are just shy of 16 000 MW. It is an area that is receiving our attention. The partial load losses simply means that the units are producing but not at the desired level. This is at 6 340MW. We want to improve their efficiency so that they are able to perform better and give us a significant number of MW,” the Minister said.

Eskom is working on reducing the unplanned capability loss factor (UCLF). We want to improve the performance of the units by reducing the partial load losses. When you bring those together, they add to the available capacity. Those are the areas that we are tracking,” he said.

Ramokgopa assured citizens that Eskom is working hard ensure the country does not go beyond Stage 4.

“On outage slips, this is one area that we are seeing significant improvement. It almost halved from 3 476 MW. We are at 1 843MW. This is a function of planning and management. It has received extended attention by various station managers. This is one area that I am confident that we will continue to see major strides going into the future,” the Minister said. - SAnews.gov.za

The Energy Regulator says it agrees with the draft ministerial determination to procure 1 000MW of new generation capacity from the Cross-Border Procurement agreement.

“New generation capacity must be procured or purchased to contribute towards energy security and accordingly, up to 1 000 megawatts (MW) should be procured from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region from a range of technologies/sources,” the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) said on Friday.

The energy regulator explained that this programme is implemented in order to close the widening energy gap, as articulated in the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019 – 2030 (published by Government Notice No. 1360 of 18 October 2019 in Government Gazette No. 42784) ('the IRP 2019'), and as is currently being experienced in South Africa.

“The energy regulator said the energy capacity shall be procured from a range of energy producers from the region.

“The range of energy producers from the region will either be utilities from the host countries or independent power producers that are legally operating within the host countries,” NERSA said.

The energy capacity shall be procured by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and shall entail: the procurement of electricity through one or more processes that are fair, equitable, transparent, and cost-effective, and  the form of which shall be determined by Eskom; and the conclusion of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in respect of the electricity, for which the duration will be agreed upon between Eskom and the energy producers from the region.

“The electricity procured or bought shall target the South African Grid as soon as reasonably possible, considering all relevant factors, including prevailing energy security risks and the time required for efficient procurement,” Nersa said.

In addition, the Energy Regulator concurred with the draft ministerial determination for the procurement of 2 000MW of new generation capacity from the Load Shedding Reduction Programme.

As part of the programme, up to 2 000MW should be generated from a range of energy technologies/sources in accordance with the short-term risk mitigation capacity allocated under the heading 'Other', for the years 2025 to 2028 of the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019 – 2030 (published by Government Notice 1360 of 18 October 2019 in Government Gazette No. 42784) ('IRP 2019').

The programme requires that the new generation capacity is established from energy generated from independent power producers.

The electricity produced from the new generation capacity ('the electricity') shall be procured by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and shall entail: the procurement of the electricity through one or more processes that are fair, equitable, transparent, and cost-effective; the form of which shall be determined by Eskom, and the conclusion of power purchase agreements (PPAs) in respect of the electricity, which PPAs shall be aligned with short-term power purchase agreements.

“The electricity procured or bought shall target connection to the Grid as soon as reasonably possible, taking into account all relevant factors, including prevailing energy security risks and the time required for efficient procurement,” the energy regulator said.

The Energy Regulator also concurred with the draft ministerial determination for the procurement of 800MW of New Generation Capacity from the Emergency Procurement Programme as follows:

• New generation capacity must be procured or purchased to contribute towards energy security. Accordingly, up to 800 megawatts (MW) should be procured from a range of energy technologies/sources in accordance with the Emergency Generation Procurement Programme allocated under the heading 'Other', for the years 2029 to 2030, in Table 5 of the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019 – 2030 (published as Government Notice No. 1360 of 18 October 2019 in Government Gazette No. 42784) ('the IRP 2019').
• The new generation capacity shall be procured from a variety of local generators, including independent power producers (IPPs).

The electricity shall be procured by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and shall entail: the procurement of the electricity through one or more processes that are fair, equitable, transparent, and cost-effective, and the form of which shall be determined by Eskom; and the conclusion of power purchase agreements (PPAs) in respect of the electricity, which PPAs shall be aligned to the short-term power purchase agreements; and

The electricity procured or bought shall target connection to the Grid as soon as reasonably possible, considering all relevant factors, including prevailing energy security risks and the time required for efficient procurement

The Energy Regulator noted the approved draft Reasons for Decision on the concurrence with the section 34 ministerial determinations for the procurement of 3 000MW of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) and 1 000MW Standard Offer Programme (SOP) by Eskom.

The detailed Decisions and Reasons for Decision documents regarding the above decisions will be available on the NERSA website at www.nersa.org.za in due course. - SAnews.gov.za

The Energy Regulator has approved that the National Transmission Company of South Africa (SOC) Limited (‘NTC’) be issued with a licence to operate a transmission system within the national boundaries of the Republic of South Africa. 

“This is a milestone decision by the Energy Regulator and will immensely contribute in Eskom’s unbundling trajectory,” National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) Chairperson, Thembani Bukula, said on Friday.

At the 2019 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd would be unbundled into three wholly owned entities: Generation, Transmission and Distribution.

“The NTC is envisioned to be an independent transmission system operator incorporating, inter alia, the currently non-licensable but integrated functions of network provision, system operation and system planning.

“The NTC’s independence is an important signal to all stakeholders, including investors that they will have non-discriminatory access to the transmission system,” NERSA said.

Furthermore, the NTC is responsible for ensuring grid stability, to which end, it is allowed to buy and sell power, but not for profit.

“However, in terms of section 15(1) of the Act, the NTC will be afforded the opportunity to recover its efficiently incurred costs and a reasonable return on its assets. The Energy Regulator understands that the aforementioned provisions are both within the ambit of the Act and enable the NTC to be operationalised as an independent and reliable transmission system operator,” NERSA said.

The NTC a wholly owned subsidiary of Eskom, which was established as per the Government objectives and in alignment with the Department of Public Enterprises’ (DPE’s) ‘Roadmap for Eskom in a Reformed Electricity Supply Industry’ (‘the White Paper’), issued on 29 October 2019.

The NTC will operate the transmission system and perform the following key integrated roles to ensure the integrity of the interconnected power system (IPS):

• Transmission Network Service Provider (TNSP)
• System Operator (SO)
• Transmission System Planner (TSP)
• Grid Code Secretariat

The NTC’s licence application was processed following due regulatory process, including a public hearing that was conducted on 11 April 2023.

“All presenters that made oral presentations during the public hearing supported the application. NERSA analysed the application to assess whether it meets the minimum requirements for licensing as contained in section 10(2) of the Electricity Regulation Act, 2006 (Act No.4 of 2006) – the Act. The application was found to meet the licensing requirements,” the energy regulator said.

Generation licence application by Ngonyama Solar

The Energy Regulator approved that Ngonyama Solar (RF) (Pty) Ltd be issued with a generation licence as the sixth preferred bidder of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy's (DMRE’s) Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) Bid Window Six (BW6).

On 3 March 2023, Ngonyama Solar (RF) (Pty) Ltd was announced as the sixth preferred bidder, with a contracted capacity of 140 MW.

This brings the total contracted capacity for BW6 to 1 000 MW for solar projects.

“Ngonyama Solar’s preferred bidder status letter was issued on 13 March 2023. Ngonyama Solar applied for a generation licence in accordance with section 7 of the Electricity Regulation Act, 2006, which requires that no person may operate a generation facility without a licence issued by the Energy Regulator.

“NERSA analysed the application and found that it met all the licensing requirements. There were no objections received to the application,” the energy regulator said.

The six preferred bidders for all Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology include Doornhoek PV (Pty) Ltd; Boitumelo Solar Power Plant (RF) (Pty) Ltd; Kutlwano Solar Power Plant (RF) (Pty) Ltd; URSA Energy (RF) (Pty) Ltd; Antlia Energy (RF) (Pty) Ltd and Ngonyarna Solar (RF) (Pty) Ltd. – SAnews.gov.za

By Dikeledi Molobela

St. Petersburg, Russia – As south Africa prepares to host the 15th BRICS summit in August, President Vladimir Putin has expressed his full support and confidence in the summit’s success.  

The Russian Head of State stressed the close collaboration between Russia and South Africa in various international fora like the United Nations, G20 and other multilateral organisations such as BRICS, which is currently being chaired by South Africa. 

“We closely and constructively cooperate within this grouping in order to extend our strategic cooperation between the five countries [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa]. 

“I am convinced that the meeting you are currently preparing for will be held on the highest level possible. I have no doubts about this and we will spare no effort in giving our assistance to you,” he said. 

President Putin was speaking on Saturday during a bilateral meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg. The gathering was held to discuss South Africa and Russia’s bilateral relations. 

In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his sincere appreciation, underscoring the longstanding history of collaboration between the two nations. 

He emphasised that their cooperation goes back to their joint efforts within the G20, where they have successfully worked together on numerous critical issues.

Additionally, President Ramaphosa said, the partnership extends to the BRICS platform, where they have actively engaged in addressing matters of mutual interest.

“We are delighted to have your support as we are going to host BRICS in a few weeks. We agree with you that BRICS should be held at an appropriate level. 

“We are in the process of preparing for BRICS and we thank you for the support you are giving and that you are willing to give. As it is, a number of Russian officials and Ministers have been to South Africa to attend the various preparatory meetings that are taking place for BRICS. We are hoping that the participation of all the BRICS countries will lead to a valuable outcome. We are looking forward to a successful summit,” President Ramaphosa said. 

Turning attention to the recently concluded second Russia-Africa Summit, President Ramaphosa lauded President Putin for hosting a successful summit, with a declaration that was “well negotiated and well crafted”, representing the views of various countries. 

President Ramaphosa took the opportunity to express gratitude to his counterpart for hosting a successful and well organised summit. 

“We believe the summit was successful and well organised. The outcome was very good and the declaration was well negotiated and well crafted. 

“It represents the views of various countries that were here and put together with your views. I believe that we have a declaration that can take forward our relationship between Africa and Russia. 

“What is particularly pleasing is that Russia conducts its relationship with Africa at a strategic level, with a great deal of respect for and recognition of the sovereignty of African States,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa acknowledged that Russia's support for Africa has remained steadfast over time, dating back to the days of the Soviet Union. He expressed satisfaction that the spirit of cooperation between Russia and Africa endures to this day.

Trade ties

Regarding the bilateral relationship between Russia and South Africa, President Ramaphosa affirmed that the two nations share and uphold strong ties.

“It’s a multi-level relationship. On an investment level, there are quite a number of companies in the South African market that are also invested in the Russia market,” he said.

The President emphasised that South Africa is presently grappling with an energy crisis and could gain valuable insights from Russia's experience. 

“Currently, South Africa is going through an energy crisis and we could learn a lot and do a lot together with Russia on the energy side. On the science and technology side, there's a great deal that we can learn from each other. We can learn a lot from you,” he said. 

The President mentioned his interest in exploring fields such as space, noting the presence of a Space Institute in South Africa.

“You have advanced a great deal in space, and that is one area in which we could cooperate.

“We appreciate the support we received from Russia during the COVID-19. Your innovation when it came to COVID-19 helped to inspire our own scientists. I remember you [President Putin] and I having a conversation after our scientists discovered Omicron and we spoke on the phone. You sent Russian scientists to South Africa so that we could exchange views. I do believe that that was really impactful. We thank you for that,” the President said. 

Regarding education, the President expressed South Africa's deep appreciation for the support received from Russia. He conveyed his desire to encourage an increasing number of students to pursue studies in various disciplines in Russia. 

President Ramaphosa acknowledged the value of the extensive support provided by President Putin to many South Africans who have been educated in Russia, and expressed his wish to see this support continue.

Furthermore, President Ramaphosa praised President Putin's stance on the representation of Africa at the United Nations level.

“We'd like to appreciate your position on the issue of the representation of Africa at the UN level. We continue to be a continent that is not represented in the key structures of the UN. Thank you for being supportive in that regard,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za