Ramaphosa, Mantashe to oppose legal challenge over energy planning

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe intend opposing a legal challenge against them over energy planning. In January, two civil society organisations –... 

Continuous Stage 6 implemented, risk of higher stages as eight units break down

Eskom has implemented continuous Stage 6 until further notice after eight generating units broke down on Sunday.  "Given the high number of breakdowns, there is a possibility of further changes on... 

Public sector unions renew strike threat over 'pathetic' wage increase

Nine public sector trade unions said on Thursday they will embark on an "indefinite strike" to force the government to raise last year's wage increase.  The unions also said they would not attend... 

Woman arrested for allegedly colluding with Eskom workers to steal nearly R1m from power station

A Mpumalanga woman has appeared in the Standerton Magistrate's Court in connection with a theft and money laundering case relating to the Tutuka Power Station. Annemarie Stander, 55, was released... 

Cape Town set to ease power cuts further as city gears up to issue first tender

As loadshedding becomes the norm, the City of Cape Town is preparing to launch a 500MW tender for dispatchable power in the coming weeks, and it's looking into shorter contracts with producers.... 

Big petrol price hike expected in March

February may bring a large hike in the petrol price, the latest information from the Central Energy Fund shows. With two weeks to go before the prices are fixed, the fund's data shows that 95... 

MPs to Transnet: Fix this mess you are creating for the ANC government

African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MPs tore into Transnet Group CEO Portia Derby on Wednesday, accusing her of "doing nothing" to arrest the company's slide into... 

Ratings agencies warn SA ahead of budget about loadshedding risks

With a week to go before Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables his budget in Parliament, two global credit ratings agencies have warned of SA's deteriorating risk profile due to the impact of... 

UJ launches two electric buses to cut its emissions

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) this week rolled out two electric buses, which have already started transporting students across its campuses. The buses are part of the university's plans to... 

Inflation cools, but red-hot food prices hit new high

Annual consumer inflation cooled to 6.9% in January, from 7.2% in December. This is the third consecutive month of a decline. But food inflation hit the highest rate since 2009. The consumer price... 

Stage 2 and 3 loadshedding over the weekend

Stage 4 loadshedding will continue from 16:00 on Friday until 05:00 on Saturday morning. It will be downgraded to Stage 3 from 05:00 on Saturday until 05:00 on Sunday, after which it will again be... 

ConCourt shoots down govt appeal over BEE in Covid-19 tourism funds case

SA's highest court has declined to hear an application for leave to appeal a lower court's ruling that found the state was wrong to include Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) as a... 

Shoprite, Coca-Cola, Burger King and others urge Ramaphosa to halt fuel taxes

The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) on Tuesday urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to scrap the sugar tax, as well as suspend the fuel duty and road accident fund levies for the industry... 

South Africa nears an ignoble record: 100 days of blackouts

South Africa is nearing 100 consecutive days of rolling blackouts, the longest stretch yet, with more to come as its electricity crisis deepens. Eskom , the state-owned company that produces almost... 

Johannesburg residents in for 3 more days of pain before water issues ease

Johannesburg Water says it will take more than 72 hours for the water infrastructure attached to the Eikenhof system to recover after the power failure on Sunday. Bulk water supplier Rand Water has... 

Petrol and diesel prices to be hiked this week

Petrol and diesel prices will be hiked on Wednesday, with oil having become more expensive due to stronger Chinese demand. Unleaded petrol (both 93 and 95) will increase by 28c a litre, while... 

Tshwane water crisis: Mayor and Rand Water CEO meet to discuss 'supply challenges'

City of Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams said he had "constructive engagements" with Rand Water on Monday night amid the ongoing water crisis in the metro. The Tshwane metro has suffered water cuts... 

Stage 6 loadshedding returns on Tuesday night after more breakdowns

Eskom has announced that loadshedding will escalate to Stage 6 on Tuesday night, after six generating units suffered breakdowns over the past 24 hours.  Loadshedding will initially jump to Stage 5... 

Cape Town residents urged to reduce water consumption as loadshedding bites

The City of Cape Town is urging residents to use less water as high stages of load shedding are having an impact on water supply operations. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is urging residents and... 

Breather from Stage 4 loadshedding from Saturday

Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented until 05:00 on Saturday morning, after which it will be reduced to Stage 3, Eskom said on Friday.  Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented nightly from... 

Eskom to borrow R4bn for diesel as Treasury dishes out tough love

The stand-off between Eskom and the National Treasury over funding for diesel has ended with an agreement that government will support Eskom borrowing from commercial banks, should it be unable to... 

Generators, incentives and tenders: Cape Town forges ahead with loadshedding protection plans

The City of Cape Town has allocated more money for generators and diesel as the country faces the worst of its energy crisis.  The generators will mainly be used at sewage pump stations to prevent... 

Interest rates hiked by 25 basis points

Interest rates were hiked by 25 basis points on Thursday, as the Reserve Bank slashed its expectations for growth this year. Three members of the monetary policy committee voted in favour of the 25... 

Bad news: Petrol, diesel prices set to increase soon

Petrol and diesel prices look set to be hiked in the first week of February. The latest data from the Central Energy Fund shows an expected increase of around 52 cents a litre for 95 unleaded... 

Shorter contracts should get Karpowerships past the finish line – Mantashe

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says cutting the proposed contract periods with Karpowership from 20 years to 10 years could help government realise its ambitions to procure... 

SANDF deployment to Eskom power stations stretches until March at a cost of more than R200m

Deploying the troops to Eskom power stations and elsewhere in the country for just three months is costing taxpayers just over R200-million. President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of 2... 

City Power spends up to R100m a year on substation security

City Power in Johannesburg spends roughly R100-million a year to secure its substations and mini substations from vandalism and theft, according to the spokesperson, Keneilwe Sebola. And the amount... 

Eskom hits back at Ramaphosa on tariffs: Costs don't just disappear

Those "aggrieved" by the upcoming 18.65% electricity tariff hike will have to lodge a court application to challenge the energy regulator's decision, power utility Eskom has said. This comes days... 

City Power spends up to R100m a year on substation security to combat theft, vandalism

City Power in Johannesburg spends roughly R100-million a year to secure its substations and mini substations from vandalism and theft, according to spokesperson Keneilwe Sebola. And the amount... 

Loadshedding: Groups approach court to get govt to account for energy crisis

Several political parties, unions, community-based organisations and individuals have approached the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to seek an urgent hearing on relief measures amid continued load... 

Close the taps in Tshwane or 'water supply system could collapse'

Rand Water's overall reservoir storage capacity has dropped from 60% to 30% and the supply system could collapse if the water levels do not recover. This is according to the Tshwane MMC for Utility... 

Stage 4 evening loadshedding until further notice

Loadshedding will remain at Stage 4 from 16:00 to 05:00 every day, with Stage 3 implemented from 05:00 to 16:00 during the day until further notice, Eskom announced on Monday. Over the past 24... 

Stage 4 loadshedding planned for the weekday evenings 

Loadshedding will remain at Stage 4 from 16:00 to 05:00 every day, with Stage 3 implemented from 05:00 to 16:00 during the day until further notice, Eskom announced on Monday. Over the past 24... 

Another weekend of loadshedding – but Stage 2 expected on Sunday

Loadshedding will be maintained at Stage 4 for Friday and Saturday evenings from 16:00 - 05:00. It will be lowered to Stage 3 from 05:00 - 16:00 on Saturday and further reduced to Stage 2 on Sunday... 

'I don't build power stations': Mantashe doubles down on claim he's not to blame for loadshedding

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe is adamant that he is not to blame for continued loadshedding – even though his department oversees the procurement of generation capacity and... 

Inflation cools slightly to 7.2%, but food prices remain red hot

Annual consumer price inflation cooled to 7.2% in December, down from 7.4% in November and 7.6% in October, Statistics SA reported on Wednesday. The consumer price index increased by 0.4% in... 

Petrol, diesel prices may be on track for more cuts

After a steep fall in January, petrol and diesel prices are currently on track for more cuts in February, the latest information from the Central Energy Fund shows. However, recent strong gains in... 

City Power to cut off defaulters in Alexandra in bid to recover R363m

City Power in Johannesburg will embark on a three-day revenue collection effort from Tuesday to recover R363-million. The electricity supplier plans to cut off defaulting business accounts in... 

Eskom, Treasury at odds over diesel funds as loadshedding crisis deepens

As chronic loadshedding continues indefinitely, a behind-the-scenes dispute has broken out between National Treasury and Eskom over where the money should come from to buy more diesel.  The only... 

Lawyers issue letter of demand to Eskom, Gordhan over loadshedding

Several high-profile lawyers, leaders, and NPOs have threatened Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan with legal action following their failure to provide a...