Eskom’s announcement on Wednesday that load shedding will be escalated to Stage 6  is a direct indictment of the misplaced confidence in the power utility’s struggling coal-fired power stations by the Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, claims the DA. Ever since his appointment, Ramokgopa has doubled down on the «unreliable» coal stations by suggesting that […]

South Africa’s newly appointed Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has warned of an “exceptionally difficult winter” if Eskom’s grid remains as constrained as it currently is. The power utility needs approximately 66,000 megawatts to make up for the deficit between demand and supply, if South Africans are to avoid a dark and cold winter. Eskom implemented […]

A once derelict piece of land between an apartment complex and a tennis club in Claremont, Cape Town, has been turned into a nursery for indigenous plants run by formerly homeless people. The Living Roots SA Plant Nursery was launched in Claremont, Cape Town by the U-turn Homeless Service Centre on Monday. The nursery, which […]

South African homeowners will not be automatically granted special loans to purchase solar roof panels. Instead they will have to go through an assessment process before getting the loans… writes Godfrey Sigwela. Consumers are also being encouraged to report any irregularities that might happen when dealing with a credit provider issuing loans to buy solar […]

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services has confirmed with “shock and dismay” that South Africa’s request for the extradition of the Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been unsuccessful. The Guptas – fugitives Atul Gupta and Rajesh Gupta – are alleged to be the masterminds behind the state capture and corruption […]

This week, the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, and the Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, attended the official opening of the new evaporator dryer power plant facility at Lactalis South Africa’s cheese manufacturing plant in Bonnievale, Western Cape. Lactalis South Africa’s Bonnievale factory is the biggest cheese factory […]

A number of African countries, including Kenya, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, are currently experiencing shortages of US dollars. The dollar is the dominant currency in international transactions. These countries rely on the US currency to pay for foreign debts, essential goods and industrial inputs. Development economist Christopher Adam explains to The Conversation Africa’s […]

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the withdrawal of the National State of Disaster on Electricity will have no impact on the ministry’s work going forward. The SA government formally withdrew the State of Disaster and its regulations on Wednesday. Ramokgopa said: “The Minister of Electricity continues to be seized with that responsibility of reducing […]

The Gauteng Industrial Development Zone SOC Limited (Gauteng IDZ) has set its sights on being the leading economic zone in the country and in Africa. Gauteng Economic Development MEC, Tasneem Motara, on Tuesday said that the IDZ aims to promote job and enterprise development opportunities. Established in 2009, the Gauteng IDZ is mandated to develop […]

The country is gearing up to host the fifth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) on 13 April 2023 in Johannesburg. This conference is the final leg of the current investment drive to attract R1.2 trillion over five years. The SAIC attracts delegates from South Africa and the rest of the globe. Last year, the fourth […]

Whether it is for work or pleasure, a trip around Europe in the modern age is common practice. For individuals from a country within the European Union, moving from place to place is so easy that it is hard not to take advantage. For those from outside of Europe, the initial trip is enough to […]

World Travel Market Africa (WTM), the continent’s leading and only B2B exhibition for both inbound and outbound travel and tourism markets, kicked off at the CTICC on Monday. More than 7 000 delegates from over 100 countries, including tourism industry professionals, exhibitors, buyers and media, are currently in Cape Town for three days of trade, […]

The ground-breaking 12-storey building at 84 Harrington Street in Cape Town, South Africa, is shaping up nicely as it appears to be nearing completion. The building, which will be home to around 50 apartments, is making history as the world’s first hemp skyscraper! The new hotel has been built using hempcrete blocks and other hemp-related […]

For eight years I have studied digital nomadism, the millennial trend for working remotely from anywhere around the world. I am often asked if it is driving gentrification. Before COVID upended the way we work, I would usually tell journalists that the numbers were too small for a definitive answer. Most digital nomads were travelling […]

The City of Cape Town has approved 327 events for the year thus far and is gearing up for an eventful April with numerous major events lined up. From major ultra-marathons to a performing arts festival and geek culture convention, eventgoers will be spoilt for choice this April. According to the City’s Mayoral Committee Member […]

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has, since early 2021, used law firm De Swardt Myambo Hlahla Attorneys in a number of high-profile cases related to its labour issues, including many legal actions against Martha Ngoye, a whistleblower and suspended head of legal. But De Swardt is not on PRASA’s legal panel, and […]

The housing crisis in Cape Town could be considerably reduced if underutilised land, currently occupied by the military, was released for social housing. This is according to a collective of civil society organisations who have called on the President to take action. Their calls echo those made by the City of Cape Town for at least a […]

The chairperson of South African Tourism (SAT) Board, Dr Thozamile Botha, has allegedly written to the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille complaining that de Lille cancelled the proposed Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal, according to a whistle blower who spoke with the DA’s Shadow Minister of Tourism. Despite the public outcry over the deal, the […]

Eskom has announced that Stage 3 and 4 load shedding (power cuts) will alternate across South Africa throughout the weekend and on Monday. The announcement came despite the power utility returning two units at Lethabo and Medupi Power Stations to service over the past 24 hours. Stage 3 will be implemented between 5am and 4pm while […]

From picking up pointers on YouTube to winning tournaments on the international circuit – 11-year-old golf champ Sim Tshabalala seems to have the eye of the tiger… Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this week. You can watch the show on Sunday 2 April in South Africa on DStv Now OR stream it overseas in most […]

The High Court in Johannesburg has ordered a financial services company to pay a client more than R800,000 stolen by fraudsters through email cybercrime. PSG Wealth Financial Planning has been ordered to pay a client more than R800,000 stolen by fraudsters through email cybercrime. The fraudsters had hacked a client’s email and requested via email for the […]

The Electoral Amendment Bill currently on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s desk proposes major changes to the way we vote. But the Bill has serious flaws and should be referred back to Parliament or to the Constitutional Court. As we head to the 2024 national and provincial elections, the matter is urgent.  The Bill amends the Electoral […]

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has warned consumers against transacting with Manicaa, a scam operation online, purporting to be an online business. Acting National Consumer Commissioner, Thezi Mabuza, said the Commission has received several complaints from consumers alleging that they have purchased goods from Manicaa and did not receive their goods. “Others alleged that they […]

The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to hike interest rates by 50 basis points on Thursday, taking the country’s repurchase rate to 7.75%. The prime lending rate will increase to 11.25%. The changes will come into effect from Friday, 31 March 2023. ALSO READ | DStv price hike: What you’ll pay from 1 April – it’s NO […]

South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago has announced that the repurchase rate (repo rate) has reached 7.75% after the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) agreed to a 50 basis points increase. As a result, the prime interest rate will now move up to 11.25%. Kganyago announced this at a press briefing on Thursday […]