South Africa is once more experiencing periodic power cuts. These typically take the form of scheduled supply interruptions, for two to four hours a day, whenever the country’s electricity system is overloaded. Such overloading currently happens on 40-50 days a year. Eskom, the country’s power utility, recently admitted that such interruptions are likely to persist […]
ANC secretary general Ace Magashule plans to canvas for support from branches in an attempt to gain sympathy and walk away from step-aside decisions
ANC secretary general Ace Magashule’s chess moves are limited after the Ramaphosa faction dealt him and his allies a heavy blow at this weekend’s NEC
President Cyril Ramaphosa may axe a few of his struggling cabinet ministers and move some of the beleaguered state-owned enterprises to other portfolios
The National Assembly has adopted a report finding prima facie evidence of misconduct by 275 votes as an ANC caucus revolt is contained
The ANC chairperson has instructed its caucus ahead of the vote to establish a committee to investigate the public protector’s fitness to hold office
Magashule has received at least five letters from ANC caucus members unhappy with the chief whip’s backing of a vote against the public protector
The former president won’t appear before the Zondo inquiry into state capture, even if Ramaphosa and Mantashe do
The president’s latest energy commitments were meant to have been met years ago, but he struggled to get Gwede Mantashe on board
What to do, what to do… If only there was a way for Mantashe and De Ruyter to reliably produce power while protecting the environment.
Evidence presented at the commission points to the governing party’s MPs not being allowed to carry out their oversight functions
In its latest policy documents, the ANC is self-critical and wants ‘consequence management’, yet it’s letting its members off the hook again
Last week Fikile Ntshangase was gunned down as activists fight mining company Tendele’s expansions. Community members tell the M&G about the ‘kill lists’ and the dread they live with every day
More than 11 800MW of new electricity capacity from independent power producers will come online in 2022, giving Eskom space to do more maintenance on its unreliable infrastructure
The government has promised that we will get to net zero emissions by 2050, but is still taking actions that will make the climate crisis worse
Board members have quit the gas company, accusing the Central Energy Fund of poor governance, and the energy minister of overreach
The academic year will extend into 2021 in a ‘deliberately cautious approach’ as president confirms South Africa has world’s fifth-highest Covid-19 infection tally
Senior South African politicians have not been spared the coronavirus. What happens if the head of state is not well enough to be at his desk?
Nearly half of all workplaces inspected by the department of labour found to be unsafe
Estimates hint that the scaling down of work in response to Covid-19 will result in a sharp drop in production in April and by 4.5% for the year
The energy department last week took out a draft of determinations proposing more than 13000MW of power to be supplied
Despite the government’s announcement of a R30-billion sovereign wealth fund, analysts are questioning its utility in a time of increasing debt
SOEs must be dynamic growth enablers if they are to be deemed strategic assets for the economy
He must end the Mantashe problem and execute his strategy rather than keep the ANC onside
The challenge to deliver a persuasive speech comes firstly in the context of intense doubts as to whether President Ramaphosa is truly in charge of the ANC
Proposed amendments to the legislation mandate meaningful consultation with communities but critics say there are loopholes
Cyril Ramaphosa wants to do the right thing – bring independent power producers on to the grid. He must act despite opposition from top ANC members
To improve the South African economy, we need to institute practical measures to effect change
"The ANC’s long history and continued survival is something to marvel at. But celebrating the mere fact of survival is really not enough"
President Ramaphosa is in a disastrous position for someone elected the way he was and with enemies circling
Gwede Mantashe needs to shift from costly, climate crisis-inducing fossil fuels to renewables
It was a helluva week, particularly after my cellphone died. But I found an old phone number for Gwede