Day: January 2, 2024

Eskom has implemented Stage 2 load shedding with effect from 5am after several generating units did not come back online as anticipated.

‘With the current intensified maintenance aimed at improving fleet performance, we had a setback of three generating units (2 148MW) not coming back online as anticipated. This, coupled with a loss of six generating units (3 113MW) and projected increase in electricity demand, requires Stage 2 load shedding to be implemented from 5am on Tuesday until 4pm, followed by Stage 3 load shedding until 5 am on Wednesday.

Load shedding returns follows a reprieve over the festive season.

In a statement, Eskom said the pattern of Stage 2 load shedding in the morning and Stage 3 load shedding in the evening will be repeated daily until further notice.

In addition, the power utility said it will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes should it be required.

‘Eskom teams are working tirelessly to ensure that 4 921MW of generating capacity is returned to service
before the end of the week.’ – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

Eskom has synchronised Unit 5 of the Kusile Power Station project to the national grid.

‘Eskom is delighted to announce that Unit 5 of the Kusile Power Station project was synchronised to the national grid for the first time on 31 December 2023 at 17h22. The unit will contribute an additional 800MW to the country’s power system, which was never part of the Eskom grid capacity,’ said the power utility.

The unit will supply electricity intermittently during the testing and optimisation phase over the next six months before being transferred into commercial operation and the capacity officially added to the current Eskom fleet.

‘As part of the Generation Recovery Plan, the synchronisation of Kusile Unit 5 marks another significant milestone of sustainably improving our generation performance. This will contribute the much-needed power to the grid,’ said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation.

‘We are encouraged that this achievement of our recovery plan immediately follows the return of the t
hree units that were brought online from end September 2023, bringing a total of 3 200MW onto the grid, which will further improve the energy availability factor (EAF) and help strengthen South Africa’s electricity capacity.

‘I am grateful for the commitment displayed by the Kusile project team. Their relentless efforts in ensuring that the project is completed is highly commendable. I have confidence that they will continue to work with determination to successfully deliver Unit 5 to commercial operation,’ explained Nxumalo.

Eskom’s Acting Group Chief Executive, Calib Cassim, said Unit 5 brings hope to the people of South Africa as it helps power the nation and its economy.

‘There is enormous effort made to continue the remarkable progress on the new build programme and the Generation Recovery Plan.

‘We remain focused on improving the performance of the generation fleet to reduce the impact of load shedding felt countrywide, and to lessen the costs on supplementing capacity using the diesel-powered plant
,’ said Cassim.

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has welcomed the developments at Kusile.

The Minister has emphasised that ‘more work and efforts will continue towards adding more generation capacity to the grid to reduce and ultimately end load shedding’.

The Minister congratulated Eskom’s generation team for the continued work towards stabilising the country’s generation capacity.

Progress made in construction

Progress is being made on the remaining construction and commissioning activities at Unit 6 and at completion, the station will consist of six units, which will produce a maximum 4 800MW.

This will make Kusile South Africa’s largest construction project and will be the world’s fourth largest coal plant.

‘In addition, the power station is fitted with wet flue gas desulphurisation (WFGD) emissions abatement technology, in line with current international practice to ensure compliance with air quality standards. This makes Kusile the first power stat
ion in South Africa and Africa to use WFGD technology, which is used to remove sulphur dioxide from the flue gas prior discharge to the atmosphere,’ Eskom said.

Also on a positive note, repair works to the permanent stack for units 1, 2 and 3 are progressing well.

Intensified efforts are also being made to return Medupi Unit 4 to service by end July 2024.

This, together with the successful completion of Kusile Unit 5 and the return of the three Kusile units will further improve the energy availability and give impetus to Eskom’s Generation Recovery Plan. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says it is determined to conclude all outstanding 2023 disbursements by 15 January 2024, in consultation with the affected institutions.

The NSFAS Board held an extraordinary meeting on Sunday, 31 December 2023 to consider reports from NSFAS management on various issues including the final disbursement of the 2023 allowances, the NSFAS budget adjustment and the NSFAS accommodation pilot project.

NSFAS said the commitment made on the outstanding disbursement is to ensure that the 2023 bursary allowances do not affect the returning students for the 2024 academic year.

‘Early in January 2024, the NSFAS Board will have further stakeholder engagements with the Universities South Africa (Usaf), the South African Public Colleges Organisation (SAPCO), the South African Union of Students (SAUS) and the South African Technical Vocational Education and Training Student Association (SATVETSA) and labour unions to brief them on the preparations for the 2024 academic ye
ar and the NSFAS eligibility criteria and conditions for financial aid,’ NSFAS said in a statement.

NSFAS has disbursed about 234 124 students allowances from 5 December 2023, as part of the reconciled final disbursements for the 2023 academic year. This exercise was done in order to disburse the final allowances to students whose allowances where not concluded due to changes in their registration data.

NSFAS said this process ensures that disbursements are paid directly to institutions for tuition and for advancing payments to students.

‘The [NSFAS] reconciliation data… is divided into three categories: (1) direct payment – direct allowance to students, (2) allowances on tuition disbursement to institutions, (3) student allowances via institutions.

‘NSFAS confirms that there are 20 000 allowances which are yet to be concluded. These unresolved cases of disbursements require further input and consultation with institutions,’ read the statement.

At its meeting, the board also discussed the NSFAS 2024 prog
ramme of action and the formation of a Rapid Response Team in preparation for the 2024 academic year.

2024 applications

Applications for financial aid for all learners who wish to enter the post-school system and students who do not have financial assistance to continue their studies in the 2024 academic year officially opened on 21 November 2023.

In a statement issued by NSFAS in November, NSFAS said applications for 2024 funding will close on 31 January 2024.

Werksmans Attorneys report

The NSFAS Board said it will further make public announcements on the implementation of the Werksmans Attorneys report in relation to direct payment service providers.

In October 2023, the NSFAS Board adopted the recommendations of the report into allegations surrounding the appointment of direct payment service providers.

The board had appointed Werksmans Attorneys and Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi to conduct an investigation into allegations of irregularities relating to Bid NO. SCMN022/2021.

The investigation follow
ed allegations against former NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo relating to his conflict of interest in the appointment of service providers.

Despite the challenges, the board reaffirmed its commitment to implement the direct payment solution.

“The board views the direct payment solution as a necessary measure to reduce instances of unauthorised access to beneficiaries’ allowances, payment of ghost students, inconsistencies and delayed payments of allowances.

‘The direct payment solution is inline with the Student-Centered Model that NSFAS adopted,’ said board chairperson Ernest Khosa at a briefing in October. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

With just two days into the new year, motorists will breathe a sigh of relief at the pumps on Wednesday as the price of petrol is set to come down by between 62 and 76 cents a litre.

According to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe, 93 (ULP and LRP) will decrease by 62 cents a litre, while the price of 95 (ULP and LRP) will decrease by 76 cents a litre.

This means that a litre of 95, which currently costs R23.25 in Gauteng, will come down to R22.49.

The price of Diesel (0.05% sulphur) will come down by 118.32 cents a litre.

The price of Diesel (0.005% sulphur) will come down by 126.32 cents a litre and the price of Illuminating Paraffin (wholesale) will decrease by 93 cents per litre and the Single Maximum National Retail Price (SMNRP) for illuminating paraffin will come down by R1.24 per litre.

The fuel price adjustments were due to crude oil prices, international petroleum product prices; the Rand/US Dollar exchange rate; the implementation of the Slate Levy, and the octane
differential between 95 and 93 petrol grades.

The average brent crude oil price decreased from 82.62 US Dollars (USD) to 77.35 USD during the period under review, mainly due to, increased production by the United States of America, Venezuela, Guyana, and other non-OPEC countries despite the announcement by OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) to cut production.

‘The average international product prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin decreased in line with the lower crude oil prices. LPG prices increased due to higher freight cost. These factors led to lower contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 50.83 cents a litre, 105.81 cents a litre and 99 cents a litre, respectively,’

In addition, the Rand depreciated slightly on average, against the US Dollar (from 18.57 to 18.66 Rand per USD) during the period under review when compared to the previous one.

This led to higher contributions to the Basic Fuel Prices of petrol, diesel and
illuminating paraffin by 5.30 c/l, 5.83 c/l and 6.00 c/l, respectively.

On the implementation of the slate levy, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said the cumulative slate balance on petrol and diesel at the end of November 2023 had a positive balance of R1.8 billion.

‘Therefore, a slate levy of zero cents a litre will be implemented in the price structure of petrol and diesel with effect from the 3rd of January 2024. This means that the motorists will benefit by 26.32 cents per litre since the slate levy will decrease from 26.32 to zero cents per litre.’

In line with the Working Rules to determine the Basic Fuels Prices (BFP), the 95 octane (unleaded) grade is the price-marker grade and the BFP-differential between 95 and 93 octanes is adjusted on the first Wednesday of each quarter.

The BFP octane differential has changed during the previous quarter and therefore the retail prices of 95 and 93 petrol octanes will be different in each fuel-pricing zone with effect from the 3rd of January 20
24. -SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated the President-elect of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) , on his re-election as President of the central African country.

On 20 December 2023, millions of voters in the DRC participated in the synchronised general elections to choose national, provincial and local public representatives.

The outcome of these elections was announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) on 31 December.

Accordingly, President Ramaphosa strongly commended the people of the DRC for exhibiting maturity, a sense of calm and unity during the period of elections.

‘The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have taken a solid step towards consolidating democracy in their country, and have expressed their desire for a peaceful, secure and prosperous future,’ said the President in a statement.

The President has called for calm should any of the participants dispute the elections results and urges all parties to follow legal channels as set out in the constituti
on of the DRC.

South Africa is committed to enhancing bilateral relations with the DRC, and peace and security in the region. President Ramaphosa concluded a successful visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2023, where, together with President Félix Tshisekedi, co-chaired the Heads of State and Government segment of the 12th session of the DRC-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC). The BNC is aimed at enhancing and nurturing the existing bilateral trade and political relations. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency