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Twenty-five companies are expected to add at least 2583MW of energy to South Africa’s electricity grid once their renewable energy projects are complete, says Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe.

The 25 companies were named as successful bidders for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE) fifth bid window of its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement (REIPPP) Programme.

The 25 renewable energy projects are expected to inject at least R50 billion into the economy and create about 13 900 jobs during and after construction.

Mantashe cautioned that although this is a positive step for further securing electricity supply, the 25 chosen bidders will only add power to the grid once the projects are completed.

“Sometimes…we normally create an impression that if you open up a bid window, this weekend there will be electricity in the grid. It takes up to 36 months for electricity to be in the grid. The reason for that is that if you are announced as a winning bidder, you have to construct that capacity of energy.

“The immediate solution to our electricity supply challenges lies in getting existing plants to perform in a predictable and stable manner,” he said as he made the announcement on Thursday.

The DMRE is expected to also sign agreements for energy procurement for the shorter term.

“In addition, we have selected 11 preferred bidders totalling to 1995MW under the…emergency procurement of energy and these preferred bidders are expected to be connected to the grid within the next 18 months after signing the commercial agreement,” Mantashe said.

The department also expects to procure another 160MW of energy from existing renewable energy projects.

The Minister also moved to dispel reports that government had not added any extra power generation capacity to the grid.

“Since the promulgation of the first IRP [Integrated Resource Plan] in 2011, the DMRE has taken on a number of projects to supplement the power generation supply from Eskom. To date we have procured and signed agreements with 93 independent power producer projects totalling 7308MW. The total of these bid windows have already been connected to the grid and supply 6855MW [of energy]. This is equivalent to two Eskom six pack coal fired power stations,” he said.

Mantashe said the department will pursue financial close with the bidders over the next six months.

Bid window six is expected to open no later than January 2022.

Empowerment

On the empowerment front, Mantashe explained that economic empowerment targets for Black people – in particular Black women had been set and achieved.

In addition, bidders also committed to procuring components from local manufacturers during project builds.

“The bid window five set out a number of key economic development targets. The DMRE not only requires participation by Black South Africans at project level but also requires participation across the entire renewable energy value chain.

“We must begin to see real owners who are South African and who are Black and that process takes its own time and we are very patient with it,” he said.

“These projects will continue to make a big difference – not only in the lives of those communities in the vicinity of the proposed power plants who will own 2.5% of the preferred bidder projects – the preferred bidders have committed a total of R2.7 billion towards socio-economic development, enterprise and skills development initiatives over the 20 year lifetime of the projects,” he said.

The Ministries of Water in both South Africa and Lesotho have agreed to fast track phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) to ensure security of supply to the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS).

This follows a meeting between Minister Senzo Mchunu, Deputy Minister Dikeledi Magadzi and Minister Kemiso Mosenene from Lesotho to discuss matters relating to challenges hindering the completion of the project, while agreeing on solutions to fast track its completion.

The meeting took place in Pretoria on Thursday.

The LHWP entails harnessing the waters of the Orange–Senqu River in the Lesotho highlands through the construction of a series of dams for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Phase I of the LHWP was completed in 2003 and Phase 2 is presently underway.

“South Africa is a water scarce country, therefore, the completion of Phase 2 of the project has to be fast-tracked in order to augment the IVRS,” said Mchunu.

The project, the Minister said, should be successfully done by 2027 or earlier.

In agreement, Mosenene emphasised that Phase 2 of the project requires collaborated efforts and commitment from both governments.

“Water is life and no human being can survive without it. It is for this reason that the team working on the project bears in mind the needs of those that must be served with clean water. We all have to ensure that work is being carried out and done so effectively,” said Minister Mosenene.

Meanwhile, the Lesotho Highlands Water Commission committed to deliver a quality project within the set timeframe and budget allocated.

Magadzi emphasised the importance of adhering to the treaty and related protocols guiding the LHWP.

“We can only successfully complete this project if we continue to work hand in glove and with the same mandate in mind, which is the delivery of water to those in need,” Magadzi said.

The water transfer component of Phase 2 of the LHWP comprises approximately a 165-m high concrete faced rockfill dam at Polihali downstream of the confluence of the Khubelu and Senqu (Orange) Rivers and an approximately 38-km long concrete-lined gravity tunnel connecting the Polihali reservoir to the Katse reservoir.

South Africa has recorded 533 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2 921 114.

The Department of Health said the latest figures represent a 1.7% positivity rate.

The department said a further 55 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing the total fatalities to 89 104 to date.

“There has been an increase of 30 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours,” the department said on Thursday.

According to the department, 18 471 818 tests have been conducted in both the public and private sectors.

In the private sector, 9 953 474 tests have been conducted, while 8 518 344 tests were conducted in the public sector.

The majority of new cases are from Gauteng (28%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal accounting for 17%.

The Western Cape accounted for 14% of the new cases, Free State 10%, Northern Cape 8%, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga 7% each, North West 5% and Limpopo 4%.

The cumulative number of cases by province is Gauteng 150, Eastern Cape 36, North West 27, Free State 53, Northern Cape 40, Limpopo 23, Mpumalanga 35, Western Cape 76 and KwaZulu-Natal 93.

The department reminded the nation to always adhere to preventative measures to limit the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 by getting vaccinated for COVID-19; wearing a mask properly to cover the nose and mouth; opting to gather in ventilated spaces; avoiding unnecessary gatherings; keeping a social distance of one meter or more and washing hands regularly with soap and water.

South Africa distributed 11 721 COVID-19 jabs to children between the ages of 12 and 17 on Monday.

According to the Department of Health, 168 445 shots were given to adults across the country, pushing the total number of doses to 180 166 in the past 24 hours.

This means the country has now administered 21 514 033 doses since the start of the rollout programme.

In addition, South Africa is now home to 11 697 646 fully vaccinated adults, while 61 997 single Pfizer shots have been given to adolescents.

Meanwhile, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), 4 477 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, with 146 new cases, representing a 1% positivity rate.

The highest number of new infections were logged in Gauteng (44), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (38), Western Cape (24) and Northern Cape (11), while the rest of the provinces recorded under 10 additional cases each.

In addition, nine more people succumbed to the disease, pushing the death toll to 88 934 to date, while hospital admissions increased by 24.

The NICD reminded citizens to adhere to preventative measures to help limit the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

The institute is encouraging people to vaccinate for COVID-19, wear masks to cover the nose, gather in ventilated spaces, avoid unnecessary gatherings, keep a social distance of one metre or more and wash hands regularly with soap and water.

A NATJOINTS communique has been issued on Monday night directing deployment of multi-disciplinary law enforcement teams to enforce compliance of the law and ensure foreign operators driving trucks have the requisite papers and meet all the requirements of the law.

This was among the resolutions reached on Monday after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, alongside his Employment and Labour counterpart, Minister Thulas Nxesi, engaged protesting truck drivers and small truck operators who had blockaded the N9 and the N10 highways outside Middleburg, in the Eastern Cape. Eastern Cape Transport & Community Safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe and Inxuba Yethemba Municipality Mayor Noncedo Zonke accompanied the Ministers.

In a joint statement, the Ministries said Nxesi and Mbalula accepted a memorandum of demands, “which entails legitimate demands that affect workers in the sector negatively”.

In the statement, the Ministries said the engagements with the protesting drivers and operators acknowledged that the employment of foreign nationals affects job opportunities for South African citizens.

“All the parties, being government, truck drivers and small truck operators are committed to a lasting solution within the ambit of the law,” it reads.

During the engagement, it was agreed that truck drivers and small truck operators would set up a small technical team that will engage with government on the issues.

The Technical Team was expected to report within seven working days from the date of signature.

On signature of the Agreement, the blockade of the roads will be lifted no later than 6am on 26 October 2021.

Minister Mbalula thanked the drivers for the peaceful manner they conducted their protest and for honouring the agreement to clear the blockade on the road within the time frame agreed to.

“We are pleased that the road has been cleared to allow free passage of freight on this important artery road which contributes immensely to our economy. We are committed to ensuring that the interventions we had previously agreed to, which affects other sectors in a similar manner, will be given the necessary impetus within the confines of the law,” said Mbalula.

The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, has wished the class of 2021 well for their upcoming final exams.

The National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams begin tomorrow, when learners are expected to write English.

A total of 897 786 candidates will sit for the NSC examinations at 6 326 public, 526 independent and 326 designated examination centres, with exams set to conclude on 7 December 2021.

“I would like to wish all candidates the best of luck with the upcoming final examinations. I urge them to continue working hard and to keep their focus. I know it has been challenging… since your schooling was disrupted due to COVID-19 in 2020, but I am sure you have the support of the whole country.

“It has truly been a catch-up year for this cohort,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said.

The chairperson acknowledged that all learners have had a difficult learning year, especially the matric Class of 2021, as they have had to catch up work that was not covered in the curriculum during the 2020 academic year due to serious disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Mbinqo-Gigaba called on parents, family, friends, educators, officials and the community at large to help create the best conditions and environment for learners to study.

She noted the Department of Basic Education’s report that it is all systems go for the examinations, and that despite the abnormal context, the Class of 2021 will be subjected to the same high quality examinations faced by previous cohorts.

The Quality Assurance Council, Umalusi, has also confirmed that the national examination system is ready to administer the 2021 NSC examination.

The committee is expected to meet with the DBE early in November regarding support provided to leaners and schools to mitigate the loss of academic time due to COVID-19.

Mbinqo-Gigaba urged the nation to provide candidates with every possible support, and to ensure that learners have sufficient study time and a conducive environment to prepare for the examinations.

“In addition, students’ emotional and mental well-being should not be forgotten during this stressful period. I want to also wish teachers, invigilators and markers the best of luck with the task ahead. We want everyone to be at their best to once again ensure credible NSC examinations,” she said.

Mpumalanga Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has welcomed the triple life sentence and 53 years handed down to a rapist and murderer in Mbombela.

Mfanasibili Cornelius Mnisi, aged 29, was sentenced by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela on Thursday.

Mnisi is said to have terrorised defenceless women between December 2011 and November 2015.

Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said:  “The court heard how in December 2011, the accused took advantage of an 18-year-old woman after she lost contact with her friends at a certain tavern in Matsulu. Mnisi offered to take her home but detoured along the way and drove to his house with her and upon arrival, held her hostage and raped her at knifepoint.”

He said the matter was reported to the police in Matsulu, where a case was opened and the docket was assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Kanyamazane for further investigation.

Mnisi preyed on another woman, aged 29, in October 2014.

Mdhluli said the woman was on her way to catch a bus to work in the morning when Mnisi offered to give her a lift to the bus stop.

“He instead took her to a secluded area where she was raped and strangled to death.

“The accused then dumped her body in a river thereafter. Her body was later recovered by a member of the public, who alerted the police and a case was opened. [An] investigation [was] instituted, where a manhunt was launched for the suspect,” he said.

In November 2015, the accused preyed on a 20-year-old woman when he invited her to visit him at Matsulu. Mnisi introduced the victim to one of his family members but later took her to a secluded area where he raped and strangled her until she was unconscious.

The accused thought that the woman was dead and as a result, dumped her in the Kruger National Park.

Mdhluli said the woman, however, later regained consciousness and found an opening in the fence where she got help from people at the nearby houses.

“Police were informed about the incident and a case was opened,” he said.

A team of detectives from the FCS Unit at Kanyamazane worked tirelessly to locate and arrest the suspect.

A breakthrough was made when they cornered Mnisi at Matsulu in November 2015, where he was charged accordingly.

Mnisi was given three life sentences on two counts of rape and on one count of murder. He was also sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for another separate count of rape. He was further handed 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery, plus an extra 15 years for another separate robbery.

For defeating the ends of justice, the accused was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Meanwhile, he received 10 years imprisonment for a count of attempted murder.

The accused was also found to be unfit to possess a firearm and his name will be entered into the Register of Sexual Offenders. The Provincial Commissioner further indicated that the police are elated with the collaborative effort made by the investigating team, the prosecution and the judiciary.

Eskom has announced that it will implement stage two load shedding from this morning until Saturday morning.

This as the power utility continues to struggle to build up its emergency reserves following rolling blackouts over the weekend and on Monday evening.

Eskom said although much work had been done to replenish its capacity, delays hampered the suspension of the rolling blackouts.

“While Eskom teams have successfully returned a unit each at the Kusile, Matimba and Arnot power stations during the early hours of this morning, further delays in returning other units to service have exacerbated the capacity constraints, hampering the ability to replenish the emergency generation reserves,” Eskom said.

The entity said that it expects more generation units to return to service during the week.

“Eskom anticipates to return Koeberg Unit 1 to service during the weekend. Eskom also expects to return five other units to service during the week. However, there are number of generation units running with risk of failure that cannot be attended to at the moment due to the current capacity constraints.”

On Monday, Eskom Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer said despite challenges, the power utility expects to keep the lights on during the local government elections on 1 November.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday visit the Toyota South Africa production plant in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to officiate the launch of the Toyota Cross Hybrid vehicle.

He will be accompanied by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala and the Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Mxolisi Kaunda.

The launch of the Cross Hybrid vehicle flows from Toyota’s investment commitment made at the 2019 South Africa Investment Conference.

In a statement on Monday, the Presidency said this commitment now sees Toyota producing its first generation of hybrid electric vehicles on a South African assembly line.

The vehicles will also be manufactured for export to 40 countries on the African continent.

“Government’s South Africa Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) and Automotive Production and Development Programme have catalysed and enabled continued investment in local vehicle and components production.

“Guided by its Vision 2035, the South African Automotive Masterplan encompasses a globally competitive and transformed industry that actively contributes to the sustainable development of South Africa’s productive economy and creates prosperity for industry stakeholders and the broader society,” the statement read.

The SAAM 2035 objectives include: production of 1% of global production projected to be 1.4 million units in 2035; expanding local content in vehicles assembled in South Africa to 60% from 40%;  increasing employment; improving manufacturing competitiveness levels to that of leading competitor levels, and transforming the industry across the value chain in areas of identified opportunity and deepening value addition.

The automotive sector has remained one of South Africa’s most investment-intensive industrial sectors with seven light-vehicle producers investing a record R9.2 billion in 2020, awhile the component sector attracted R2.4 billion during the same period.

Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Thembi Siweya, will on Wednesday officially welcome newly crowned Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, as an ambassador of Brand South Africa.

The Ministry in The Presidency has oversight responsibility over Brand South Africa.

The Deputy Minister will be joined by representatives of the Brand South Africa board, management and several stakeholders who are contributing to the promotion of South Africa’s brand.

“Mswane joins over 200 distinguished South Africans who have been recognised and endorsed as ambassadors in the promotion of the nation brand.

“The Brand South Africa Ambassador concept is part of the broader ‘Play Your Part’ programme, which seeks to encourage active citizenry and mobilise South Africans to conduct themselves in a manner that enhances the country’s brand,” Brand South Africa said in a statement.

Mswane, 24, from KwaZulu-Natal walked away with the Miss SA 2021 title on 16 October 2021 at the Grand Arena, Grand West, in Cape Town.

She was crowned at the 63rd edition of the Miss South Africa pageant by former Miss South Africa, Shudufhadzo Musida.

The two runners-up were Moratwe Masima from Gauteng and Zimi Mabunzi from Eastern Cape.

Mswane, who is a model and dancer, holds a Bachelor of Law qualification from the University of Pretoria.