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African News Agency

The African News Agency is a news and content syndication service, focusing on news about Africa written by Africans for an African and international audience.

NUM tackles De Ruyter over Eskom’s poor performance, load-shedding

21st January 2021 The National Union of Mineworkers on Thursday said it is unhappy with the load-shedding being carried out in South Africa and “very disappointed” with the performance of Eskom under the leadership of chief executive André de Ruyter. “The current management team has taken the country to stage 6... →

Govt chooses electronic vaccine roll-out system

20th January 2021 The South African government is establishing an electronic vaccination data system to assist with the management and surveillance of the Covid-19 vaccine. The EVDS will help the government monitor vaccine effectiveness, planning and safety monitoring, as well as uptake and coverage, explained the... →

Cape Town dam levels decrease to 87.5%

19th January 2021 The total capacity of dams supplying the Cape Town metropolitan area has decreased by 1.6 percentage points in the last week to 87.5 percent, compared with 72 percent at the same time last year, the city council said. Daily water consumption for the same period also dipped to 776-million litres... →

South African doctors, engineers invent device for oxygen delivery to Covid-19 patients

12th January 2021 A group of South African doctors, engineers and designers based in East London has invented a medical device that revolutionises oxygen delivery to Covid-19 patients. A statement from the Umoya-Gabler Consortium behind the project said Cape Town-based specialist medical device manufacturer... →

Eskom suspends rolling blackouts as demand ebbs

8th January 2021 South African electricity company Eskom said on Friday it was suspending rolling power cuts implemented this week as demand had dropped ahead of the weekend. Eskom, which supplies about 95 percent of the country’s electricity mainly through coal, however urged consumers to continue using the... →

SAB to challenge government’s alcohol ban in court

7th January 2021 South African Breweries said it would go to court to challenge the constitutionality of the government’s decision to ban alcohol for the third time since last March as part of efforts to rein in the Covid-19 pandemic. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the ban 10 days ago as he moved the country... →

South African fuel prices to rise across the board this week

4th January 2021 The retail price of fuel in South Africa will increase by up to 43 cents a litre from Wednesday, while the wholesale cost of diesel will rise by as much as 55 cents, the mineral resources and energy department said on Monday. In a statement, it said the retail price of illuminating paraffin,... →

Ramaphosa appoints Climate Change Commission members

18th December 2020 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed members of the Climate Change Coordinating Commission established to coordinate and oversee the transition towards a low-carbon and climate change resilient economy. A statement from the Presidency late on Thursday said the commission, an... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Africa to benefit as AST, Vodafone launch plans for space-based metwork

18th December 2020 Telecommunications firm AST & Science, in partnership with Vodafone, plans to launch the first phase of a space-based commercial mobile communications service in 2023, a move which will boost phone coverage in Africa. SpaceMobile will be the first space-based mobile network to connect directly to... →

Golden Arrow announces a fare increase

18th December 2020 The Golden Arrow Bus Service said on Friday it would increase passenger fares from December 28 to try and mitigate the effects of significantly higher operational cost throughout the year. In a statement Golden Arrow general manager Derrick Meyer said as per the company’s interim operating... →

AfDB secures nearly $90m in new funding towards sustainable energy in Africa

17th December 2020 The African Development Bank says it has secured $90-million in new donor commitments towards the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (Sefa). In a statement dated Wednesday, the AfDB said the Sefa had also been transformed on Monday into an expanded and more flexible fund that is more responsive... →

Gauteng clearing drivers licence renewal backlog, says Mamabolo

8th December 2020 More than 51 000 people managed to renew their driver’s licences across South Africa’s Gauteng province in November, after a major intervention led by member of the executive council for public transport and roads infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo following an outcry on a massive backlog. Mamabolo... →

Government urges SAA employees to be patient while it resolves unpaid salaries

4th December 2020 South Africa’s department of public enterprises said on Friday it was sympathetic to the plight of South African Airways employees who have not received salaries for several months and urged them to be patient while it worked to find a solution. The financially struggling state-owned national... →

Ramaphosa to update South Africans on Covid-19 measures

3rd December 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday evening update South Africans on the country’s measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic following a special Cabinet sitting, his office said. The Cabinet sitting “considered recommendations of the National Coronavirus Command Council”, the presidency... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Mbalula says truck protesters will face economic sabotage charges

2nd December 2020 Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday said those who burnt trucks in protests on South Africa’s roads would be arrested and charged with economic sabotage. “We remain seriously concerned about the escalation of attacks on our roads,” he told a debate in Parliament about road safety during... →

SA Supreme Court dismisses Airlink’s claim against national carrier SAA

1st December 2020 Privately owned airline Airlink said on Tuesday it was disappointed, but respected the Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss its claim against South African Airways. Airlink, which services the southern Africa region, applied to the Johannesburg High Court in January for a declaratory... →

Investments of R7.7bn heading directly to the City of Cape Town

30th November 2020 Investments totalling R7.7-billion are heading directly to the City of Cape Town, mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management James Vos said on Sunday. Of the investments announced at last week’s Presidential Investment Summit, R7.7-billion would be invested directly... →

Plans to amend SA’s land tenure law another attack on private property rights, Cape chamber says

27th November 2020 The proposed amendment to South Africa’s Upgrading of Land Tenure Rights Act is a clear attempt to “bamboozle” the homeless out of their ability to own property, the Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry said on Friday. If passed, it will inevitably trigger a Constitutional Court challenge, Cape... →

SA govt funding for SAA business rescue will not hurt other services, Mabuza says

27th November 2020 South Africa’s government will do all it can to minimise any adverse impact that the re-prioritisation of budget allocations to free up R10.5-billion towards national carrier South African Airways’s business rescue might have on other services, Deputy President David Mabuza has said. The... →

Deputy President David Mabuza

Ramaphosa urges new council to work quickly on rescuing struggling SA state firms

6th November 2020 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wants a council he appointed in June to work quickly towards repositioning struggling state-owned enterprises as effective instruments of economic transformation and development, his office said late on Thursday. The Presidential State-owned Enterprises... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa to address South Africans on Covid-19 strategy next week

5th November 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa will next week update South Africans on the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said on Thursday. Mthembu told a post-Cabinet media briefing Ramaphosa’s address would be preceded by a meeting of the National... →

PIC Board appoints new COO and CRO

4th November 2020 The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) board of members has on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of their new chief operating officer (COO) and chief risk officer (CRO). Vuyani Hako, who previously served as acting CEO between March 2019 and July 2020, was appointed as the new COO. Hako was the... →

Ramaphosa addresses South Africa infrastructure roundtable

3rd November 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa is addressing an Infrastructure South Africa project preparation round-table and market place in Johannesburg, his office said on Tuesday. The forum aligns with one of the priorities Ramaphosa presented last month when he launched an economic reconstruction and recovery... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Temperatures up, dam levels down – KZN residents urged to save water

29th October 2020 Residents across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have been urged to use water sparingly as temperatures rise and the national department of water and sanitation saying it had recorded a drop in dam levels across the province and South Africa. The department’s national spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, said via a... →

Ramatlakane says it will be a challenge, but ’wrong things’ at PRASA must be fixed

23rd October 2020 PRASA's woes must be resolved so that it can deliver cheaper, safe and reliable public transport to South Africa's working class, former ANC MP Leonard Ramatlakane said shortly after he was named as the new chairman of the embattled entity. "All the wrong things must be dealt with and we must... →

SA parliament concerned about governance and finance challenges at Denel

22nd October 2020 South Africa’s parliament said on Thursday it was concerned about the governance and financial challenges at state arms manufacturer Denel. In a statement, the portfolio committee on public enterprises said it had heard from Denel officials during a briefing that the struggling firm suffered an... →

Work on Central and Mabopane rail lines delayed by a year, says PRASA

21st October 2020 It will take another year for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to restore limited electrical service on the main rail lines servicing Cape Town and Johannesburg, the entity conceded in Parliament on Wednesday. "We are now looking at the end of October or November next year to... →

Parliamentary committee recommends Tsakani Maluleke as new Auditor-General

21st October 2020 A South African Parliamentary committee on Tuesday recommended deputy Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke as the successor to incumbent Kimi Makwetu when steps down at the end of this term next month. The ad hoc committee reached a unanimous decision that Maluleke, an experienced chartered... →

Eskom to resume construction of 400 kV line in SA's KwaZulu-Natal province

19th October 2020 Eskom said on Monday work was set to resume on the final leg of an approximately 123 km transmission power line running through the uMgungundlovu and uThukela district municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal province. In a statement, the state power utility said final construction of the 47 km leg of... →

Kepco cancels investment in South African coal energy plant

16th October 2020 South Korea’s State-owned power utility Kepco will either cancel its investment in coal-driven South African independent power producer Thabametsi, or transition the project to gas. A statement issued on Friday by Seoul-based nongovernmental organisation Solutions for Our Climate said Kepco... →

Africa’s economic recovery lies in agriculture – minister

15th October 2020 South African Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza said on Thursday that the agricultural sector should be at the centre of the country’s and Africa’s economic recovery post-Covid-19. Didiza was speaking during a virtual address, commemorating rural women in... →

Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza

Consultations around Cape Town water tariffs under way

7th October 2020 The City of Cape Town is rejoicing after its dam levels reached a staggering 100.8%. In a statement released by the city council, it said the dams supplying the Cape Town metro increased from 99.5% to 100.8% capacity between September 28 and October 4. →

SA corruption arrests a show of teeth and boost of confidence, BLSA says

6th October 2020 A recent slew of arrests linked to corruption are a much needed show of teeth by authorities and a boost of confidence, the chief executive of Business Leadership South Africa has said. In a column published on the website of the association of South Africa's largest corporations and major... →

Photo by Donna Slater
BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso

Fuel prices set to drop this week

5th October 2020 The price of fuel will decrease this week, with diesel and paraffin users set to benefit the most, the mineral resources and energy department said on Sunday. As of midnight on Tuesday, the price of petrol 95 octane, both unleaded and lead replacement, will drop by 32c/l, while the price of... →

Govt says release of spectrum will bring certainty to industry

1st October 2020 The long-awaited announcement by the Independent Communications Authority of dates for the release of new spectrum will bring certainty to the industry, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said on Thursday. On Wednesday, regulator ICASA said its council had... →

Communications & Digital Technologies Minster Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

US awards grant to strengthen higher education network with South Africa

30th September 2020 The United States Department of State has awarded a R8.3-million grant to strengthen the US-South Africa Higher Education Network, a consortium of higher education institutions in the two countries. Through the grant, the network will engage other institutions of higher education in order to... →

Zambia's Maamba Collieries unveils state-of-the-art coal mining equipment

28th September 2020 Zambian Mines and Minerals Development Minister Richard Musukwa this weekend officially inaugurated Maamba Collieries’ (MCL's) most recent acquisition, a state-of-the-art, high technology surface miner, the company said on Saturday. MCL thus became the first mining firm in Zambia to operate this... →

Numsa union accuses Comair business rescuers of bullying employees

17th September 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa on Thursday accused the business rescue practitioners at Comair of attempting to blackmail employees into signing away their rights ahead of a crucial creditors meeting tomorrow. In a statement, Numsa said the practitioners had not consulted... →

Eskom resumes rolling blackouts after generation units break down once more

1st September 2020 South African utility Eskom said on Tuesday it would be forced to resume rotational power cuts from midday to 22:00 due to breakdowns in its generating units which slashed power supply. "Eskom regrets to inform the public that due to a severely constrained generation system as a result of... →

South Africa working towards reopening international borders

31st August 2020 Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on Monday said the South African government was working towards the reopening of international travel, which had been put on ice for months since President Cyril Ramaphosa imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. “Our next step is to... →

Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane

SA small business turnover up 9 pct after govt eases Covid-19 restrictions

28th August 2020 The further relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions by South Africa's government to allow more economic activity to resume after a nationwide lockdown has led to a nine percent improvement in turnover among small and medium enterprises, a survey released on Friday showed. small business financial... →

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