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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.

Fuel price feeds inflation spike as SA consumers take another hit

26th August 2020 Statistics South Africa, a governmental organisation, reported on Wednesday a spike of 3.2% in the consumer price index, which was higher than June’s 2.2%. The increase in CPI, a financial instrument used to measure inflation, was reportedly driven by a hike in fuel prices which came as the... →

SA business owners reluctant to incur more debt under current economic conditions – Basa

24th August 2020 Business owners are reluctant to incur more debt while uncertain business conditions and a weak economic outlook hampers their ability to generate sustainable income from which they can repay the loans, the Banking Association of South Africa (Basa) said on Sunday. Despite uncertain business... →

City of Cape Town gets ready to roll out business retention and expansion visitation programme

24th August 2020 The City of Cape Town is preparing to implement its business retention and expansion (BR&E) visitation programme which will be rolled out in Cape Town industrial areas progressively over the next 18 months, the city said on Sunday. In a bid to help businesses recover from the severe negative... →

Western Cape govt gives green light to mixed-use redevelopment

21st August 2020 The Western Cape provincial government has given the green light to the River Club redevelopment in Observatory, Cape Town which is expected to create over 6 000 direct jobs, the developers said on Friday. The planned mixed-use development will be a significant boost to the economy and people of... →

Eskom to implement rolling power cuts as generation units break down

18th August 2020 South African utility Eskom said on Tuesday it would implement rolling blackouts from 4pm until 10pm, and again the following day, after breakdowns in some generation units left the electricity system severely constrained. In a statement, Eskom said six generators had been returned to service at... →

Power system severely constrained for this week ahead as return of generation units delayed, says Eskom

17th August 2020 Embattled State-owned power utility Eskom has warned that the power system will be severely constrained for the week ahead as the return to service of generation units has been delayed. "Eskom wishes to inform the public that the power system will be severely constrained this coming week due to... →

Ramaphosa moves SA to lockdown alert level 2, lifts alcohol and tobacco bans

15th August 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday evening announced the lifting of South Africa's much anticipated prohibition on alcohol and tobacco sales and inter-provincial travel as he confirmed that the country's almost five-month-old coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown would be eased to alert level two... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Stage 2 load-shedding to continue, Eskom says

14th August 2020 Despite successfully returning four generation units to service, Eskom on Thursday has said this will not stave off load-shedding and has announced that it will continue to implement Stage 2 load-shedding until 10pm on Thursday and between 8am and 10pm on Friday. "This load-shedding has been... →

Eskom to resume rolling power cuts due to generation unit breakdowns

13th August 2020 South Africa's electricity utility Eskom said on Thursday it would implement rotational powercuts from 8am to 10pm due to an increase in breakdowns of its generation units, warning that the blackouts could continue into the weekend. "The delay of the return to service of two units at Duvha and... →

SA alcohol ban costs economy R15.4bn in taxes – Distell

3rd August 2020 Multinational brewing and beverage company Distell said on Monday the alcohol industry had already lost 118 000 jobs while nearly 800 small and medium sized liquor manufacturers faced bankruptcy as a result of the South African government's ban on sales to try and contain Covid-19. In a... →

Redavia deploys first solar farm in Kenya at Menengai Farmers

30th July 2020 A global market leader of cost-effective, reliable and clean solar power for businesses, Redavia has deployed its first solar farm in Kenya for Menengai Farmers tea farm in Tigoni. In a statement on Wednesday, Redavia said that for the first 20 years of its operations, Menengai Farmers had... →

World Bank approves $300m for promotion of electricity trade in West Africa

30th July 2020 An amount of $300-million has been approved by the World Bank Group from the International Development Association (IDA) credits and grants to support reforms that will help promote electricity trade in west Africa. In a statement released on Wednesday, the World Bank said the West Africa... →

Eskom targets Gauteng, KZN for illegal connections and load reduction drive

29th July 2020 Power utility Eskom said on Wednesday that it would be embarking on a roadshow to educate the public on issues impacting on the national power grid, such as illegal connections, infrastructure theft, meter tampering and illegal vending. Education on load reduction would also form part of the... →

'Relief' as Toyota confirms R2.5bn hybrid production in Durban

29th July 2020 KwaZulu-Natal's MEC for economic development, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, on Wednesday expressed "relief" after Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) confirmed a R2.5 billion investment in the province's automotive economy. The company will be building a hybrid synergy drive (petro-electric) car at its plant... →

Photo by Supplied by KZN EDTEA
KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs during a meeting with Toyota South Africa

IMF approves $4.3bn loan for South Africa

28th July 2020 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board has approved a US$4.3-billion loan for South Africa to help the country weather the Covid-19 health crisis on the economy, National Treasury said late on Monday. "The IMF Executive Board has approved South Africa’s request for emergency... →

Reduced agricultural budget compounds food insecurity in SA

22nd July 2020 The South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development received its budget allocation for the 2020/2021 financial year. This follows the national budget vote in February by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the received amount of... →

Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza

Mboweni says he has no plan to use emergency powers to fund SAA

21st July 2020 Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has said in court papers that he has taken no decision to use emergency powers to avail money from the National Reserves Fund to South African Airways to bankroll its business rescue plan. Mboweni, in an affidavit submitted in response to an urgent court application... →

Suggestion that SA can spend its way out of low growth is misguided – Mboweni

15th July 2020 The suggestion that increased government spending is a solution to South Africa's persistently low economic growth is inconsistent with existing empirical evidence, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has said. In a column published in the Business Day newspaper, Mboweni said the argument also ignores... →

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni

Ramaphosa announces ban on sale of alcohol, nationwide curfew returns

12th July 2020 As South Africa heads towards a peak in coronavirus (Covid-19) infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the sale of alcohol across the country will be suspended and a nationwide curfew will be re-instituted. “As we head towards the peak of infections, it is vital that we do not... →

Talks over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam remain deadlocked

10th July 2020 Negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the filling and operation of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have produced no results after seven straight days of talks, reported Daily News Egypt. According to the report, Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and... →

SA mid-year population increases to estimated 59.62m

9th July 2020 South Africa's mid-year population is estimated to have increased to 59.62-million in 2020, according to a report released on Thursday by Statistics South Africa. "Gauteng continues to record the largest share of South Africa’s population, with approximately 15.5-million people (26,0%) living in... →

Eskom issues power alert due to 'constrained system'

8th July 2020 South African power utility, Eskom on Wednesday issued an alert level one urging users to reduce electricity supply due to a constrained system. "Eskom requests the public to reduce electricity usage as the power generation system is still severely constrained. This morning one generation unit... →

South Africa's consumer confidence crashes to lowest level since 1985

7th July 2020 Consumer confidence in South Africa plunged to its lowest in about 35 years during the second quarter of 2020, dragged down by the outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent severe restrictions to almost all non-essential economic activity, a survey showed on Tuesday. The First National Bank/Bureau of... →

South African banks approve more than R30.6bn in Covid-19 relief

7th July 2020 Local banks have so far approved more than R30.6-billion in relief to individuals and businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown imposed in response, the Banking Association South Africa said on Tuesday. In addition, over R10.6-billion has been extended to distressed... →

Numsa, Sacca to take legal action to prevent SAA liquidation; call for Mboweni to be fired

5th July 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) intend to take legal action to prevent the liquidation of South African Airways (SAA), and have urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. Numsa and Sacca... →

Nxesi welcomes arrest of five people who allegedly defrauded UIF of R5.7m in Covid-19 relief funds

5th July 2020 Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has welcomed the arrest this weekend of five suspects accused of being part of "the enterprise that scammed R5.7 million" from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) meant to provide relief for workers during the coronavirus (Covid-10) lockdown. The five... →

National Treasury warns of debt spiral, refutes criticism of reneging on spending commitments

3rd July 2020 National Treasury on Friday warned in a briefing to MPs that failure to arrest South Africa's debt trajectory would see borrowing costs consume almost a third of the national budget by 2024 and slammed proponents of greater government spending. Treasury said in a presentation to the standing and... →

Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane

SA petrol price to rise by up to 172 cents from July 1, government says

30th June 2020 The retail price of petrol in South Africa will increase by up to R1.72 (10 US cents) a litre from Wednesday while the wholesale price of diesel will rise by as much as R1.73, the department of mineral resources and energy said on Tuesday. The department said the retail price of illuminating... →

Transnet boosts capacity at Port of Cape Town to ease Covid-19 backlogs

30th June 2020 South Africa's state-owned rail, port and pipeline company Transnet said on Tuesday it had introduced a number of solutions for the operational backlogs at the Port of Cape Town due to Covid-19, including staff redeployment. In a statement, Transnet said to alleviate pressure at the terminals, 20... →

Unions slam public enterprises department over exit from SAA consultative forum

29th June 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the South African Cabin Crew Association have slammed the decision by the department of public enterprises to abandon the leadership consultative forum set up to deliberate on troubled national carrier SAA. In a statement on Sunday, the... →

Eskom has plan to avoid unexpected power supply disruptions – Mabuza

26th June 2020 South Africa's state power utility Eskom has put a clear maintenance plan in place to avoid unexpected electricity supply disruptions, the country's Deputy President has said. In a written response on Thursday to questions in Parliament, David Mabuza said the government had taken a view that the... →

Deputy President David Mabuza

Treasury warns public finances dangerously overstretched

26th June 2020 South Africa's finances are overstretched and unable to weather another severe shock, a senior National Treasury official warned on Thursday. "We are now in a position where we are dangerously overstretched in our public finances," Edgar Sishi, the acting head of the treasury's budget office,... →

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni

Dam levels continue to drop in South Africa

25th June 2020 The Department of Water and Sanitation has revealed that South Africa's dam levels continue to decline as the country’s dry winter takes its toll on scarce water resources. In a statement released on Thursday, it said dam levels were dropping, except for those in the Western Cape province.... →

Public enterprises dept offers final severance packages to SAA workers

25th June 2020 South Africa's public enterprises department said on Thursday it had offered final and fair voluntary severance packages to employees at struggling national carrier South African Airways which would be supported by a social plan including skills development. The government placed South African... →

Land Bank to get additional R3bn in extra budget, nothing for other SOEs

24th June 2020 South Africa's National Treasury on Wednesday said it would allocate an additional R3-billion to the recapitalise the Land Bank, but said no other in-year spending adjustments were proposed for state-owned companies in budget adjustments related to the Covid-19 crisis. In a supplementary budget... →

Gordhan says private sector showing interest in restructured SAA

23rd June 2020 The South African government has received proposals from funders and potential airline partners in the private sector eager to play a role in South African Airways if it is restructured into a new national carrier, the ministry of public enterprises said on Tuesday. "The South African government,... →

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

KZN MEC for Economic Development divulges plans to redevelop economy

23rd June 2020 The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube divulged on Tuesday the department's plans to redevelop the province's economy. Prior to her implementing such plans, Dube-Ncube said in statement that she has two "important engagements", the... →

KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube

R19m in funding approved through Operation Vula for small businesses

19th June 2020 The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said in a statement on Friday that she will be presenting a report to the Parliament portfolio committee on her department's progress. According to Ncube, the report confirms that more than... →

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube

SA banks approve about R7bn in Covid-19 loans for small businesses

19th June 2020 Local banks have approved just over R7-billion in loans for 4 800 qualifying small businesses since the launch of a Covid-19 loan guarantee scheme in mid-May to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic, the Banking Association of South Africa said. BASA said as at June 6, banks had received... →

SA unions threaten legal action against business rescue plan for SAA

19th June 2020 The National Union of Metalworkers of South African and the South African Cabin Crew Association said they had lost faith in the department of public enterprises, accusing it of sanctioning a business rescue plan for troubled national carrier South African Airways which would lead to 3 700 job... →

Public service minister acts against officials doing business with State

19th June 2020 The department of public service and administration (DPSA) said in a statement on Thursday that it has written to relevant departments, instructing them to take action against officials who have failed to disclose their financial interests or are doing business with the state. The minister for... →

Public service and administration Minister Senzo Mchunu

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