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Legislative Environment News

Tribunal finds it has jurisdiction for case involving alleged excessive pricing of electricity

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 16th May 2023 The Competition Tribunal has ruled that it does have jurisdiction to hear and decide a case in which a large producer of wire and steel products has accused a local municipality of charging it excessive prices for electricity. The steel products manufacturer Cape Gate self-referred a complaint to... →

Agri SA pleads for action as biosecurity report confirms industry warnings

By: Marleny Arnoldi 11th May 2023 Industry body Agri SA has welcomed government addressing numerous failings in the veterinary and animal biosecurity systems in a report published by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). The release of the report comes amid a vaccine shortage that is wreaking... →

Numsa condemns Gordhan’s appeal against loadshedding exemption

By: Lumkile Nkomfe 11th May 2023 The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has criticised Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan for his decision to appeal the High Court judgment which orders public schools, healthcare facilities and police stations to be exempt from loadshedding. Further, the judgment directed... →

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.

De Ruyter only submitted Eskom corruption report just before Parliament appearance - Hawks

By: News24Wire 9th May 2023 Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter only submitted a report to law enforcement authorities on corruption at the utility the day before he appeared in Parliament in April, and long after he had resigned from the company, Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya told MPs on Tuesday. A public official is required by... →

Photo by Donna Slater
Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter

Gordhan to lodge 'urgent appeal' against loadshedding exemption ruling

By: News24Wire 8th May 2023 Government will lodge an urgent appeal against a ruling that it prevent loadshedding for schools, healthcare facilities and police stations within 60 days. This step is to avoid "undue risk" to the country's grid, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Enterprises on Monday.... →

Photo by Reuters
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Key energy plan will be developed in a year's time, says Ramaphosa

By: News24Wire 4th May 2023 President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a gazette indicating a key section in law - which will allow the long-awaited Integrated Energy Plan to be developed - will come into effect. This comes after civil society groups lodged a legal application to compel him to do so. Earlier this year,... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Tata Chemicals fails to have 40% antidumping duty on US soda ash axed

By: Darren Parker 3rd May 2023 The High Court has upheld the decision by the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) to increase the imposition of antidumping duties from 8% to 40% on Indian chemical company Tata Chemicals’ importation of disodium carbonate, also known as soda ash, from the US. The matter was... →

Sector can benefit from water optimising solutions

By: Cameron Mackay 28th April 2023 It is evident that the South African sewage and effluent sector is under tremendous strain, as ongoing sewage spillage is a symptom of a “far wider and deeper issue”, stresses water solutions provider Xylem Africa strategy and marketing manager Chetan Mistry. The infrastructure to manage... →

Automotive OEMs call for incentives to boost BEV uptake

By: Creamer Media Reporter 21st April 2023 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer talks about South Africa's significant existing automotive manufacturing capability; the need for policies and incentives to be put in place to support the production of new energy vehicles; the views of government and the automotive original-equipment... →

Automotive OEMs call for incentives to boost BEV uptake

JSE imposes censure on former Tongaat CFO Munro; R6m fine suspended for now

By: Darren Parker 19th April 2023 Sugar company Tongaat Hulett former CFO Murray Munro has been banned from being a director or officer of any listed company for ten years, with immediate effect. The JSE found that he failed to fulfil his duties and responsibilities as CFO of the company with the necessary due care and skill... →

Tongaat Hulett former CFO Murray Munro

Business formations cautious of Employment Equity Amendment impact

By: Schalk Burger 14th April 2023 Following the signing into law of the Employment Equity Amendment Act, various business and labour organisations have voiced their opinions, including urging caution about its impact on businesses and the cost of doing business. Business lobby Business Unity South Africa (Busa) welcomed the... →

Ten technical advisers appointed to support Gauteng municipalities

By: Natasha Odendaal 14th April 2023 The Gauteng Provincial Treasury (GPT) has appointed ten technical advisers to be deployed across various municipalities to enhance the financial management capacity in local government. Forming part of GPT’s municipal finance hands-on support programme to municipalities, this will address the... →

President approves Employment Equity Amendment Bill

By: Schalk Burger 12th April 2023 President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Employment Equity Amendment Bill of 2020, amending the Employment Equity Act with new measures to promote diversity and equality in the workplace. The amendment Bill seeks to advance transformation of South Africa’s workforce by setting equity... →

Procurement processes should prioritise quality over cost

By: Nadine Ramdass 6th April 2023 Current infrastructure procurement processes are not appropriate for infrastructure development, owing to clients lacking the knowledge to adequately evaluate tenders, says industry association Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) CEO Chris Campbell. This results in an emphasis on choosing... →

An image of Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) CEO Chris Campbell

CHRIS CAMPBELL Developing infrastructure serves as a catalyst for economic growth

Treasury assures transparency, accountability not compromised with Eskom’s financial exemption

By: Sane Dhlamini 4th April 2023 Following backlash after the issue on Friday of a special Government Gazette by Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana, which revealed that Eskom would be exempt from declaring its irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, Treasury has asserted that transparency and accountability are not... →

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana

Visa issues must be fixed expeditiously to bolster investment, BLSA says

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 3rd April 2023 Business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has been working with government to fix the country’s visa regime; however, last week showed signs that very little progress had been made, BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso writes in her weekly newsletter. She points out that about 56 000... →

Companies, unions need to develop frameworks for dealing with impact of energy, water outages

By: Schalk Burger 29th March 2023 Employers, their employees and trade unions need to develop framework agreements that set out how a company and its employees will respond to the impact of high levels of loadshedding, or even a grid outage, on the ability of the company and employees to perform their functions. This is the view... →

South Africa should have regulations for tokenised deposits, cryptoassets by 2025

By: Schalk Burger 23rd March 2023 Regulations governing the weighting and capital treatment of cryptoassets and tokenised deposits should come into effect by January 1, 2025, financial sector regulator the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) senior financial technology (fintech) analyst Gerhard van Deventer has noted. "[Prudential... →

An image showing cryptocurrency investment options

Global crisis forcing Africa to ‘grow up’, develop localised solutions – panel

By: Donna Slater 20th March 2023 Despite the Covid-19 pandemic creating a “perfect storm” for African countries with rising interest rates and an increase in the risk of sovereign default, the continent’s leadership generally has “shown up” and delivered localised solutions to problems, says Standard Bank East Africa regional CE... →

Transnet applauds sentencing of fuel thief

By: Darren Parker 16th March 2023 State-owned freight and logistics company Transnet has welcomed the sentencing of a perpetrator arrested for tampering with the petroleum pipeline and theft of 40 000 ℓ of diesel. The conviction in the Vrede Regional Court on March 14 brings the total number of convictions to 16 since 2019. →

Transmission infrastructure should also be privatised, investment firm argues

By: Darren Parker 16th March 2023 While electricity generation capacity in South Africa is increasingly being privatised and decentralised, the government has stated that transmission infrastructure must remain in the hands of the public sector to ensure equal access. However, uncertainty remains regarding whether the government... →

Cape Town to interdict EFF’s national shutdown

By: Lumkile Nkomfe 14th March 2023 City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde have voiced their concerns over the Economic Freedom Fighters’ planned national shutdown set to take place on March 20. The EFF announced that it will protest continuing loadshedding and it will call for President... →

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis

Company to help sector finance assets during downturn

By: Cameron Mackay 3rd March 2023 International banking and wealth management group Investec is prepared to support the local construction industry – which has been experiencing a decline in activity for a number of years – by helping local companies find funding solutions for their required capital equipment investments.... →

Electricity crisis deeply affecting people, businesses; disaster directives need to be rational, justified

By: Schalk Burger 2nd March 2023 The electricity shortages in South Africa, which have resulted in continuous loadshedding, are severely affecting people and businesses and, consequently, the economy and employment, specialists from law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) noted during a briefing on March 2. They stressed that any... →

DPWI forges ahead with land reform agenda using land at State's disposal

By: Darren Parker 2nd March 2023 The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has approved the release of 2.8 ha of land to the Housing Development Agency (HDA) in the Msunduzi municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal, for human settlements development and the formalisation of an existing settlement. Public Works and... →

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille

Business resiliency the reason South Africa’s economy is persevering – Jammine

By: Donna Slater 24th February 2023 Despite South Africa’s economy being “not a great environment” currently, economic consultancy Econometrix director and chief economist Dr Azar Jammine said South African business has shown typical resilience, ensuring “things are not collapsing completely”. Speaking at the yearly post-Budget... →

image of Econometrix director and chief economist Dr Azar Jammine

Unlocking jobs, investment through implementing infrastructure project pipeline – Jammine

Mavuso, Ackerman question efficacy of ‘Mafia State’ to turn the economy around

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd February 2023 Realistically, South Africa will not see meaningful gross domestic product (GDP) growth within the next five years, Citadel Investment Services advisory partner and chief economist Maarten Ackerman has said. He spoke alongside Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso during a post-budget... →

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso

BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso unpacks some of the hindering factors to the 2023 Budget achieving its intended impact

Mixed reactions to Godongwana’s Budget speech

By: Sane Dhlamini 23rd February 2023 Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Finance Dion George has criticised Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Budget speech as a “missed opportunity” for failing to announce sound structural reforms that could drive economic growth, incentivise savings and attract foreign capital. Godongwana’s... →

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana

SBI lists issues impeding economic growth ahead of Godongwana budget

By: Donna Slater 21st February 2023 Ahead of the national budget, to be tabled on February 22, the Small Business Institute (SBI) has called on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to support small businesses and their employees, households and families who are facing high costs of living and experiencing negative impacts as a result... →

South Africa to benefit from expansion of Brics – Brand SA

By: Donna Slater 17th February 2023 Brand South Africa (SA) says that, as South Africa assumes chairpersonship of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) bloc of countries this year, it stands to benefit from a proposed enlargement of the bloc, enabling the country to extend its global influence and strengthen... →

Can SA finally turn the switch on its power crisis in 2023?

By: Darren Parker 10th February 2023 Stage 4 to 6 loadshedding has become more commonplace over the past few months, with many analysts expecting it to continue and possibly worsen before South Africa’s energy crisis has abated. Stage 6 has been the highest level of loadshedding introduced so far, although several economists have... →

Salga calls for SoNA to address municipal debt recovery, energy crisis

By: Darren Parker 8th February 2023 The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has expressed hopes that President Cyril Ramaphosa will address municipal debt recovery, local government funding and the energy crisis as part of his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on February 9. This year's SoNA takes place as South... →

Incoming competition regulations could improve bargaining power of agri SMMEs

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th February 2023 Law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) says the incoming Draft Block Exemption Regulations (BER) for small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) holds opportunities for small agricultural businesses to enter into joint procurement arrangements or buyer groups, and enjoy discounted procurement... →

DPWI to start expropriating servitudes in Limpopo for Eskom’s transmission lines

By: Darren Parker 3rd February 2023 Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille has been requested by State-own utility Eskom to expropriate servitudes, in terms of existing legislation, for electricity transmission lines on its behalf to allow it to supply more power to areas in Limpopo than what is currently... →

Commission gives its approval for Trident Steel’s buyout of Aveng subsidiary

By: Darren Parker 3rd February 2023 The Competition Commission has approved the proposed transaction whereby steel maker Trident Steel subsidiary Trident Steel Africa (TSA) intends to acquire Aveng subsidiary Aveng Trident Steel (ATS), with conditions. The commission says it is of the view that the proposed transaction is unlikely... →

Ramaphosa says govt looking into State of Disaster to tackle energy crisis

By: Sashnee Moodley 31st January 2023 As economically-crippling loadshedding continues unabated across the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that government is going through to motions of establishing whether a National State of Disaster could be declared to alleviate power cuts. Speaking at the African National... →

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa

Multiple sectors covered with targeted trade shows

20th January 2023 On the back of a highly successful year that saw the return to in-person trade shows, Specialised Exhibitions — a division of the Montgomery Group - is gearing up for a busy year, with five popular exhibitions held within a seven-week period. From June 6 to June 8 this year, the company will host... →

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