News in South Africa 30th September: 1. Eskom employee wage increase: Eskom, which is under unprecedented financial strain, received another blow on Thursday when the CCMA awarded employees a further 1.5% wage increase, backdated to July 2021. The company is under unprecedented economic strain as it burns millions of litres of diesel a day to […]
News in South Africa 29th September: 1. Unemployment shock: SA’s unemployment rate could reach its highest since labour force data began to be collected. Economists say the country’s dwindling growth rate falls short of its growing need for employment, and this could lead to a decline in social cohesion. Recent data from financial services firm […]
News in South Africa 28th September: 1. Matric exams and load shedding: The KwaZulu Natal Education Department is raising concern over the impact that continual load shedding could have on students’ preparation for matric exams. Speaking to reporters, the MEC for the department, Kwazi Mthethwa, said that at some point this year, the national minister was engaged […]
News in South Africa 27th September: 1. Hospitals in crisis: South Africa’s critical private and public hospitals are facing an onslaught of challenges making it harder to care for patients – with extended load shedding exacerbating a skills shortage in the sector. Speaking to ENCA, chairman of the South African Medica Association (SAMA) Mvuyisi Mzukwa said […]
News in South Africa 26th September: 1. Schools – load shedding crisis: The National Association of School Governing Bodies warns that the ongoing power cuts will have a devastating impact on the quality of schooling. The country battled Stage 6 power cuts last week. Eskom announced stage 3 load shedding for most of the week, […]
News in South Africa 23rd September: 1. Load shedding threatens food supply: Agri SA says it has requested an urgent meeting with Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to discuss the outlook for load shedding in the country, ahead of the summer crop planting season. The federation of agricultural organisations says it fears the current state […]
News in South Africa 22nd September: 1. All talk no action for energy crisis: Hours after Cyril Ramaphosa held a Cabinet meeting to discuss the country’s energy crisis, the president and his ministers were still deliberating on reports presented by Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. The president held a scheduled Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, which […]
News in South Africa 21st September: 1. Eskom to burn R17bn in diesel: As part of Eskom’s updated assumptions for its tariff application for next year, the utility has said it plans to use R16.8 billion of diesel in its next financial year, which starts in April. This is a substantial increase from the amount […]
News in South Africa 20th September: 1. Rand nears 2020 lows: The rand dipped early on Tuesday, trading near its weakest against the dollar since 2020, as financial markets braced for this week’s US Federal Reserve meeting where an aggressive interest rate hike is expected. At 0555 GMT, the rand traded at R17.69 against the […]
News in South Africa 19th September: 1. Eskom in dire straits: Following an urgent board meeting while Stage 5 load shedding was biting on Saturday 17 September, Eskom will on Monday start to urgently procure additional energy from existing independent power producers. This announcement was made during an emergency media briefing by Eskom group chief […]
