Category: News

South Africans have been grappling with frequent power outages, known as load shedding, for several years now. The situation reached crisis levels in 2020, when the country experienced more than 200 days of power cuts, and it has continued into this year, with a continuous stretch of 68 days so far. In a recent interview […]

As South Africa looks to solar energy as a solution to load shedding, scammers and criminals are finding ways to take advantage. Recently, the City of Tshwane issued a warning to residents of scammers posing as city representatives rolling out a new solar initiative. These scammers, pretending to be contractors in a City of Tshwane […]

The South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has released draft regulations for Energy Suppliers 2023 and similar exemptions for Energy Users under the Competition Act. These new regulations will exempt certain agreements or practices by energy suppliers and users in South Africa, in a bid to boost the uptake of new energy […]

South Africa’s ongoing load shedding woes have continued to wreak havoc on the country’s business confidence in the first quarter of 2023. The RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI), released recently, recorded a decline from 38 in the fourth quarter to 36 in the first quarter of 2023. This decline is a consequence of load shedding, […]

The Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation has called on the public to reduce their water consumption as much as possible during and shortly after load shedding. This is due to the continued long periods of Eskom blackouts, which have put pressure on the infrastructure. The Western Cape’s Department of Water and Sanitation held a […]

South Africa’s new electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has a challenging task ahead of him. While curtailing load shedding, or rolling blackouts, is a top priority, he must also fulfill the already-in-place “energy action plan,” which includes several crucial interventions. The plan’s primary focus is to resolve issues with Eskom, the country’s power utility, and enhance […]

Load shedding has become a part of everyday life for many South Africans, with power outages disrupting daily activities, including driving. Major intersections are often left without traffic lights for extended periods, leaving motorists to navigate the roads without the usual safety features. Untrained pointsmen such as street vendors and car guards often step in […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed the country’s first-ever minister of electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, to tackle the worst-ever electricity crisis being experienced in the country. Millions of people are without lights daily for up to 10 hours in cities and towns across South Africa, which has caused much frustration, not least on the roads […]

The South African economy has experienced a decline of 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022, surpassing the anticipated decrease of 0.4%. Various sectors including finance, trade, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and general government services contributed to the decrease in gross domestic product (GDP). Notably, the finance, real estate & business services industry contracted by 2.3%, […]

Nedbank has recently reported that the South African economy may have entered a recession in the final quarter of 2022, as severe load shedding in early 2023 has worsened the already deteriorating trading conditions. In its Industry Insights, the bank noted that every single day in January, February, and March so far has had load […]