Author: Dimakatso Genkoe
Former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has advised the power utility’s current management to put the whole country, including the municipalities, on prepaid electricity. Molefe, who’s now a member of parliament representing the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, says placing the whole country on prepaid electricity will assist in dealing with the Eskom debt. He was speaking at the Portfolio Committee on Energy where Eskom’s Executives led by the CEO Dan Morakane briefed members about the utility’s performance for the 2024/25 financial year. “What will it take to put the whole of South Africa to prepaid? Because in that way a municipality will…
A fire has ravaged the newly renovated Manyane Game Lodge in Mahikeng, North West. According to the spokesperson of the Mahikeng Local Municipality, John Nkoana, a team of their firefighters responded to a fire incident on Tuesday afternoon. “We can confirm that the newly built units at the Manyane Game Reserve are on fire and some of the furniture has burnt. Investigation into the fire will be launched soon,” said Nkoana. In addition, Nkoana said the cause of the fire is not yet known and no injuries were reported. The lodge has in the past been a subject of investigations,…
Magalies Water unable to abstract water at the Vaalkop DamBy Dimakatso Genkoe Magalies Water has urged its customers to use water sparingly. This as it has been forced to immediately reduce water abstraction from Vaalkop Dam near Rustenburg in the North West by 30%, due to low water levels. “Vaalkop Dam which Magallies Water abstracts raw water for potable usage has regrettably reached critically low levels of about 23% of available raw water for abstraction,” read a statement from the entity. Areas that fall under the Rustenburg, Moses Kotane, and Thabazimbi Local Municipalities including the local mines, are the ones…
After a smooth conclusion of the matric final examinations on Thursday, the Department of Education in the North West said it is now ready to commence with the marking of the question papers. More than 45 000 candidates sat for their final exams in the province. The Department MEC Viola Motsumi lauded the candidates for their resilience, commitment, and adherence to the examination guidelines throughout what she described as a critical phase. “The matric class of 2024 has shown incredible discipline and respect for the examination process. These qualities reflect not only their dedication over the past 13 years but…
Seventeen more illegal miners have resurfaced at an abandoned mine in Stilfontein, near Klerksdorp in the North West. According to the provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, the miners resurfaced from two shafts and are being processed by authorities. “Of the 17 illegal miners, 14 resurfaced from Margaret shaft and three at Shaft No 10. The fourteen illegal miners are foreign nationals from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique,” said Mokgwabone. The miners said some of their colleagues will surface on Friday, while others are too weak to resurface from the shafts. Moreover, they recounted difficult conditions underground, which include starvation and…
Sanity has finally prevailed at the Moses Kotane Local Municipality in the North West, after last month’s council meeting to appoint a new speaker ended in chaos, with ousted speaker Gugu Mtshali dragged out of the chambers. This as the municipality on Wednesday held a smooth process this time around, to elect acting speaker Pertunia Letlape, who replaced Mtshali following her resignation earlier this month. At the time, videos went viral on social media showing Mtshali disrupting the council meeting and tearing council papers, as she refused to accept the election of the previous acting speaker. Bouncers were then called,…
Power utility Eskom has requested about 1.7 million zero buyers to upgrade their meters before 13 December, to avoid paying temper fines.Eskom said the rollover process has seen a decrease in the number of zero buyers with about 400 000 of them coming forward by buying a prepaid token before the first initial deadline of 24th Sunday. Moreover, 5.5 million customers including the 400 000 former zero buyers have been successfully rolled over to KRN 2.The entities Group Chief Executive for Distribution Monde Bala said they will continue to encourage customers to pay for electricity.“We will continue to treat these…
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Minerals Resources has recommended that a full inquiry into last year’s deaths of 13 miners at the Impala Platinum mine in Rustenburg, North West, be conducted. The committee has also requested Minister Gwede Mantashe to closely monitor the process. Last year, 13 miners lost their lives and 73 others were injured, when the winding rope connected to a cage that hoists people up and down the mine shaft started moving downwards unexpectedly. The committee on Tuesday adopted a report following its oversight visit at various mine shafts in the North West and Gauteng last month. The…
Fourteen illegal miners, including a 14-year-old boy, have resurfaced at an abandoned shaft 10 which is linked to shaft 11 in Stilfontein near Klerksdorp in the North West. All the fourteen miners are Mozambican nationals, and police said others ran back to the shaft when they noticed them. Police said the miners resurfaced during the night, thinking that law enforcement authorities would not be on site. “It just goes to show that these two shafts are linked, and that no one is trapped. They can actually come out on their own. They’re just refusing to resurface because they’re avoiding arrest,”…
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety in the North West, Freddy Sonakile, said they’re going to engage with other stakeholders, including the Treasury, to discuss whether the stand-off at the Stilfontein mine, should be declared a national disaster. This as several illegal miners are still held underground, almost a month after food and water supplies were blocked from reaching them. Sonakile led members of the committee at an oversight visit on Friday, where he highlighted that the police budget has already been stretched for the Stilfontein operation. “The police and everyone are operating from the budget, that…