Author: Motlhaping Modise
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has defended its decision to grant Eskom a 12.74% tariff increase below the 36.15% requested by the state-owned enterprise. The regulator also approved increases of 5.36% and 6.19% for Eskom’s 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years. This, against applications for 11.8% and 9.1% respectively, made in Eskom’s sixth multi-year price determination application. Speaking on You FM Newshour on Thursday evening after the announcement, Nersa’s acting Executive Manager for Electricity Welile Mkhize said the decision was justified. “It was a difficult decision bearing in mind that it was probably one of the highest applications…
Police in the North West have made one of the biggest drugs bust, when they intercepted a huge transportation of drugs estimated to be over R37 million in Zeerust on Wednesday afternoon. The drugs were found following a police raid of a vehicle that was believed to be heading to Johannesburg from Zambia through the Kopfontein Border Post near Zeerust. The North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management Wessels Morweng has applauded the police swift action for intercepting the drugs and the arrest of the two occupants of the vehicle, a Tanzanian and Zambian nationals respectively. Speaking on…
The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) statement that it has successfully recorded a R400 million profit in the 2023/24 financial period has been disputed. The state-owned entity’s CEO Mpumi Mpofu revealed this during a media briefing at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park on Tuesday. “ACSA is steadily recovering from the years of COVID in terms of overall performance. This is the year in which we declared a profit.Despite a number of issues that marred ACSA, more specifically, the recent jet fuel shortage, and power disruptions ACSA recorded a R400 million profit in the 23/24 financial period…
North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management Wessels Morweng, has commended the province’s festive road safety measures, that resulted in the low recording of fatalities during the festive period. This as the province recorded 100 fatalities from 98 crashes in the 2024/25 festive period, compared 98 fatalities from 86 crashes in the 2023/24 period. Morweng was addressing the media in Mahikeng during the release of the provincial statistics on Monday. “Despite this slight increase, the province remains second best performing in terms of least recorded fatalities. It is also worth mentioning that we did not record any major…
The illegal mining phenomenon continues to rear its ugly head in other parts of the North West province. Eastern parts of the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality are also experiencing the rising incidents of illegal mining in the recent years.The Baphalane Traditional Council led by Kgosi Mmanotshe Ramokoka has condemned illegal mining of Chrome in Witrantjie village, which earlier resulted in the exchange of fire between employees of two private security companies, which the police said resulted in three males sustaining serious injuries. Police have confirmed that a video doing the rounds on social media depicts a confrontation between residents and illegal…
The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in the North West, is calling for a thorough investigation and consequence management, following the escape of Stilfontein illegal mining kingpin, James Tshoaeli, known as “Tiger.” The civic organisation was responding to the provincial acting Commissioner’s Major General Patrick Asaneng’s announcement on Thursday, that two of their members are being investigated for allegedly assisting Tiger to escape. “The alleged illegal mining kingpin James Neo Tsoeli also known as “Tiger” did not actually escape but was clearly abetted to walk away.It is deeply disheartening to witness members of the SAPS, tasked with upholding the…
Eskom in the North West has raised concerns that the R7.7 billion owed by municipalities in the province, is putting strain on its financial stability and sustainability to provide cost-effective and reliable electricity supply.This was revealed by Eskom’s provincial spokesperson Ezekiel Baruti, who highlighted that if the debt had been settled, the entity would be in a be in a better financial position to fulfil its mandate. “The cost of supplying electricity is expensive.Now Eskom must use its reserves and funds earmarked for electrification projects, to service those municipalities which don’t pay,” said Baruti. According to a list that Eskom…
Twenty-five families and survivors of anti-apartheid activists have hauled President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration to court, seeking constitutional damages for the government’s “gross failure” to adequately investigate and prosecute apartheid-era political crimes following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. The families that include of former Justice Minister Thembi Simelane and Potchefstroom struggle activist Nicholas ‘Boiki’ Tlhapi briefed the media about their court application in Pretoria. The applicants are the survivors of the Highgate Hotel Massacre, Neville Beling and Karl Weber, family members of the Cradock Four, Richard and Irene Motasi, Caiphus Nyoka, the PEBCO 3, the COSAS 4,…
The North West government is resolute that its latest intervention proposal that the beleaguered Lichtenburg-based Ditsobotla Local Municipality abdicate its electricity supply function directly to Eskom will permanently resolve its electricity provision problems. The provincial government said it’s unable to disregard the fact that the municipality is overwhelmed by the function of providing sustainable electricity to the communities in the past festive season. Premier Lazarus Mokgosi, who was accompanied by MEC for Cooperative Governance, Oageng Molapisi made the suggestion to the Ditsobotla Council after it invited him yesterday. Mokgosi’s spokesperson Sello Tatai told Newsnote that the municipality has for the…
The North West Department of Health has cautioned parents, legal guardians and prospective nursing students against bogus acceptance letters issued to unsuspecting students purporting to be from the Mahikeng and Klerksdorp Nursing Colleges respectively. The Department spokesperson Lucas Mothibedi has removed the Department and Colleges from the letters, adding that the circulating “acceptance” letters on social media platforms aren’t authentic. “We have been inundated with calls from both parents and prospective students for the last two weeks or so, some of them even made some doorsteps in our offices to say they have arrived. Because the assumption is that they…