Ramaphosa prepares for intensive period of economic diplomacy

President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing for an intense period of economic diplomacy, including participation in the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, and the COP27 climate negotiations to be held at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. In a statement, the Presidency reported that Ramaphosa would participate in a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements during October, November and December, describing economic diplomacy as a key lever for the realisation of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to rebuild the economy.
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Eskom coal supply mine Arnot OpCo placed under business rescue

The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has placed Arnot OpCo into business rescue just months after the shuttered mine revived operations and supply of coal to Eskom. In a judgment handed down on Monday, the Salungano Group – the 50% owner of Arnot –  was granted its application to have the operation placed under supervision and business rescue proceedings in terms of the Companies Act.
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Court upholds environmental authorisation for Eskom gas plant

The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed a bid to have the environmental authorisation for Eskom’s proposed gas power plant in Richards Bay overturned, but has taken aim at the deficient public participation process. In the judgment handed down by Judge Anthony Millar last week, the court dismissed a landmark application brought by two environmental justice NGOs – the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance and Groundwork – to review and set aside the Department of Environmental Affairs’ decision to grant Eskom’s proposed power plant an environmental authorisation.  
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Presidency says load-shedding likely to persist for another 18 months

The Presidency insists that progress is being made to implement the plan outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 25 to tackle load-shedding, which breached 4 100 GWh by the end of September – a level that is materially worse than the 1 776 GWh shed in 2021, the country’s previous worst load-shedding year. However, The Presidency’s Rudi Dicks cautions that rotational power cuts are likely to remain a reality for at least another 18 months.
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