Budget outlines shift from oversight to ‘structural intervention’ to tackle municipal dysfunction

Amid growing dissatisfaction with the performance of many of the country’s 257 municipalities, 162 of which are categorised as being in financial distress, the National Treasury has outlined what... 

Treasury targets more savings after R12bn identified under TARS scheme

The National Treasury reports that R12-billion in savings has been identified for the coming three years as a result of its Targeted and Responsible Savings (TARS) initiative, which requires... 

Transalloys wants electricity tariff relief extended to full ferroalloys sector

Transalloys, which produces manganese ferroalloys at a smelter complex in Mpumalanga, has again warned that its operations are at risk of closure should the electricity tariff relief granted and... 

Sasol to begin reducing external coal purchases as destoning plant raises quality

Energy and chemicals group Sasol is aiming to begin ramping up internal coal production and reducing external coal purchases after its destoning plant reached beneficial operation in December. CEO... 

Transnet starts process to find private partner for Richards Bay Dry Bulk Terminal

State-owned freight logistics group Transnet has initiated the first stage of a process to select a private partner for the Richards Bay Dry Bulk Terminal (RBDBT), a key export terminal in... 

AMSA mulls monetisation options for assets in care and maintenance worth R5bn-plus

In parallel to “expedited” negotiations with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) over its future corporate structuring, ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) is considering partnership and... 

Infrastructure crisis highlights urgent need for engineers to occupy ‘meaningful seat at table’

Amid a national maintenance “crisis” and slow delivery against government’s R1-trillion infrastructure commitment, Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) believes it has now become urgent for... 

Moral hazard

There is currently a marked difference between how Eskom and Transnet are being assessed against their respective reform milestones. While the State electricity producer is being adjudged,... 

Independent transmission company ‘one of most important reforms in country’s history’

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the move to establish a fully independent State-owned transmission company as “one of the most important reforms in our country’s history”, while confirming... 

Urgent implementation of PPP investment model needed to halt multiyear slump – Seifsa

The multiyear slide in South Africa’s metals and engineering sector, which makes up about 25% of South Africa’s manufacturing sector and 5% of GDP, continued last year, the Steel and Engineering... 

Creecy says RFPs for three big rail and port concessions on track to be issued in 2026

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy reports that Transnet is preparing to release request for proposal (RFP) documents for three large private sector participation (PSP) projects in 2026, including... 

Macpherson says property investment vehicle will unlock value from R155bn State portfolio

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has provided some more high-level details on a plan to use a ringfenced property investment vehicle to begin to unlock value from the... 

NUM calls for urgent talks with Necom on Eskom unbundling following SoNA directive

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for urgent and structured consultations between organised labour and the National Energy Crisis Committee (Necom) task team that is deliberating... 

Report labels unbundling of Eskom as ‘most important economic reform since 1994'

A new report commissioned by the South African Energy Traders Association (SAETA) identifies the unbundling of Eskom Holdings as the most important economic reform since 1994, arguing that a new... 

Lyra Energy signs private offtaker agreements for inaugural 255 MW solar PV project

Electricity trader Lyra Energy reports that it has entered into power purchase agreements with three private offtakers that will buy a large portion of the electricity to be produced from its 255... 

Eskom will ‘fully support task team’ to deliver independent TSO

Eskom says it will fully support the task team being created to deliver the fully independent State-owned Transmission System Operator (TSO) that will have ownership and control of transmission... 

Operation Vulindlela again lists Eskom’s restructuring as a reform area ‘facing significant challenges’

The latest update on progress being made in implementing the structural reforms that have been prioritised under Operation Vulindlela has again identified Eskom’s restructuring as a reform area... 

Draft amendments to B-BBEE codes open way for Transformation Fund

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has Gazetted proposed amendments to the existing Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) codes of good practice in a bid to open the way... 

Big decisions loom

South Africa is weighing a range of policy measures as various manufacturing sectors – from ferroalloys and steel, to automotives – face existential threats. The causes of their eroded... 

HOPEFUL NOTE

The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose by 8.2 points to 48.7 in January, marking a significant recovery from December’s slump. Although still below the neutral 50-point... 

Ramaphosa intervenes to ensure Transmission System Operator will own grid assets

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directly intervened in the dispute over Eskom’s unbundling plan, announcing in his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SoNA) that the independent Transmission System... 

Eskom says it may take trading rules on legal review, as it calls for material changes

Eskom has raised a slew of legal and technical issues with the draft trading rules being considered for approval by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and has indicated that it... 

Landmark private solar-battery hybrid project aims to enter into operation in 2028

A large-scale hybrid solar and battery project, underpinned by a landmark 25-year private power purchase agreement (PPA) with Sasol and Air Liquide, has achieved financial close and is targeting to... 

Discovery Green sees trader‑led wheeling becoming dominant commercial model in 2026

The head of Discovery Green, the renewable-energy trading unit of JSE-listed Discovery, is forecasting that trader‑led wheeling will become the dominant commercial model in the South African... 

Rail volumes rising but private impetus needed to reach 250Mt target

Transnet CEO Advocate Michelle Phillips insists there will be no turning back from current yearly railed volume levels of above 160-million tons. But she has also reiterated that private sector... 

Nordex supplying 33 wind turbines to private projects in Western Cape

Wind turbine technology provider Nordex Energy South Africa (NESA) is supplying 33 wind turbines to the Zen and Bergriver wind projects, in the Western Cape, which will have a combined capacity of... 

Cobalt and copper sourced from DRC artisanal miners to be transported on Lobito corridor

In a milestone for the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), which links the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to a deep-water port in Angola, Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) and Trafigura have... 

Dipak Patel appointed new deputy chair of Presidential Climate Commission

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dipak Patel as deputy chairperson of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) for a tenure running from 2026 to 2030 in line with Section 10 (8) of the... 

South Africa and China sign trade and investment framework agreement

South Africa and China have signed a framework trade and investment agreement aimed at providing duty-free access to the Chinese market to more South African products and facilitating Chinese... 

New online tool offers instant assessment of a project’s ‘just transition’ credentials

A new online portal has been launched to enable project originators and/or financiers to determine quickly whether the project being assessed aligns with the principles of South Africa’s just... 

Germany reaffirms €2.68bn commitment to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition

Germany's special envoy for the Just Energy Transition Partnership with South Africa Rainer Baake says his country’s ongoing commitment to the initiative is reflected by the fact that Germany has... 

Welcome visibility

A new data portal made publicly available recently by the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) provides some encouraging insight into the country’s power generation project pipeline.... 

BLSA Reform Tracker says Eskom unbundling strategy ‘broke with the approved reform plan’

The latest Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) Reform Tracker Quarterly Review says there has been “concerning backwards movement in the critical electricity sector”, attributing the regression... 

AMSA mulls monetisation options for assets in care and maintenance worth R5bn-plus

In parallel to “expedited” negotiations with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) over its future corporate structuring, ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) is considering partnership and... 

AMSA narrows loss to R3.4bn as it winds down longs steel unit

Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) reported a smaller headline loss of R3.4-billion in 2025 relative to the loss of R5.1-billion posted in 2024 after having closed its long-steel... 

Eskom unbundling plan could be ‘major setback’ for electricity reform – Busa

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has expressed concern that the Eskom unbundling plan announced in December might represent a “major setback” for the reforms under way in the electricity sector... 

Seriti Green appoints Motloung as COO as projects move into operation

Renewable energy independent power producer Seriti Green has appointed Chabisi Motloung as COO, as the company’s projects, including the giant Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm in Mpumalanga, move into... 

New project management office set up to support Sarem implementation

A project management office (PMO) has been established to support the implementation of the South African Renewable Energy Master Plan (Sarem) – the country’s industrialisation strategy for the... 

Infrastructure crisis highlights urgent need for engineers to occupy ‘meaningful seat at table'

Amid a national maintenance “crisis” and slow delivery against government’s R1-trillion infrastructure commitment, Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) believes it has now become urgent for... 

Operation Vulindlela again lists Eskom’s restructuring as a reform area ‘facing significant challenges’

The latest update on progress being made in implementing the structural reforms that have been prioritised under Operation Vulindlela has again identified Eskom’s restructuring as a reform area...