Star 2022-01-17

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE BLACK Business Council (BBC) has called for the consultancy Bain & Co to be blacklisted from further government contracts for its role in furthering state capture. This is in contrast to Business leadership South Africa’s (BLSA)’s stance last week, where its chief executive Busisiwe Mavuso defended keeping the US management consultancy Bain & Co as a member, saying the firm is not “inherently corrupt”. Meanwhile, Business Unity South Africa (Busa) chief executive Cas Coovadia said on Friday that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should investigate all institutions and individuals that the Zondo report had recommended be investigated. “The NPA must then prosecute in instances where it finds a prima facie case that pertains. Busa has also expressed a willingness to support the NPA in urgently investigating…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za ANTI NUCLEAR activists have expressed concern that Eskom will cut corners on its R49 billion maintenance programme to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear power station by some 20 years. Eskom confirmed that after more than 450 days of uninterrupted operation, Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will today be taken offline for a regular refuelling and maintenance outage, that is scheduled to last for five months. This will be the 25th refuelling outage on Unit 2 since commissioning and will also see the replacement of the unit’s three steam generators. The reactor pressure vessel head, which houses the nuclear fuel while the station is in operation, will also be replaced. “There are several components that Eskom has confirmed it will not work…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za EMBEDDED generation could help alleviate the ongoing energy crisis in South Africa in the short-term, according to a new report by international energy experts. The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday said that the new policy might help address capacity issues in the short term as licensing obligations for embedded generation have been relaxed. In August last year, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe gazetted rules allowing licence exemptions for the generation and operation of 100MW of power. This means that the licence threshold has been lifted from 1MW to 100MW, which would allow private companies to build their own generation facilities. The IEA said this policy would ease the strain on the grid as demand for electricity was picking up on reopening of the economy.…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za “IT’S NOT OVER until the fat lady sings,” says labour after the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) issued a strike certificate to unions at precious metal producer, Sibanye-Stillwater, after wage negations collapsed late last year. The certificate permits the unions, which include the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity, and Uasa, to embark on a strike at Sibanye's South African gold operations in Gau-teng and the Free State and the company to implement a lockout within a 12-month period from issuance. Uasa sector manager for the mining Franz Stehring confirmed that the unions received the certificate. “The company has made it clear that they are willing to talk to us. For us, it’s not over until the…

Corrie Kruger SOME YEARS ago, a senior broker at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), informed me that his company had very strict moral and ethical rules of engagement with clients, however, if the client did not like them … they had others too. From the revelations made at the Zondo commission, could it be that one of South Africa’s big five banking institutions, Nedbank, have a similar philosophy? Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chairperson of the commission, in his report into state capture, states: “The support of the people of South Africa has kept all of us going in the commission.” Having witnessed the hearing over a period, and having a full realisation of the consequences of the theft from the poor that State capture engendered, the people of…

Kedibone Modise kedibone.modise@inl.co.za Multi-award-winning musician Alley Moca, real name Ali Mokgalaka, is shifting things around with his new “funk” gospel EP Clap. Commenting on his latest offering, Moca said: “Clap has a fresh sound and nice and soft to the ear melody. It was influenced by Kirk Franklin, The Mighty Clouds Of Joy and my own authentic African sound.” Moca says his music carries a strong message of hope and healing. “There is a soul-healing and relationship-building message that is conveyed through this new body of work.” Moca discovered his passion for music at an early age, all thanks to his music-loving family. “The Mokgalakas are a musical family, and therefore I was not given a choice. I had to sing to keep the family singing tradition going.” “I sang…