Cape Times 2022-07-28

ESKOM has expressed hope that the newly-announced energy plan will help it recover sufficient generation capacity while it gears up for a multibillion-rand transition to renewable energy. Eskom’s general manager for strategy and planning, Matthew Mflathelwa, yesterday revealed for the first time that the energy transition could cost as much as R1.2 trillion. Mflathelwa said about R990 billion of that sum would be for generation in the energy transition plan, while R330bn would be for meeting compliance regarding air-quality requirements. However, Mflathelwa said Eskom would not be able to foot this energy transition bill as it was still saddled with at least R400bn debt. “We are by no means saying that the R990bn will come from Eskom,” he said. “We are creating an environment where other investors can…

There is a welcome relief in sight for motorists – under immense cost of living pressures – as fuel prices are expected to come down by roughly 7 percent as Brent crude prices dropped lower. Annabel Bishop, the chief economist at Investec, said with only a few days of July left, lower energy prices this month were indicating a 7.4 percent drop in South Africa’s petrol price in August and a 6.2 percent decline in the diesel price, which would provide some welcome relief to high living costs, if government passed them through. “Energy prices have fallen as global growth expectations for this year and next year drop lower again,” she said, adding that the International Monetary Fund had published a gloomy update late on Tuesday to…

This follows significant fair value adjustments in the company’s investment property TRANSNET has swung into a R5 billion profit for the year ended March 31, 2022, up from a loss of R8.7bn reported a year ago, following significant fair value adjustments in the company’s investment property valuation. The logistics company bucked the trend of poor performing State-Owned Enterprises in spite of weak economic growth and persistent operational challenges. Transnet also received an unquali- fied audit report for the first time since 2018 as irregular and wasteful expenditure declined materially. The unqualified audit opinion was critical because it has had a number of implications for Transnet with regards to fundraising and just being active in the capital markets. Transnet chief executive Portia Derby yesterday said that the company was gradually…

Check your phone. Are there any unanswered texts, snaps or direct messages that you’re ignoring? Should you reply? Or should you “ghost” the person who sent them? Ghosting happens when someone cuts off all online communication with someone else without an explanation. Instead, like a ghost, they just vanish. The phenomenon is common on social media and dating sites, but with the isolation brought on by the pandemic – forcing more people together online – it is happening more frequently. I am a professor of psychology who studies the role of technology use in interpersonal relationships and well-being. Given the negative psychological consequences of thwarted relationships – especially in the emerging adulthood years, ages 18 to 29 – I wanted to understand what leads university students to ghost others, and…

Methods for cooking vegetables are important because it’s a pretty well-known fact: vegetables are good for you. They’re full of vitamins, nutrients, and lots of other stuff our body needs to function properly. But a lot of people see eating vegetables as a chore – an unfortunate but necessary part of the meal. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Vegetables can actually be really delicious. Here are some of the ways to make vegetables taste great. Roast, pan fry or stir fry I love roast veg but they can take a while, so I often pop them in a frying pan for a speedier alternative. Unlike boiling, these dry heat methods of cooking help add yummy caramelised flavours to your veg and remove excess moisture. Add zest to…

ACTRESS Alicia Vikander says she endured an “extreme” miscarriage. The Tomb Raider star, 33, said she went through intense pain after losing a baby before getting pregnant with her first child. She told The Times newspaper about having a son with husband Michael Fassbender: “We have a child now, but it took us time. “(The miscarriage) was so extreme, painful to go through and, of course, it made me recall making that film (The Light Between Oceans). “That film has another meaning now.” Vikander and Fassbender, 45, played a childless couple in the 2016 film, who experience two miscarriages and adopt a baby girl who is lost at sea. The actress said in September 2021 she had welcomed a baby son, now 17 months old, with Shame actor Fassbender earlier…