Page 8 - AfrElec Week 47 2022
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AfrElec ESKOM AfrElec
SA seeks funds to replenish
Eskom’s depleted diesel reserves
SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s Department of Public Enter- Mpho Makwana on Sunday night as a result of
prises (DPE) is urgently working with the serious concerns about the risk of higher levels
National Treasury and state-owned power util- of loadshedding in the coming months.
ity Eskom to find money to buy diesel supplies, “All possible efforts are being made to ensure
BusinessLIVE reports. all the measures in the national electricity plan
Additional diesel reserves for Eskom will help are implemented,” the DPE said as quoted by
to reduce the higher stages of power cuts, known BusinessLIVE.
locally as “loadshedding” now in force. According to the department, immediate tar-
The embattled utility warned about a short- gets include:
age of diesel last week, says the media platform. Looking for savings within existing
Eskom said South Africans should expect Eskom funds for the purchase of diesel and
more loadshedding in the coming months as it maintenance;
embarks on major repairs and a maintenance Board assessment of the challenges Eskom
programme that will increase the risk of outages. faces in its fleet of power stations and the excep-
On Sunday (November 20) Eskom tional interventions that must be made to cre-
announced that stage 5 loadshedding would be ate more reliability in their performance; and
implemented during the evenings from 4pm urgently seeking the assistance of all law enforce-
until midnight from Monday to Wednesday and ment bodies to immediately stop local-level dis-
between stages 2 and 4 during the day. ruptions and criminal activities that affect power
The DPE said its minister, Pravin Gordhan, stations.
met Eskom board members led by chairperson
SA regulators to investigate
Eskom’s Ramano
SOUTH AFRICA THE South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and The JSE said that it is aware of the report and
the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) are will engage with the parties to establish the facts,
evaluating a report that accuses newly appointed to confirm whether its regulations were broken,
state power utility Eskom’s director, Tryphosa writes News24.
Ramano, of leaking sensitive information to the “If it appears that there is a possible breach of
media, News24 reports. The report alleges that the Listings Requirements, then JSE will inves-
she breached JSE listing requirements. tigate the matter,” said Andre Visser, Director of
Ramano, the former chief financial officer Issuer Regulation at the JSE.
(CFO) of the JSE-listed cement group, PPC, has “The matter is under consideration in accord-
been named in a report by forensic investigation ance with our governance principles,” a spokes-
firm, Exactech, as being a key source in alleged person for the SARB told News24.
media leaks in late 2017. She is also a director of For his part, Mkhondo dismissed the Exact-
the SARB. ech report, while Ramano referred News24 to
Exactech’s report alleged that Ramano, with findings by the law firm, ENSafrica, which con-
media consultant Rich Mkhondo, met with cluded that the Exactech report was “flawed” and
reporters in 2017 to discuss details of proposed “not supported by the available evidence”.
takeover bids by local cement group, Afri- Last week, the Department of Public Enter-
Sam, backed by Canada’s Fairfax and Nigeria’s prises (DPE), which appoints the Eskom board,
Dangote. None of the proposed deals came to said that it “will establish the facts in this matter
fruition. and act accordingly”.
P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 47 23•November•2022
