June 22, 2023.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lynne Davies.

Making headlines:

Parliament ready to host talks between Russian, Ukrainian legislatures to foster peace

Eskom's Jan Oberholzer now managing Kusile, Koeberg projects

And, Russia says Macron would be inappropriate guest at BRICS summit

Parliament ready to host talks between Russian, Ukrainian legislatures to foster peace

The national legislatures of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates are ready to host the parliaments of Ukraine and Russia to find possible avenues of convergence amid the conflict between the two nations.

This emerged in a parliamentary report detailing the work South African MPs had undertaken at the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in March.

A delegation from South Africa participated in the assembly under the theme of promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies and fighting intolerance.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union Task Force for the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine met with high-level delegations of MPs from Russia and Ukraine separately to keep parliamentary diplomatic channels open for future peacebuilding.

During the meeting, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa announced their readiness to host the parliaments of each country for further discussion on the ongoing war.

Eskom's Jan Oberholzer now managing Kusile, Koeberg projects

Eskom has inked a two-year contract with its former chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer to oversee projects at Kusile and Koeberg.

Oberholzer officially retired in April this year, with the board saying it planned to scrap the position of COO upon his departure. His retirement followed the contentious exit of former chief executive officer André de Ruyter.

Eskom's acting group CEO Calib Cassim told Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts that he had appointed Oberholzer on a contract basis to oversee the completion of critical projects at coal-fired power station Kusile and nuclear power plant Koeberg.

Kusile is one of three power stations identified as crucial to ending loadshedding. Koeberg's lifespan, meanwhile, is being extended.

Russia says Macron would be inappropriate guest at BRICS summit

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that French President Emmanuel Macron would be an inappropriate guest at the BRICS summit.

The Russian went on to criticise countries whose policies Russia considers hostile.

The BRICS group of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is due to hold a summit, in Johannesburg, in August.

South Africa is currently mulling its legal options if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attend the BRICS summit because the International Criminal Court in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the Ukraine conflict.

South Africa is an ICC member and would theoretically be required to arrest him if he attends the summit.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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