For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: SA, Namibia to hold 4th Binational Commission in Pretoria; Eskom Green says PFMA approval enables fundraising and partnerships; And, Uganda to discharge last Ebola patient

SA, Namibia to hold 4th Binational Commission in Pretoria

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will co-chair the fourth session of the South Africa-Namibia Binational Commission in Pretoria tomorrow.

The high-level presidential session serves as the culmination of a week of bilateral diplomatic engagements following the Council of Ministers Meeting held today, which was preceded by a two-day Senior Officials Meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Spokesperson to the President Vincent Magwenya emphasised that the relationship between South Africa and Namibia is built on an “unshakeable foundation”, as both nations forged solidarity during colonialism and apartheid.

“Namibia's political stability and close ties with South Africa position it as a key strategic partner within the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, and on the global stage,” Magwenya stated.

He further noted that both nations share identical views on accelerating the political and economic integration of the African continent, driven by a mutual commitment to Africa’s renewal, pan-African values, robust South-South cooperation, active multilateralism, and the preservation of a rules-based international governance system.

Eskom Green says PFMA approval enables fundraising and partnerships

Eskom Holdings reports that it has now secured the required approvals to establish Eskom Green as a wholly-owned renewables subsidiary that is able to raise funding and enter into public-private partnerships.

The approvals were made in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, alongside the applicable conditions of the Eskom Debt Relief Act, which placed restrictions on the raising of new debt for generation investments.

Eskom renewables group executive Rivoningo Mnisi said in a statement, Eskom Green can now crowd-in external capital and expertise and [the approval] enables private sector investors to be able to partner and invest with Eskom Green and utilise experience and skills to deliver very compelling and competitive utility-scale renewable energy supply offerings to customers.

Eskom Green will now initiate a market process to establish a panel of strategic partners to support the delivery of renewable-energy projects through project-financed special purpose vehicles and strategic partnerships.

It has appointed PwC and the Development Bank of Southern Africa to advise it on the process.

And, Uganda to discharge last Ebola patient

Uganda is due to discharge its last Ebola patient today, triggering a 42-day countdown that could see the country declared free of the virus, a spokesperson for the government said.

The wider outbreak, which the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, has caused 2 011 confirmed cases of infection and 754 confirmed deaths in the DRC as of Wednesday, according to data from the government.

An online Ugandan health ministry portal on Thursday showed the number of recoveries stood at 17, with one current admission in an isolation unit and two deaths. It said five cases were locally acquired and 15 were imported.

All cases are linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain and the WHO has said it is the third-worst outbreak on record.

Alan Kasujja, a Ugandan government spokesperson, said in a post on X late yesterday that a patient would be released from an isolation unit at the Mulago National Referral Hospital, located in the country's capital, this morning.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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