Daily Podcast – August 31, 2022

31st August 2022 By: Thabi Shomolekae - Creamer Media Senior Writer

Daily Podcast – August 31, 2022

Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: Mkhwebane challenges State's decision to proceed with perjury prosecution; Eskom says up to stage 4 load-shedding expected in summer; And, Reserve Bank gives Ramaphosa until next week to provide Phala Phala details

 

Mkhwebane challenges State's decision to proceed with perjury prosecution

Suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has asked the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to review a National Prosecuting Authority decision to prosecute her on two counts of perjury.

The NPA indicated in March that it wanted to proceed with the case.

This morning, Mkhwebane appeared in the dock of the Pretoria Magistrate's Court for less than five minutes.

Her advocate, Dali Mpofu, SC, asked the court for a postponement to "allow [them] time" to deal with the High Court review.

The matter was postponed to 9 December for the outcome of the review.

 

Eskom says up to stage 4 load-shedding expected in summer

Eskom still expects load-shedding in summer – with Stage 4 being the maximum expected to be implemented, Parliament heard today.

Eskom officials briefed the portfolio committees of public enterprises and mineral resources and energy on developments at the power utility.

So far this year, South Africans have experienced 91 days of load-shedding. South Africans also battled through Stage 6 load-shedding this year - a first since December 2019. 

Eskom plans to add new generation capacity over the next 36 months to reduce the risk of load-shedding. This is enabled through its land lease agreement with independent power producers, emergency procurement measures, and imports from the region to be implemented over the next 12 months as part of energy crisis interventions. The recovery of unit 4 at Medupi, damaged by an explosion, is due in August 2024, and will also help bolster capacity.

 

And, Reserve Bank gives Ramaphosa until next week to provide Phala Phala details

President Cyril Ramaphosa did not report the foreign exchange transaction that was the source of the US dollars stolen from his farm, as required by law, his response to the South African Reserve Bank indicates.

Ramaphosa’s lawyers also have yet to respond adequately to the central bank, which has written asking for details of the transaction.

In a letter to Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday, Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said following press reports about the robbery its Financial Surveillance Department had written to Ramaphosa's legal advisors on 20 June requesting "information and details regarding the origin of the foreign currency and any underlying transaction that may pertain to it."

The bank had initially given Ramaphosa 21 business days to respond to the letter and subsequently granted an extension of 15 working days.

The letter states: "The department has since received a response from the president's legal advisors to which further information and details were requested by the department. A response to this additional request for information is required and expected no later than 8 September, whereafter the department will be able to progress its investigation into the matter."

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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