Category: #zapeople

Eskom says it will ramp up efforts to collect unpaid debt from municipalities by terminating electricity supply.

Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha says, “Eskom is now in a position to enhance all its collection efforts from defaulting municipalities who collectively owe the utility more than R31 billion in overdue debt.”

The High Court in Johannesburg recently dismissed an application by Pioneer Foods seeking to set aside Eskom’s 2018 decision to interrupt electricity supply to the Walter Sisulu Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

The municipality has failed to pay for electricity.

The court found that Pioneer Foods, a customer of the municipality, had no standing electricity supply agreement with the power utility. It also found that the entity’s interruption of supply to the defaulting municipality was necessary for its survival.

Mantshantsha says, “This is a landmark judgment which affirms Eskom’s rights and validity of its actions in terminating supply to non-paying customers. We will ramp up Eskom’s efforts to collect unpaid municipal debt.”

State Capture once again hears evidence on matters relating to Eskom

Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture recently heard evidence on matters relating to Eskom.

Former independent consultant at Eskom Nicholas Linnell concluded his testimony where he detailed the extent of his involvement in establishing an inquiry into Eskom and the subsequent suspension of four executives.

His testimony was followed by evidence from Former group capital executive Dan Marokane and former chief financial officer Tsholofelo Molefe, both their testimonies detailed political interference and unfair suspensions at Eskom.

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The Western Cape government has expressed concern over what seems to be a relaxation in vigilance against COVID-19. This follows a so-called ‘super spreader’ incident where more than 60 people, including 37 learners, tested positive for the virus after a night out at a bar in Cape Town.

The public has once again been urged to continue with safety measures to avoid a second wave of the pandemic.

The provincial Department of Education says pupils that don’t write the final exams that start in November, will only be able to do so in June next year.

“It is really important for matrics to consider the impact of such activities on their future. The national regulations are quite clear that if you are COVID-19 positive during the matric exams you will not be allowed to write your exams. We will, of course, be screening at exams and I really want to appeal to matrics to act responsibly, think of your future, ” says Western Cape Education Minister, Debbie Schäfer.

Premier Alan Winde says people seem to have become relaxed about the golden rules of safeguarding: mask-wearing, hand washing, sanitising and social distancing.

While the Western Cape currently has just over 2 700 active cases in the province, it has a wall-to-wall management system in place. This includes, among others, zooming in on hotspots to lower the spread.

Winde says initially, the retail sector was a major point of the spread of the disease, but now it has seemingly shifted to places of gatherings such as nightclubs and bars.

“Now, there will be regular meetings with restaurants, night clubs, bars, entertainment spaces … how do we make sure we continue with the new normal that is safe? ”

Experts say there has been an increase in the number of infections among young adults between the ages of 15 and 25.

The possibility of a second wave of great numbers of infections cannot be ruled out.

“Our test positivity rate, the total number of cases, the number of people hospitalised and the number of people that have died – those are the indicators that we measure regularly and we watch those statistics on that basis. So, it’s always difficult to predict when exactly the second wave will happen if and when it will happen and we watch those numbers quite carefully,” says Western Cape Health Department spokesperson, Dr. Saadiq Kariem.

The public has varying opinions on the possibility of a second wave.

“I think we can learn a lesson from other countries in the world. There is no country that escaped a second wave and South Africa is not going to be an exception.”

With provincial leadership reminding everyone that COVID-19 prevention is a collective responsibility, people are urged to once again become more vigilant, keep their distance and only to go out if necessary.

Latest SA stats below:

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The North West High Court has ordered investigators from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to request footage from the SABC of what transpired in Marikana on the 13th of August in 2012, when five people were killed.

Lawyers representing former North West deputy police commissioner William Mpembe and his five co-accused, requested that video be used as evidence in court.

The clip was used on the SABC’s package about the ongoing Marikana court trial in Mahikeng. The former Public Order Police Unit’s video camera operator Abraham Masinya told the court that he could not recall part of the events of that day.

Masinya told the court that in his 29 years experience as a police officer, he never saw people attacking police, even when teargas and stun grenades were fired at them.

Masinya was cross-examined by the legal team of Salmon Vermaak, who was the Airwing police unit commander in 2012. Meanwhile, the presiding Judge Tebogo Djadje has granted the defense request that video footage played on SABC TV News on Tuesday be requested from the state broadcaster, and be used as evidence.

The trial continues on Thursday.

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