Star 2024-06-10

CORRUPTION Watch has said that its withdrawal of the case against former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe was not an exoneration, but a result of poor formulation of the charges as they preceded the final report of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s State capture commission. This comes after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Friday handed down Corruption Watch’s formal notice of withdrawal of the case against Molefe, which was done “by agreement between the parties” with each party to bear their own costs. Corruption Watch executive director Karam Singh on Saturday said the anti-corruption organisation would still go public with detail on the proceedings. Singh said they would explain that there were challenges sustaining the application against Molefe based on the way it was formulated since it was drafted prior to…

THE NATIONAL Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) says it will focus on defending its case for approving energy company Karpowership’s electricity generation licences. This comes after Gauteng High Court Judge Leoni Windell on Wednesday dismissed with costs Nersa’s interlocutory application not to disclose confidential information to advocacy group Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) with the full, unredacted record of Nersa’s decisions to approve generation licences for Karpowership. The matter stems from February 2020, when Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe made a determination that 2 000MW of emergency generation capacity should be procured, and the three Turkish Karpowership projects were given the green light to provide 1 220MW of gas-fired generation capacity over a 20-year period. In April 2022, Outa and the organi- sation Green Connection objected…

FORMER Bytes Technology Group chief executive Neil Murphy appears to have escaped unscathed after his fall from grace, following an admission he traded shares without letting the relevant parties know. He has only to pay back bonuses from the time of the company’s listing in London in December 2020. Murphy left Bytes under a cloud on February 21, after failing to disclose more than a hundred share transactions he made on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) to either the dual-listed company or the market, in compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, it later transpired that Murphy also made 15 transactions on behalf of his wife between December 29, 2021, and November 20, 2023. Bytes disclosed all these deals to the relevant bourses. The disgraced former chief executive, who traded…

SOUTH Africa’s 2023/24 summer grain production is under pressure due to heat stress and dry conditions across much of the summer planting regions. The dry conditions are being driven by El Niño weather patterns, which have brought reduced rainfall and spiking temperatures during the latter part of February and most of March, which is a critical summer growing season. Grain sector’s challenges The recent drought conditions have significantly impacted South Africa’s grains sector, particularly affecting the production of summer grains. The Crop Estimates Committee reports a projected decrease in total grain and oilseed production by approximately 20% from the previous year. Specifically, white and yellow maize harvests are estimated to be 6.4 million tons (down 25% year-over-year) and 6.9 million tons (down 12% year-over-year), respectively. Grain prices have…

SOUTH Africa has just returned from the polls that will usher in the seventh administration, which also coincides with 30 years of democracy. While no outright winner emerged from this election, which also spawned a plethora of new political parties – some of which punched above their weight in terms of the voters they managed to garner – there can be no doubt that South Africa, as a country, cannot afford to take the foot off the pedal in forging ahead with much-needed development. The next administration of the government will be formed by coalitions and marriages of convenience and expedience by political parties that may even have irreconcilable doctrines and political views. However, one can only hope and pray that the nation’s welfare will be the priority rather than…

AQUACULTURE is playing an increasingly important role in meeting the world’s food needs, surpassing wild fisheries in aquatic animal production for the first time, accord- ing to a report published on Friday. With global demand for aquatic oods expected to keep growing, an increase in sustain- able production is vital to ensure healthy diets, the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organisation said. In 2022, aquaculture yielded 94.4 million tons of aquatic animal production – 51% of the total, and 57% of the production destined for human consumption, it said. “Aquatic systems are increasingly recognised as vital for food and nutrition security,” according to the report, released as experts gathered in Costa Rica for talks on ocean conservation. “Because of their great diversity and capacity to supply ecosystem services and…