POWER Talk

National Treasury has updated its rules for public-private partnerships (PPPs) to ease the approval process for projects with a total cost of under R2 billion. Experts and the private sector have largely welcomed the amendments. On 7 February, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana published a notice in the Government Gazette amending regulations under section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act. Bongi Gwala spoke to Dr Hubert Joynt, programme manager & member of EXCO at Infrastructure South Africa as well as Wynand Dreyer, chair of the advocacy team at South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE). 

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Love, an emotion universally felt, manifests itself differently across cultures. While the core sentiment remains constant, the ways in which it is expressed can vary greatly depending on the social, historical, and familial contexts. These cultural distinctions in expressing love shape the very nature of human relationships and can often lead to misunderstandings or, conversely, to deeper appreciation for the diversity of human experience. We focus on this in today’s culture corner on the back of Valentines Day coming this Friday. Bongi Gwala was joined by Dudu Nhlabathi Madonsela, relationship coach and author of The Dating Playbook. 

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In South Africa, the condition of school sanitation facilities remains a major concern, with many schools still lacking adequate toilets and running water. While efforts have been made to improve sanitation through various government initiatives, progress has been uneven across provinces. This conversation examines the situation in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the Eastern Cape, and Limpopo, focusing on the ongoing challenges, missed deadlines, and the government's commitment to improving school sanitation. Bongi Gwala was in conversation with Malibongwe Mtima, spokesperson of the Eastern Cape Education department and Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, MEC of Limpopo Education department.

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There are growing calls in South Africa, across the agricultural sector to scrap the 15% VAT on sorghum products. The sorghum industry urges Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to remove VAT from sorghum and sorghum products ahead of the budget speech this month. This, coupled with industry efforts, will contribute towards stopping the decline of the vital agricultural sector, support local economic development and improve food security. 

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In South Africa, the new 2024 Climate Change Act mandates that local governments develop strategies to address global warming. Local authorities are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially from sectors like bus services, and decrease their reliance on electricity generated by coal. Additionally, they must green buildings and urban areas as part of climate change mitigation efforts. In today’s masterclass, we find out how they can achieve this.

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The Office of the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation] Judge is an oversight body over the Hawks. The work of this Office seeks to ensure that the DPCI is independent, effective and competent and is capable of executing its mandate without infringing the rights of members of the public, and to ensure that the Hawks can investigate crime without any undue influence or interference with their investigations of either a political or any other nature. It also intends to ensure that the Hawks investigate cases without fear, favour or prejudice.

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The bodies of South African soldiers who died last month as the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group took Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were recovered this week and are being repatriated through Uganda.  The UN was responsible for transporting the bodies from Malawi, but that there were difficulties on Thursday evening to find a flight that could take the bodies home.

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Ofentse Pitse is a creative visionary who, though enchanted by the continent she comes from, possesses a wide-eyed enthusiasm for the world of architecture, music, and curated experiences. Hailing from the capital city of South Africa - Pretoria; her musical roots stem from her beloved late mother’s love for old school music, as well as her family’s deep heritage in The Salvation Army church, with her grandfather being one of the most prominent jazz trumpeters and a co-founder of the iconic Sophiatown jazz band – The Jazz Maniacs. 

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Popularly known as the queen of Zulu comedy, Celeste is a South African comedian and actress known for her stand up shows and her role as one of the wives to polygamist, Mpiyakhe Zungu on #Isibaya.  She has won a SAFTA (South African Film and Television Award) Golden Horn award for her role on Isibaya and has scooped the Flying Solo Award as well as the Comedy G Award at the Savanna Comics' Choice Awards. 

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The national energy regulator Nersa has approved a 12.7% increase for Eskom electricity tariffs in 2025, which will come into effect from 1 April 2025. 

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