After a spate of lengthy national blackouts, and stage six load-shedding, ministers in the government’s energy crisis committee will add flesh to the president’s energy plan announced last week.
On Monday finance minister Enoch Godongwana, minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe and public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan will provide details on implementing the president’s energy plan.
In the briefing on Monday afternoon the ministers are set to provide details on how the state plans to stabilise SA’s long-term power supply.
Parties to the public service co-ordinating bargaining council are expected to meet on Wednesday. Workers initially demanded a 10% increase before revising it to 6.5%. The government previously argued before the council that its R1,000 after-tax cash gratuity equates to 4.5%, translating to 6.5% when combined with a 2% cost of living adjustment. The government’s 6.5% offer spurred Cosatu to embark on a mandate-seeking process.
This week also marks an important time on the political calendar of the ANC. After a three-day policy conference which concluded on Sunday, the governing party’s branch nominations open on Monday.
The move marks the beginning of an outright contest between members with ambitions leading up to the elective conference in December.
Delegates at the policy conference at the Nasrec Expo Centre, south of Johannesburg, discussed the option of introducing a second deputy secretary-general post, among measures to balance competing forces.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who addressed the myriad economic and social challenges facing the ANC-led government, will host a summit towards the end of the week.
The event is part of his call on all sectors, notably private business, in SA to collaborate with the government and address the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Youth unemployment in SA in the first quarter of 2022 was 63.9% for people aged 15-24 compared to the national rate of 34.5%, as Stats SA reported based on the Quarterly Labour Force Survey in June.
Turning to parliament, a third week of hearings begins in the National Assembly’s Section 194 committee to impeach suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. The process is chaired by ANC MP Qubudile Dyantyi. Senior advocate Nazreen Bawa and advocate Ncumisa Mayosi are leading the committee’s evidence. Mkhwebane is represented by senior advocate Dali Mpofu, who cross-examined witnesses last week.
To date the commission has heard four speakers: an expert witness on the office’s function Hassen Ebrahim, Johan van Loggerenberg formerly of the SA Revenue Service (Sars), senior investigator Tebogo Kekana and the public protector office’s head in the Free State, Sphelo Samuel. Dyantyi has been insistent the committee conclude its work by the aimed deadline of late September.
The National Council of Provinces begins its third term on Monday and will pose questions on service delivery to three ministers this week: co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, public service and administration minister Thulas Nxesi, and minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele.
On Tuesday NGO the Trade Law Centre, which conducts research on sustainable development and offers input to African governments, will brief the select committee on trade and industry, economic development, small business development, tourism, employment and labour about the World Trade Organization.
On the same day the National Treasury will address the select committee on finance about bills on deposit insurance levies and premiums, and financial sector levies.
On Wednesday the select committee on appropriations will hear from the fiscal commission in dividing the revenue bill for the 2023-2024 financial year. Transnet will brief the select committee on public enterprises and communication on increasing its freight and port capacity to meet market demands. The state-owned enterprise will also update the committee on investigations into alleged misconduct by staff.
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