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Ramokgopa refutes 'conflict of interest' claims in Oberholzer scoring R9.5bn battery storage tender

Ramokgopa refutes 'conflict of interest' claims in Oberholzer scoring R9.5bn battery storage tender

TimesLIVE25-06-2025
Electricity and energy minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa has strongly rejected allegations of any wrongdoing in Eskom's decision to give a R9.5bn energy tender to a company chaired by one of its former COOs, Jan Oberholzer.
Ramokgopa told MPs on Wednesday there was 'no substantial evidence' to back up allegations of 'conflict of interests' between Eskom and Oberholzer's Mulilo Energy scoring a R9.5bn battery-storage tender, as part of the utility's renewable energy programmes.
Ramokgopa was responding to oral questions from MPs in the National Assembly on Wednesday during the appearance of cabinet ministers in the economic cluster.
MK Party MP Sipho Mbatha, who had put the question to Ramokgopa, had made the allegation of a conflict of interest in the deal between Eskom and Mulilo Energy.
The business transaction has also been slammed by other parties such the EFF, the Black Business Council, and trade unions such the NUM.
But Ramokgopa stuck to his guns, telling lawmakers that no evidence of a conflict of interest or any form of wrongdoing had been found during Eskom's due diligence on the Mulilo transaction.
'Mulilo did comply with the requirement of public disclosure. They made it known to the independent procurement office that its chairperson is a former COO of Eskom.
'And in that regard the IPP office then initiated a process where we sought legal advice from an independent assessor and a determination was made that there was no conflict [of] interest and therefore the process can unfold as determined, and that's how that process then culminated in us issuing the preferred bidder status,' Ramokgopa explained.
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Mozambique's Cahora Bassa Dam expansion plan offers Eskom a fresh clean energy option
Mozambique's Cahora Bassa Dam expansion plan offers Eskom a fresh clean energy option

Daily Maverick

time24 minutes ago

  • Daily Maverick

Mozambique's Cahora Bassa Dam expansion plan offers Eskom a fresh clean energy option

The Mozambican government-owned hydroelectric power company is looking at Eskom as a potential customer for the additional 1,245MW generation capacity that it plans to add to its existing plant at the Cahora Bassa Dam. Eskom is already the biggest client of the Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), the company that operates the Cahora Bassa Dam plant, with about 60% of the power generated at the dam travelling more than 1,400km on two parallel power lines between Cahora Bassa in Songo, northern Mozambique and the Apollo substation near Pretoria. Cahora Bassa has a 2,075MW generation capacity, and the Mozambican government is in discussions with the World Bank to raise money for the expansion of the dam's northern bank and the construction of a new hydropower plant at the Mphanda Nkuwa Dam. The latter dam is downstream from Cahora Bassa, also along the same Zambezi River, and is expected to generate 1,500MW of clean energy. The expansion of the Cahora Bassa Dam scheme has received the backing of the World Bank and will increase generation capacity through the installation of three turning turbines – each generating 415MW. The projects are estimated to cost more than $6-billion. With Eskom under pressure to keep the grid stable while trying to meet obligations to use cleaner energy sources, the power utility's spokesperson Daphne Mokwena told Daily Maverick that HCB's plans were in line with Eskom's mandate. 'One of Eskom's mandates is to ensure a reliable, sustainable and clean energy grid for the country. Eskom will review all HCB plans for future growth and give feedback once all the relevant details have been presented,' she said. Mozambique has its own challenges as it has to meet its domestic electricity demand and has set a target of 2030 to meet this need. According to the World Bank 2023 figures, only 36% of the Mozambican population had access to electricity, compared with 87.7% in South Africa. In February 2024, Bloomberg reported – based on an unpublished energy transition strategy – that the Mozambican government intended to end the partnership with Eskom when the contract expired in December 2030. Eskom said talks on the matter were yet to be concluded. Said Mokwena: 'As the discussions are ongoing, there has been no conclusion on this matter. Eskom is therefore not able to comment on this question at this stage'. However, Mokwena stressed that while Eskom continues to buy power from HCB, the utility 'will continue to rely on its own generation fleet'. 'Notably, the returned 800MW from Medupi Unit 4, the additional new 800MW capacity from Kusile Unit 6, and the planned return of 930MW from Koeberg Unit 1 by August 2025 will significantly boost available capacity,' she said. The 50-year-old Cahora Bassa Dam scheme is a Mozambican government flagship and was showcased to World Bank President Ajay Banga, who visited Mozambique last week. 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HCB CEO Tomás Matola said that while they continued to make a major contribution to the Mozambican economy, the age of the plant was a threat to its revenue plans. He told the World Bank's Banga that they needed to refurbish Cahora Bassa's generators to future-proof the plant. Said Matola: 'From the supply side, our big challenge is because of the age of our equipment. It is 50 years old, so all our equipment is obsolete, so now we need to do a deep rehabilitation of our power plant and substations.' Southern Africa presently has a shortage of 10,000MW, while Mozambique plans to increase its power generation for the benefit of the domestic and the regional market. 'In Mozambique, we do have a challenge of electrification of all the country… So we have increasing demand from the domestic market, but also the regional market,' said Matola. 'As we need to diversify our power matrix, we have a project for producing 400MW of photovoltaic power. 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South Africa's G20 Meeting: Tackling illicit financial flows and advancing social protection
South Africa's G20 Meeting: Tackling illicit financial flows and advancing social protection

IOL News

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South Africa's G20 Meeting: Tackling illicit financial flows and advancing social protection

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Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Ramokgopa said they are also committed to drawing further on the advances and advantages of digitalisation while being mindful not to exacerbate inequalities through the digital divide. 'To uphold our commitments and transform discussions into meaningful action, we have empowered the Social Protection Interagency Board (SPIAC-B), in partnership with the ILO, to monitor and annually report to the G20 DWG on the progress made in realising this call to action,' Ramokgopa said. Ramokgopa said investment in social protection remains dangerously low. 'We need to shape all of society to understand social protection as an investment in human capital, which can be leveraged as a tool for inclusive economic growth and transformation of the economy and labour market,' Ramokgopa said. Ramokgopa added that while the demand for SDG financing escalates, official development flows and domestic fiscal capacities remain insufficient. Blended finance has mobilised only $213 billion to date, with the least-developed countries receiving a paltry 6%. 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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reviewed the outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, while the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) showcased its RELISA initiative as a practical example of sustainability.

Operation Vulindlela: Big on policy but low on results
Operation Vulindlela: Big on policy but low on results

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time2 days ago

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