MK Party demands full bid record for energy tender awarded to former Eskom exec Oberholzer
On Friday, the electricity department announced the preferred bidders of its Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme.
Out of the five available projects, four were awarded to the renewable energy company, Mulilo Energy.
In September 2023, Mulilo appointed Oberholzer as its chairperson just two months after he left Eskom as its chief operating officer.
MK Party national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said: "The MK Party has written formally to the minister of electricity and energy, demanding full disclosure of the bid adjudication records within seven days. Should the minister fail to comply, the MK Party will immediately approach the courts to interdict and suspend these contracts."
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Daily Maverick
7 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
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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. 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Banga was the guest of Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, who is driving the development of Mozambique's untapped energy sources. The 48-year-old Chapo (the governing party, Frelimo's, candidate) was elected president following the disputed October 2024 elections. The development of the war-ravaged country is at the centre of his plans. Ambitious renewable energy plans Chapo said the main objective of the World Bank's visit was to identify areas of possible investment in the country's energy plans. 'Mozambique has a geographic location that allows for wind farms, so we are currently working with the World Bank Group, through the IFC (International Finance Corporation) which is part of the World Bank Group. 'We can have a public-private partnership, who can come and invest in this entire energy matrix we're talking about – producing electricity through hydroelectric plants, solar plants, gas plants, and also wind farms,' said Chapo. Speaking after a tour of Cahora Bassa, Banga said Mozambique had the potential of becoming the 'energy powerhouse' of southern Africa. 'Frankly, in this part of Africa, nobody has the capacity or capability to do what can be done with the assets of this country. 'We are discussing with the government of Mozambique the idea of investing in another 1,500MW downstream from (Cahora Bassa). 'And then in the meantime, we're also doing some investing in solar capacity, 400MW. And then (Chapo) has some master plans, which I think are even more interesting in terms of adding more capacity (at Cahora Bassa) and renovating this plant and then adding further downstream,' said Banga. Cahora Bassa is a major contributor to the Mozambican economy. It generated $547-million in revenue in 2024 and contributed $302-million to the southern African country's fiscus in the same year. 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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His trip was sponsored by the Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), the company that operates the Cahora Bassa plant.
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The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
MK Party demands resignation of KZN MECs, slams 'Dynasty Driven by Corruption'
Hope Ntanzi | Published 1 day ago The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has called for the immediate resignation of KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane and Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka, following what it describes as serious and deeply troubling revelations of corruption, abuse of power, and political patronage. The party has given both MECs until July 26, 2025, to resign, failing which it will submit a formal removal request to the Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Nontembeko Boyce. In a statement, the MK Party expressed "deep concern and serious disappointment at the troubling revelations recently brought to light" and stated that its caucus in the provincial legislature refuses to address Simelane and Hlomuka as "Honourable", saying the title "is meant to uphold integrity, not be inherited and stained through corruption". The party claims that Simelane's family business, Kwazi-Gugu Investments CC, allegedly received duplicated payments totaling R1.42 million from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture. It further alleged that in 2008, her family controversially acquired a farm through a loan from Ithala Bank, then led by Zweli Mkhize, who also allegedly facilitated an R11.8 million loan for his own wife. From 2014 to 2019, Simelane chaired the KZN Legislature's Agriculture Portfolio Committee, overseeing the same department accused of funnelling funds to her family. According to the party, these financial benefits continued even after her appointment as Health MEC, while public healthcare services deteriorated and hospitals reportedly ran short of medication. MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said: 'This is not governance. This is nothing else but a dynasty driven by corruption.' The party also accuses Hlomuka of presiding over a compromised Department of Education, citing allegations of political interference in the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), tender rigging, and procurement manipulation. A leaked list of service providers, allegedly handpicked and linked to Hlomuka, has emerged, pointing to what the party describes as an unlawful network of political patronage. The improper appointment of the Department of Education's CFO, the party says, further reveals deep systemic rot under Hlomuka's leadership. Ndhlela added: 'The MK Party's caucus in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature rightfully refuse to address Sipho Hlomuka and Nomagugu Simelane as 'Honourable', when this title is meant to uphold integrity, not be inherited and stained through corruption.' The MK Party is demanding the immediate suspension of what it calls a "rotten and illegal tender process" and has called for a full, independent investigation. It is also calling on the President to issue a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe the matter, and for the Auditor-General, the Public Protector, and the Hawks to urgently investigate all public funds received by Kwazi-Gugu Investments CC and any other entities linked to the implicated individuals. 'Our country is not, and will never be, a feeding trough for ANC-linked elites. The people of South Africa have suffered enough and will no longer fund political dynasties while their children starve and services collapse. "We, the MK Party, will not stand idly by while corruption wears the mask of leadership. This is a fight for truth, dignity and the future of our people," said Ndhlela. When approached for comment, spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health told IOL: 'Please direct your queries to the ANC. She occupies her current position through ANC deployment, not through the Department of Health.' Attempts to obtain a response from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education spokesperson were unsuccessful, while the ANC's KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson indicated that a response would be provided in due course. The ANC's response will be included once it has been received. [email protected] Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
