Daily news update: SAA sale, Eskom unbundling and Mkhwebane impeachment

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Daily news update 12 May

Taxpayers’ final R3.5 billion gift: What to expect from the ‘new SAA’

It’s official. The government has now signed the agreement to sell a controlling shareholding in loss-making South African Airways (SAA) to the Takatso Consortium.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan confirmed this during an address to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday.

Gordhan reiterated previous promises that it will be the new controlling shareholder’s responsibility to fund the airline going forward.

Taxpayers are off the hook, save for a provision that government will pay the R3.5 billion that was previously agreed to finalise the business rescue process.

Eskom unbundling: Stage set for private electricity generation

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter said the unbundling of the ailing parastatal, as one of it’s most urgent priorities, is on track.

De Ruyter explained the aim of seperating crucial departments is to encourage private electricity generation.

“We have legally separated the transmission entity that was completed in time as per the deadline set by government and we are now in the process of operationalizing the business.

That should take place by September of this year and then we will have the tool at our disposal to allow for a far more liberalised approach to electricity trading to start to take hold.”

Parliament to proceed with Mkhwebane’s impeachment process amid SMS scandal

Parliament has decided yet again to proceed with the impeachment process against Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane amid a controversial leak.

Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Section 194 Inquiry met on Wednesday to discuss the process into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.

This is after the public protector saw her rescission application dismissed by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) last Thursday, 6 May.

Apartheid-era flag represents white domination over black bodies, argues Ngcukaitobi

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has heard that the apartheid-era flag in contemporary South Africa, “continues to represent white domination over black bodies”.

This was the argument from the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) on Wednesday, during the lobby group AfriForum’s bid to overturn the Equality Court’s judgment in 2019 that declared the “gratuitous displays” of the flag hate speech.

The court had ruled in favour of the NMF and the SA Human Rights Commission after they approached it, asking that the exhibition of the flag in public and private spaces be stopped.

‘Biggest in history’: State insurer blames police for R27bn loss from July riots

The South African Special Risks Insurance Association (Sasria) has seemingly laid the blame for its historical financial loss as a result of the 2021 July unrest at the door of the South African Police Service (Saps).

Two weeks ago, Sasria informed Parliament’s Select Committee on Finance that it is projected to suffer a loss of approximately R27.8 billion in the 2021/22 financial year, compared to a profit of R2 billion in the previous year.

This is despite more than R20 billion as a capital injection from the National Treasury.

Kidnappings for ransom on the rise – How to avoid becoming a victim

As the Police Anti-Kidnapping Task Team continues to crack down on kidnappings for ransom syndicates, crime statistics released by the police ministry paint a grim picture of the scourge plaguing various communities across the country.

According to the stats, between October and December last year, 2 605 kidnapping cases were reported, which is 686 more compared to the previous reporting period.

The last four months of 2021 showed the highest number of reported kidnappings in five years.

Police arrest four suspects for 2019 murder of ANC councillors

Police in Limpopo arrested four suspects on Tuesday in connection to the murder of two Mogalakwena ANC councillors.

The suspects were arrested at different locations in Sekgakgapheng, Moshate, Tshamahansi and Mokopane town.

They are expected to appear at the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of murder and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition.

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