Ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s much anticipated new Cabinet appointments, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse is urging him not to reappoint Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe, Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande and Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga. Outa also suggests that Ramaphosa consider reducing the size of the new Cabinet. Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage cited systemic inefficiencies, mismanagement, irregularities in procurement processes and corruption, which he said had been observed in all three departments. “Reappointing these Ministers would perpetuate poor performance, with more negative consequences for the country, further impacting service delivery to the people,” he said. Duvenage said that it believed meaningful change for the better would come if Ramaphosa appointed “the right people” to Cabinet, noting that under Mantashe, the mining cadastre system had collapsed, impacting negatively on transparency and investment in South Africa’s mining sector. “In addition, the lack of transparency when it comes to diesel procurement for Eskom’s peak power usage and other dubious activities on his watch, coupled with his alleged involvement in State capture transactions as reported by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, make Mantashe unfit for any Cabinet role,” he said. In discussing Nzimande’s alleged shortcomings, Duvenage pointed to procurement irregularities in the sectoral education and training authorities, universities, technical and vocational education and training colleges, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. Meanwhile, he highlighted that Chikunga’s short tenure as the Minister of Transport and her previous role as deputy minister has been disappointing, pointing to challenges with road safety, corruption in driver’s licence testing and inefficiencies in the Natis vehicle registry system.

On June 24, 501 days after two South African men were allegedly unlawfully arrested in Equatorial Guinea, their families are going to hand over a formal request to Pan-African Parliament (PAP) president Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, in Midrand, to ask the institution to help secure the urgent release of engineers Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham. It is part of the PAP’s mandate to protect the human rights of African citizens, the families say, adding that they will also stage a peaceful demonstration at the PAP’s offices on the day.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang wrapped up separate meetings in Southeast Asia this week, the two partners in the BRICS economic bloc encountered a region keen to join a group seen as a hedge against Western-led institutions. During an interview with Chinese media ahead of Li’s visit to Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared his intention to apply to the bloc after it doubled in size this year by luring Global South nations — partly by offering access to financing but also by providing a political venue independent of Washington’s influence.

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the City of Tshwane's plans to procure 1 000 MW of new electricity generation capacity and how it is likely to proceed with the procurement processes for that capacity.

China's nickel giant Tsingshan Holding Group has started production at its $1-billion steel plant in central Zimbabwe, a company official said on Thursday. Tsingshan's Dinson Iron and Steel Company will produce 600 000 metric tons of carbon steel annually during the first phase of its operations, project director Wilfred Motsi told reporters during a tour of the plant.

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Mxolisi Mgojo says he is confident that work within the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) will continue as political parties grapple to form a coalition government post the national elections held at the end of May. “We partner with the government of the day,” says Mgojo.

A keel-laying ceremony has marked the beginning of construction of a new multipurpose vessel that will increase the marine fleet availability for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) in Cape Town. As the first milestone in the history of a ship, the keel-laying ceremony marks the laying of the large beam around which the hull of the ship will be built.

Since embarking on its sustainability journey in 2008, the V&A Waterfront (V&A) in Cape Town has reduced its energy use by 40%, with 2 MW of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels generating 1 640 000 kWh of clean energy a year. The precinct has also diverted 62% of its waste from landfills. This includes more than 2 300 t of organic waste and 2 100 t of recycling every year.

In February, the National Treasury asked for public comments to be submitted in respect of the newly drafted amendments to the National Treasury Regulations (NTR) 16, and key elements of municipal public-private partnerships (PPPs) legislation, to bring it in line with recommendations based on a complete review of the PPP framework. The closing date for public comments was April 15, with efforts being made to promulgate the new regulations before the close of the current financial year, the National Treasury tells Engineering News & Mining Weekly.

Privately owned construction company GVK-Siya Zama has worked “around the clock” to complete the redevelopment of Cape Town Station, in the Western Cape, into a mixed-use residential and retail space. This despite experiencing one of Cape Town’s wettest winters in ten years last year, which threatened to derail the process.