June started disastrously and only got worse as the days passed. The month began with some unbearable passing of the political buck over who was to blame for the inhumane demolition of some 80... 

In early May, South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi surprised many when he described the transition from coal to renewable energy was “inevitable”. Now,... 

Then there were ten! In reality, far more than ten individuals have occupied the top job at State-owned electricity utility Eskom over its 96-year history. However, following Thulani Gcabashe’s... 

The ‘13 Minutes to the Moon’ podcast series being broadcast by the BBC World Service to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing holds several inspiration lessons for South Africa as... 

A new report on global energy investment in 2018 points to an ongoing misalignment between approved expenditure on new fuel and power projects and meeting the twin goals security of supply and... 

The mood at the media conference hosted in February at the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) 7 Rissik Street head office in downtown Johannesburg was beyond angry. President Joseph Montisetse... 

With the 2019 finally elections out of the way, the new administration can expect little or no honeymoon period. The President and his team will have to hit the ground running to stand any chance... 

Asked during a recent interview with Wired magazine what technologies will have the most impact during the next five to 10 years, former US Vice-President, climate campaigner and technology... 

The backstory to the capturing of the first-ever images of a supermassive black hole, taken from the galaxy known as M87, holds lessons for South Africa as we reflect back on 25 years of democracy.... 

Economic growth across sub-Saharan Africa remained below population growth for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, with the region’s largest economies, including South Africa, continuing to act as... 

During a recent lecture in South Africa, world-renowned political scientist and author Francis Fukuyama took his audience on a brief yet comprehensive tour of the global development models that... 

It is interesting to note that the National School of Government’s mandatory and compulsory programmes – launched last month as part of a renewed efforts at improve the governance and... 

In the short-term, the only way for South Africa’s crisis-prone electricity utility to stave off rotational power cuts, or decrease the severity of the load-shedding stages it implements, is to buy... 

Some major changes are under way on both the supply and the demand sides of the global oil market. On the demand side, petrochemicals and jet fuel have emerged as key drivers of oil growth, as... 

Despite the ongoing transition to one where industrial activity is increasingly supported by digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence, primary steel production remains something of... 

Government has finally started to push back against those who blame renewable energy and independent power producers (IPPs) for the current woes at Eskom. Energy Minister Jeff Radebe moved recently... 

Besides confirming additional financial support for Eskom in his Budget address last week, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and the National Treasury also used the occasion to add flesh to the bones... 

It has been death by a thousand cuts. Failed by a series of short-sighted politicians, misguided policymakers and inept executives, Eskom is now truly broke and broken. The utility’s costs have... 

One of the most hotly contested technical points debated during the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) nationwide hearings into Eskom’s application for allowable revenue of... 

Organised business is responding positively and proactively to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to place higher growth at the heart of his Presidency, which is all but certain to continue... 

The World Bank’s latest South Africa Economic Update contains a fact box headlined ‘What is the state of human capital in South Africa?’ that is beyond disturbing. Drawing information form its... 

It has taken nearly ten years – and counting – for South Africa to update its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity. The draft document is currently wending its way though the final,... 

The most recent financial and operational crises at Eskom have brought to the fore the serious economic risks associated with relying on an entity that is simply too big to fail. Its governance... 

With so many urgent problems to deal with at Eskom, it has become difficult to see wood for the trees. As is to be expected in a crisis, the focus is very much on the short-term remedies. Besides... 

It is certainty not news to anyone that Eskom “as it is conceived and is operating today is not sustainable”. Nevertheless, that fact that chairperson Jabu Mabuza made this statement so bluntly at... 

Albeit on the margins, the unfolding narrative suggesting that the current leaders within government and at Eskom are part of a grand conspiracy to weaken the State-owned utility to the point where... 

As an oil price taker, South Africa should be deeply concerned about the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) warning of possible “damaging price spikes in the 2020s” should the current weak... 

By circumstance rather than design, the end states of several of South Africa’s largest – and most troubled – State-owned companies (SoCs) are becoming increasingly discernible. National carrier... 

The recent comment period on the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2018 (IRP 2018) proved useful in bringing to the fore a number of important issues relating to the future of electricity generation... 

South Africa’s electricity sector, from generation to distribution, is at a crossroads. The traditional business model is being disrupted and not merely by the introduction of utility-scale... 

The comment period for the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2018 has closed and it’s now up to the Department of Energy (DoE) to sift through the responses and assess whether or not any adjustments... 

South Africans were naturally preoccupied on October 8 with whether or not Nhlanhla Nene’s offer to resign as Finance Minister would be accepted by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who subsequently...