The South African rand was stronger in early trade on Monday, after private sector activity rose marginally in April. At 0724 GMT, the rand traded at 18.4650 against the dollar, about 0.3% stronger than its previous close.

The initial direct cost of placing South Africa on an energy transition pathway over the coming five years in line with its decarbonisation targets is calculated at a hefty R1.5-trillion in the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP). Less visible, however, are the socioeconomic costs associated with failing to pursue the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of reducing carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions to the lower end of the NDC range of between 420-million and 350-million CO2-eq tons in 2030.

Despite recent efforts to bolster electricity generation capacity, the path to energy security remains full of obstacles. The integration of renewable energy, particularly wind power, is critical to these efforts, says the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA).

A pioneering solution has been developed to convert cellulose fibre-rich waste from pulp and paper mill operations into ethanol using a specialised fermentation process. The solution was announced by the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (Pamsa), in collaboration with Stellenbosch University (SU), Sappi Southern Africa and Mpact.

Although South African ports are sheltered from swell waves, three of them – Cape Town, Ngqura and Saldanha – can and do experience what are called infra-gravity waves. These are a category of gravity waves, which are waves travelling along the surface of the sea (where it interfaced with the atmosphere, technically another ‘fluid’) and whose dynamics are dominated by the effects of gravity. Infra-gravity waves are distinguished by having periods of greater than 30 seconds. Researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR’s) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, in Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape province, also referred to infra-gravity waves as ‘long waves’. These waves, CSIR senior technologist Chris Troch explained, could create resonance in the waters of harbour basins. In turn, this resonance could cause severe ship motions (in moored vessels), which disrupted the loading and unloading of cargo.

The average payment for ransomware attacks has increased by 500% in the past year to $2-million, up from $400 000 in 2023, cybersecurity firm Sophos reports in its 'State of Ransomware 2024' report. Additionally, excluding ransom payments, the survey found the average cost of recovery reached $2.73-million, which is an increase of almost $1-million from the $1.82-million that Sophos reported in 2023.

Against the backdrop of a high unemployment rate among South Africa’s youth, beermaker South African Breweries (SAB) has launched the first edition of its SAB Talent Challenge. The SAB explains that the programme aims to turn “traditional talent attraction practice on its head through this progressive challenge, as a recruitment tool.”

South Africa is enjoying a rare streak of uninterrupted electricity right before elections, drawing more suspicion than praise in a nation that’s become accustomed to the daily power cuts that have dragged on for years. The country is currently in its fourth successive week of no outages — the longest period South Africans have consistently had electricity supply in more than two years. The recovery coincides with political parties ramping up their campaigns before the May 29 vote, in which the ruling African National Congress (ANC) risks losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in three decades. Almost two-thirds of people in a BrandMapp-Silverstone survey last year said they’d consider not voting for the ANC because of power cuts. A prolonged resumption of the outages is likely to result in a lower voter turnout — a scenario that could work in favour of the main opposition Democratic Alliance, which has previously had a good record in getting its supporters to cast ballots. The DA has put the improved power supply down to the state quadrupling the billions of rands it spends on diesel to run emergency plants over the past four years. The government insists it’s the result of the work state utility Eskom has done on repairing its facilities.

Construction group Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) and renewable energy company Sola Group have completed construction of the Merak 2 & 3 solar photovoltaic projects near Lichtenburg, in North West. The two solar plants, with capacities of 130 MW and 126 MW, respectively, span an area of 4 km2 and will deliver power through a wheeling agreement to mineral sands miner Tronox.

State-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has embarked on a ramp up of GF-class coal trains from 21 a week to 28 a week, supported by an injection of locomotives. This is part of Transnet’s recovery plan initiatives, and a commitment made to the City of uMhlathuze leadership and other stakeholders during the Stakeholder Collaboration on Truck Congestion Solutions meeting held in the Port of Richards Bay, in KwaZulu-Natal, on November 21 last year.