>>18103960

>Glencore, in which President Cyril Ramaphosa previously served as chairperson

>Ramaphosa was in partnership with Glencore while a director of Shanduka Group, a diversified industrial company with significant coal mining interests including a stake in OCM – later sold to Gupta-owned Tegeta Resources in 2016.

“Eskom loses billions on coal contracts”

https://mg.co.za/article/2019-04-05-00-eskom-loses-billions-on-coal-contracts/

5 Apr 2019

Broke state power utility Eskom is losing billions of rands by paying different prices to suppliers for the same quality coal.

The result of this is a loss of R1.4-billion, at worst, on two contracts alone. Eskom is paying one supplier, Glencore, double the price it is paying another, smaller supplier for the same quality coal.

An analysis of a spreadsheet of some of Eskom’s short- and mid-term contracts entered into last year, and seen by the Mail & Guardian,show a R343.41 difference between Glencore’s R607.01/tonne price for coal (with a calorific value of 20.5) and the cheapest supplier of the same quality coal, Stuart’s Coal, which is priced at R263.63/tonne.

The analysis also revealed Eskom has been paying five different prices to five different companies, including Glencore and Stuart’s Coal, for the same quality coal.

In another example, Eskom contracted Glencore to deliver 21.50CV coal to Kriel power station at R665.85/tonne, but it also contracted Welgemeend Colliery to deliver the same quality coal to Matla power station at R342.28/tonne. The saving on this transaction, had Eskom paid the same, would have been R291-million.

It is critical to note that the prices listed here do not include transportation costs, which, depending on mode of transport and distance between the mine and the power station, could easily add a further R90-R300 per tonne.

“The high price of coal connections”

https://mg.co.za/article/2019-10-11-00-the-high-price-of-coal-connections/

11 Oct 2019

The taxpayer will be burdened with a roughly R10-billion bill over the next six years, because Eskom has failed to negotiate a standard price for the coal it burns to keep the lights on.

The Mail & Guardian can reveal that Eskom has contracted 16 coal-producing companies to provide it with more than 70-million tonnes of coal in the next six years at a cost of more than R38-billion.

But Eskom could have saved about R10-billion — or nearly R4.5-million a day — had it negotiated a better deal.

Responding to M&G questions, Eskom said it was untrue that it has failed to negotiate coal prices but rather it ended up paying higher prices due to a rapid decline of coal stock. [BS! Creating a demand as there are 1 000s of hectares of land in the Lephale area with shallow coal which can be mined. Now the Russia/Ukraine conflict has increased prices global. All orchestrated as crisis are good for big business.]

One former Eskom executive asked: “Why was it wrong when the Guptas were being paid more and it is now okay when it is companies such as Glencore and Seriti?” adding that if there was no reason to pay such high prices then, why now?

A senior Eskom official, who did not want to be named, told the M&G that the prices varied from one mine to another: “Prices from old contracts were cheaper … emergencies created from 2008 and future years pushed prices up. Transport prices are currently inflated to benefit suppliers with connected officials. Some prices are inflated — claiming good quality coal, which is not true.”

>>18103955

>Investigations are also ongoing into Eskom being billed for thousands of litres of fuel oil that never gets delivered to its power plants.

“Eskom officials, police involved in syndicate stealing millions worth of fuel from Kriel Power Station – report”

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/eskom-fuel-kriel-may-2022/

16 May 2022

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter says the theft of fuel at Kriel Power Station is disrupting their operations

A sophisticated criminal syndicate has reportedly been stealing millions of rand worth of fuel at Eskom’s Kriel Power Station in Mpumalanga.

Investigative journalism unit, amaBhungane, on Monday, reported that the syndicate worked in cahoots with Eskom officials, police and trucking companies to steal fuel from the coal-powered station.

The syndicate has reportedly been exploiting a design flaw at the station that has to do with a weigh bridge.

Eskom’s Kriel Power Station uses fuel-oil at start-up or during unstable furnace conditions to ignite or stabilise the coal flame. The fuel-oil is reportedly stored in four storage tanks with a combined capacity of 1,350 tons.

A truck driver who spoke to amaBhungane, on condition of anonymity, said unlike other power stations owned by Eskom, the weigh bridge at Kriel was outside the power station and not inside the Eskom yard.

“This gives a chance for trucks to drive to other locations to offload and then come back to weigh,” the truck driver was quoted as saying.

Among the reasons behind the theft of fuel at Kriel were reportedly lax security and officials not playing an oversight role to determine the amount of fuel being ordered.

Three drivers amaBhungane spoke to claimed that a full tanker was usually worth between R500,000 and R1 million, depending on the size of a tanker and the type of fuel.

On the black market, the minimum price for the load would be R250,000.

Cash deposit payments

Sources claimed that Eskom and police officials involved in the syndicate received and made payments via cash deposits at automatic teller machines, which made them difficult to trace.

A truck driver was arrested outside Kriel Power Station on 18 March after he was allegedly caught with a tanker full of stolen fuel.

Douglas Ndivhatzo Ralulimi, 39, is reportedly out on bail of R10,000.

The theft case was taken over by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.

The Hawks declined to comment when approached for comment by amaBhungane, arguing that the investigation was still active.

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter acknowledged the amaBhungane story during a media briefing on Monday on load shedding.

Without elaborating on the matter, De Ruyter said the theft of fuel by criminal syndicates at Kriel was disrupting their operations.

“That plant currently has two units completely out and partial load losses of 300MW. So that’s another 900MW of capacity we do not have available,” he said.

The Citizen has reached out to Eskom for comment. The story will be updated once comment is received.

>>17910156

>>>17774332 Global energy restructuring veteran KW Miller says nothing comes even close to the Eskom disaster (video)

“Global energy restructuring veteran KW Miller says nothing comes even close to the Eskom disaster”

https://youtu.be/be4vChJ3E1s

Oct 31, 2022

Now that the ANC government has finally admitted defeat on Eskom by ending its monopoly and last week promising to assume up to ⅔ of its massive debt burden, the facade is being stripped from SA's teetering electricity provider. Global energy turnaround specialist KW Miller, who calls Eskom an "operationally dysfunctional, financially insolvent, unreliable and corrupt entity" says the path forward will be determined by the actions of creditors which own a large chunk of mostly SA government-guaranteed Eskom debt that he says is far higher than the official number of R400bn. Eskom has tapped global bond markets for decades - and according to Miller those who own the debt are now insisting the disaster be urgently addressed. In this powerful interview with Alec Hogg of BizNews.com, media-shy Miller says the only route now open for SA's State-owned electricity provider is for the private sector to take over the productive assets to cut off third-party leeches and criminal syndicates that continue to bleed the utility. Abu Dhabi-based Miller, who rarely grants interviews, says he "made an exception given the importance of the Eskom restructuring to SA citizens."

22:08 – “Many years ago, must be 12 years ago. Howard Buffet, Warren Buffet’s son and very involved in Berkshire Hathaway and Berkshire Hathaway Energy in the United States who had at that stage a farm in South Africa, offered to get involved with Eskom. He even sent over into action with some of the guys at Eskom, I helped them because I knew both sides to put them together and it seemed imminently sensible but nothing came of it because Eskom refused to take outside help.”

25:45 – “By the way for your viewers, I’m going to give you a heads up now. The South African water system is on the verge of collapse up in the Gauteng area. It’s a mess. I think you’re going to see the next crisis in South Africa will be water but we’ll get to that. But water we focus on because it’s needed for power plants. So with that said you come to a point where you can only cannibalize your economy so much. There’s really nothing else to cannibalize. Everything has been stole, Alec.”

26:18 – “The only thing keeping the criminal syndicates alive in South Africa. You want to know the truth? The coal contracts that they skim off of, the diesel contracts, the renewable contracts. All that money gets skimmed off by various actors in South Africa and it completely wrecks the Energy System there. These are the facts that have been going on for many many years and it’s all come home to roost.”

29:54 – “Forensic audit is required. Now I will tell you for a fact that the current government will never allow a forensic audit of Eskom because they will go to jail. Okay, I could swear out affidavits in the Hague and put about 10 to 15 of the senior ANC officials in jail today. If the creditors wanted to do it, meaning we could basically take them into international courts for all the things they’ve done with the creditors’ money. You follow me. That’s international investors but what good is that, they’ve already got billions parked offshore in Mauritius and other places.”

31:18 – “We put out 2 notices, I’m gonna leave this with you because I think everybody needs to understand. One is we declared a state of emergency in the South African energy market. We did that last week. Okay, you’ll hear more about it. Number 2, we’ve declared Eskom the biggest energy industrial Ponzi scheme in global history. The numbers are off the charts. Eskom is a massive Ponzi scheme when you look at how it’s basically been completely undone from within over the years and all of the corruption and fraud that’s ongoing in the contracts today. Even while the wheels are falling off…It’s astounding! It’s something that most people can’t even comprehend.”

>>18067136

>The document implicates… Pravin Gordhan

>>18067803

>PRAVIN GORDHAN IS AN OLD FRIEND OF WHITE MONOPOLY CAPITAL

>>18067512

>https://uncensoredopinion.co.za/pravins-portfolio-shares-reveals-much-state-capture/

“Charges against Denel executive may backfire” – Part 1

https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/news/charges-against-denel-executive-may-backfire-15b090ab-b2a1-4674-abf2-813d4dfbd7b3

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2023

Johannesburg - The disciplinary case of suspended Denel Dynamics CEO Sello Ntsihlele is set to blow the lid on secret deals to sell the state arms manufacturer's assets to politically connected cronies in bits and pieces to dodge intense public scrutiny.

The bulk of the 18 charges served last month on Ntsihlele relates to his refusal to implement “illegal instructions" to enable the alleged crooked sale of valuable assets, including intellectual property, at a dime.

And for his efforts to block taxpayers' money from subsidising cronies of powerful figures with an interest in the sale of public assets under a blanket restructuring plan that lacked detail, and research and was yet to be approved, Denel seeks to dismiss Ntsihlele if he is found guilty.

A prime example is the charge relating to Denel's attempt to sell three properties at its Irene campus for an amount of R189 million. However, at least one of the three properties was valued at R600m.

An insider asked: "It would cost roughly R1.5 billion to build these three properties from scratch, so why would Denel sell these assets for such a cheap amount? Who stands to benefit from this transaction if the public loses so much?"

Among the charges that betray Denel’s witch-hunt is the allegation that Ntsihlele leaked information to the Sunday Independent about an article last November. The story exposed Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan's intimidation tactics against Ntsihlele on at least two occasions.

Ntsihlele filed four employee grievances last August, including one against Gordhan – who had attacked him verbally – but the company failed to address his concerns. Instead, some of the senior executives who have pressed charges against Ntsihlele are among the people he had lodged grievances against.

According to the charge sheet, Ntsihlele is accused of gross insubordination relating to an incident where his juniors refused a rushed instruction to transfer "valuable" intellectual property on unmanned aerial vehicle designs to a phantom unit when the restructuring plan was still in the consultation phase with unions and employees.

Having failed to persuade the junior staff, Denel executives turned to Ntsihlele and instructed him to instruct his juniors to comply. But he declined for the same reasons that his subordinates had put forth.

"Their argument was that Denel's group CEO, Michael Kgobe, had sufficient executive powers to override all of them and approve the same instruction if he believed he would have been acting within the bounds of the law.“

In the second related gross insubordination charge, Ntsihlele is accused of refusing to “execute an executive management and board decision relating to the implementation of the restructuring process concerning the relocation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)“, including transferring the intellectual property to a unit called "Air Capability Division," which was only an idea on paper as part of the restructuring plan and awaiting regulatory approval.

>>18109501

“Charges against Denel executive may backfire” – Part 2

https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/news/charges-against-denel-executive-may-backfire-15b090ab-b2a1-4674-abf2-813d4dfbd7b3

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2023

In another incident, reflected in the charge sheet, Denel created work streams in a bid to bypass Ntsihlele's authority and gain access to information that he and others were protecting. When the scheme failed, the senior Denel executive came back to Ntsihlele and instructed him to enable the approval of the process by giving these work streams access to Denel Dynamics ICT resources.

He refused because it was not his task since he was not part of the work streams, said an insider. Also, said the person, "there was an impact study outstanding, which was expected to provide a scientific assessment of whether the move would benefit Denel or not”.

The Sunday Independent learnt that the work streams incident was at the centre of Ntsihlele’s grievance against the executives from the group.

Other charges include:

FAILURE TO ACT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE EMPLOYER: Ntsihlele is accused of failing and/ or neglecting to intervene in the disconnection of the Integrated Systems Solutions from the Denel Dynamics ICT system, during December 2021 allegedly by one of his subordinates, known to the publication, who has since left the company.

DISHONESTY: It is alleged that in an act of dishonesty, he claimed ignorance of Denel Dynamics’ decision to terminate one of the subunits' access to ICT services despite having been copied in the email communication regarding the disconnection. It is not clear why this is apportioned to Ntsihlele or his business unit as it would appear that other executives were copied in the said email.

GROSS MISCONDUCT: Ntsihlele is charged for promoting one of his subordinates against a directive from Group HR who apparently passed away sometime in July 2022.

DERELICTION OF DUTY: It is alleged that he signed a teaming agreement with a company co-owned by a former Denel executive who was dismissed by Denel as its Group CFO and financial director.

Kgobe said in the letter accompanying the charge sheet that Ntsihlele “failed to exercise a duty of good faith towards Denel, acted in a matter that infringes upon the trust relationship, and failed to comply with the express, implied and tacit terms of your employment contract, by making yourself guilty of gross misconduct”.

“In light of the aforementioned, you are required to attend a disciplinary hearing. The disciplinary hearing will take place on a date, time and venue to be communicated to you in due course,” Kgobe wrote in a letter dated December 12, last year.

Not leaving anything to chance, Denel has enlisted the services of an upmarket Sandton law firm Clive Dekker Hofmeyr to prosecute Ntsihlele.

“You are invited to obtain legal representation at your own cost. Denel will appoint an independent person to chair the hearing, whose details will also be communicated to you in due course", added Kgobe.

>>17930886

>>17981148

“Talks on second Russia-African Summit on agenda, Lavrov and Pandor discuss bilateral issues | WION” - https://youtu.be/hkwk4Or0Rg0

“PICS: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in high-level talks with Minister Naledi Pandor in Pretoria”

https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/pics-russias-foreign-minister-sergey-lavrov-in-high-level-talks-with-minister-naledi-pandor-in-pretoria-9c9a346e-ffa6-4757-b2ed-36fb9c10e2e5

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023

Pretoria - Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Dr Naledi Pandor is today hosting the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, in Pretoria.

The two ministers will this morning hold bilateral talks. The top diplomats will also exchange views on issues of common bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.

Lavrov is in South Africa on an official visit at the invitation of Pandor. The tour has attracted criticism from some sections, owing to Russia’s invasion of its neighbour Ukraine, given South Africa’s neutral stance in the conflict.

However, South Africa has maintained strong ties with its partners in the BRICS forum – Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa were established on February 28, 1992.

In 2022, South Africa and the Russian Federation celebrated 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the Department of International Relations and Co-operation says the historical links between the two countries remain strong.

The former USSR was one of the key supporters of the struggle for liberation in South Africa. South Africa became the first African state to recognise the independence of the Russian Federation post dissolution of the USSR.

The Declaration on a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of South Africa and the Russian Federation was signed on the margins of the 5th BRICS summit that was held in Durban in March 2013 by heads of state of South Africa and the Russian Federation.

That declaration affirmed the strategic partnership between South Africa and Russia and set the principles and framework for an equitable and mutually beneficial partnership that will support the two countries national development priorities, the African agenda and the establishment of a peaceful, just and democratic global governance system. The signing of the Declaration on a Strategic Partnership in 2013 was preceded by the South Africa-Russia Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation that was signed during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to South Africa in 2006.

Political bilateral relations between South Africa and the Russian Federation, which cover a range of issues, are at a strategic level. However, analysts have highlighted that the current economic relations between the two friendly nations do not match the high level of political relations.

>>18203009

“SA-China-Russia military exercise: Thandi Modise hits back at critics, says there was ‘no hype’ when US Army came”

https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/sa-china-russia-military-exercise-thandi-modise-hits-back-at-critics-says-there-was-no-hype-when-us-army-came-ff273e1f-5d74-4fa8-9720-0705aa0178c7

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023

Pretoria - The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans has hit back at widespread critics of the forthcoming military exercise where South Africa hosts the People’s Liberation Army Navy of China, and the Russian Federal Navy during a multilateral maritime exercise scheduled to take place from February 17.

Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise said the exercise is highly beneficial for the three navies.

In recent months, South African military forces have had engagements with their counterparts including the UK, the People’s Republic of China, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana.

“There was no hype about any of these countries, especially with regard to the United States of America, wherein we held an even longer exercise, known as Exercise Shared ACCORD in KwaZulu-Natal last year regarding our military health capabilities,” said Modise.

She said the SANDF planned and budgeted for military exercises with other nations across the globe, both at bilateral and multilateral levels.

“Exercise MOSI II is no exception, including the Exercise Shared ACCORD we held with our USA armed forces counterparts. In addition, the biennial maritime Exercise Oxide between South Africa and France took place in November last year at the Simon’s Town Naval Base,” said Modise.

“We wish to state categorically that South Africa, like any independent and sovereign state, has a right to conduct its foreign relations in line with its own diplomatic relations and national interests.

“South Africa sees Exercise MOSI II as an opportunity to contribute towards further strengthening the strong bonds that exist between South Africa, Russia and China,” she said.

The former Speaker of Parliament highlighted that contrary to widespread assertions by critics, South Africa was not abandoning its neutral position on the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

“We remain firm in our view that multilateralism and dialogue are keys to unlock sustainable international peace. We continue to urge both parties to engage in dialogue as a solution to the current conflict,” said Modise.

Code-named Exercise Mosi II, the major maritime joint exercise is due to take place in Durban and Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal from February 17 to 27.

The exercise will be the second time of such co-operation comprising the three naval forces, with the first one held in November 2019 in Cape Town.

This year’s Exercise MOSI II will see more than 350 SANDF personnel from various arms of services and divisions participating alongside their Russian and Chinese counterparts.

Modise said she was confident that Exercise MOSI II would benefit all three participating nations.

“The envisaged exercise will benefit all countries involved through interoperability of the naval systems, joint disaster systems management enhancement, maritime cooperation and anti-piracy exercises,” she said.

In addition, Exercise MOSI II would serve as a platform for the three nations to share operational skills, expertise and experience.

South Africa enjoyed cordial diplomatic relations with all member states of BRICS (Brazil, Russia and China) at a bilateral level, in addition to the multilateral levels.

“We also enjoy defence diplomatic relations with several countries across all the continents of the world since we have become an integral part of the community of nations and no longer a pariah State,” said the minister.

“Court battle looms over load shedding, Eskom tariff hike”

https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/news/court-battle-looms-over-load-shedding-eskom-tariff-hike-507ab7f1-f4ad-46db-b67a-8dcc5d216759

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023

Johannesburg - Eskom and the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) are facing legal action to force the troubled power utility to end load shedding and reverse the recently approved an 18.65% tariff hikes from April 1.

The DA wants to interdict the implementation of the decision to effect the increases pending another application to challenge the government’s implementation of load shedding and its general response to the country’s energy crisis.

In papers filed at the North Gauteng High Court this week, DA leader John Steenhuisen states that part B of the official opposition’s application is a semi-urgent review of various decisions taken by the government in response to the ongoing energy crisis.

"Nersa decided that Eskom is entitled to recover R318 billion from all its customers in the 2023/24 financial year and R352bn in the next financial year. These revenues appear to translate to an increase in electricity tariffs of over 30% in the next two years,” reads the DA’s founding affidavit.

According to the DA, Nersa’s decision is inconsistent with the Constitution and the party wants the high court to declare it as such and to set it aside. It argues that Nersa and Eskom shouldn’t implement the decision to increase tariffs as it is irrational, unlawful and unreasonable.

The DA cites Nersa, Eskom, President Cyril Ramaphosa and a number of his Cabinet ministers and the nine provincial premiers as respondents.

”Nersa’s decision constitutes an irrational, unreasonable retrogressive measure,” the DA said, adding that Eskom’s tariffs had increased by 653% for all customers since 2007.

Steenhuisen said Nersa’s decision was based on the flawed premise that an increase in tariffs will somehow assist the power utility in recovering from its financial circumstances and providing electricity to its customers.

In a separate matter, Mabuza Attorneys, Buthelezi Vilakazi Inc, Makangela Mtungani Inc, Mketsu & Associates Inc, Mphahlele & Masipa Inc, Madlanga & Partners Inc and Ntanga Nkuhlu Inc Attorneys, as well UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, Build One South Africa founder Mmusi Maimane, the IFP, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA and policy analyst Lukhona Mnguni, among others, are demanding an end to load shedding.

"That load shedding will stop with immediate effect, and if not, a full explanation about why the government is unable to stop load shedding with immediate effect.

“In the alternative, we are instructed to demand a specific timetable as to when load shedding will end, and the reasons for the said timetable,” reads the letter from Mabuza Attorneys to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Eskom.

The group is demanding that the state commits to compensating everyone who has suffered quantifiable financial losses because of load shedding.

Gordhan and Eskom were given until yesterday (Friday) to give the undertakings sought by Mabuza Attorneys’ clients or face a court application to secure appropriate relief.

"If we are compelled to bring proceedings which we hope to avoid, papers shall be lodged on January 23, 2023, for urgent relief,” the law firm threatened.

“Ramaphosa: SA’s current energy crisis a result of a ‘perfect storm’”

https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/ramaphosa-sas-current-energy-crisis-a-result-of-a-perfect-storm-2b80f864-af1c-49fc-b05f-019b16d632f9

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2023

Durban - President Cyril Ramaphosa, who cancelled a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos last week in order to deal with the country’s energy crisis, has warned South Africans to buckle up and ride out the load shedding storm as there were no quick fixes to the problem.

Writing in his weekly address to the nation, from The Desk of The President, Ramaphosa acknowledged the Sowetan’s hard-hitting front-page article last week. The article had listed the small businesses that had gone under due to the crippling load shedding.

He said the energy crisis has been many years in the making and had created a “perfect storm”.

“Though it may be easy to blame our present woes on dysfunctionality at Eskom, a combination of factors have contributed to the crisis. It is important to recall the reasons for the current situation so that our response tackles the causes of our crisis, not just the symptoms. Lack of investment in new generating capacity, poor power plant maintenance, corruption and criminality, sabotage of infrastructure, rising municipal debt and a lack of suitable skills at Eskom have all created a perfect storm,” he said.

A long-term sustainable solution would need to address all the factors in combination, Ramaphosa added.

Eskom had imported 300MW of capacity from neighbouring countries. Negotiations were under way to secure an additional 1 000MW. Eskom was also working to buy surplus power from companies, with available generation capacity for three years.

Ramaphosa said the government had signed agreements for 25 projects from bid windows 5 and 6 of the renewable energy programme. The projects would soon proceed to the construction phase. Collectively, they represent 2 800MW of new capacity.

“To increase the overall supply of electricity, in addition to what Eskom provides, we have taken steps to enable substantial investment by private power producers in new generation capacity. The licensing requirement for embedded generation projects has been removed. Since we first raised the licensing threshold to 100MW, the pipeline of private sector projects has grown to more than 100 projects with over 9 000MW of capacity. We have cut red tape and streamlined regulatory processes, reducing the timeframes for environmental authorisations, registration of new projects and grid connection approvals,” he said.

>>18271064

>In its final statement the SADC “condemned the upsurge of conflicts and activities of armed groups.” in the eastern region of DR Congo, where Pope Francis began a visit in Kinshasa on Tuesday.

“"Hands off Africa": Pope Francis denounces "economic exploitation" during visit to DRC” - https://youtu.be/imfqBEaHct0

“Pope Francis visit to the DRC”

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/pope-francis-visit-to-the-drc-2-february-2023/

02-02-2023 15:42

‘The pope will bring us peace’; Many citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo pin their hopes on Pope Francis.

Pope Francis has touched in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a six-day visit to the African continent.

FIRST PAPAL VISIT SINCE 1985

This is the first time that a pope has visited the DRC since Pope John Paul II in 1985. He demanded an end to what he called “economic colonialism” in Africa.

“Stop choking Africa: It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered,” the Catholic pontiff said in an address at the presidential palace in the country’s capital, Kinshasa.

He said that a history of political exploitation gave way to an ‘economic colonialism that was equally enslaving.’

Half of the DRC’s population which is 90 million strong is Roman Catholic.

PAPAL VISIT IS TO POINT OUT EFFECTS OF CONFLICT

Like Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis’ visit is intended to highlight the devastating effects of decades of conflict in the country. It has led to the replacement of millions of people and poverty.

While the papal plane flew over the Sahara, he held a prayer for “all the people who, searching for a little well-being, a bit of freedom, crossed the desert and didn’t make it.”

Pope Francis will also visit South Sudan.

THOUSANDS PUT THEIR HOPE ON THE POPE

Even with the intense heat thousand of people streamed into the venue. At 6:00, many of the chairs had already been taken and people were sitting on the ground.

Many citizens gathered to pray for peace in the country.

ALSO READ: Pope Francis in DRC: one of his most challenging visits , https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/pope-francis-in-drc-one-of-his-most-challenging-visits-breaking-31-january-2023/

Pope Francis is perceived as a progressive pope. He has led the church in opening to the world, including LGBTI communities, though he has failed to convince women that they are really on the same path as men within the Catholic church because they are not part of the priestly ministry and very few women are involved in top leadership roles. His visit to Africa will highlight the intense participation of women within African social communities.

The Catholic church in Africa is thriving and growing – 20% of the world’s Catholics live in Africa. But the African church is more conservative in doctrine and faith than in Europe, thus Pope Francis will have a somewhat harder time advancing his progressive agenda.

“South African activists and lawyers pursue legal battle” vs big corporations – Part 1

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/south-african-activists-and-lawyers-pursue-legal-batlle-02-february-2023/

02-02-2023 17:40

Article originally published on GroundUp by John Yeld

Six South African activists and public interest lawyers have filed revised papers in their marathon legal battle against Australian miners.

• Six South African activists and public interest lawyers have filed revised papers in their marathon legal battle against a collective R14.25-million “SLAPP” defamation suit.

• This comes in the light of two Constitutional Court judgments that allowed them to amend their pleas within 30 days after it set out the parameters for defence against SLAPP suits for the first time.

• Lawyers for the mining plaintiffs say the defamation case will continue to be pursued.

Six South African activists and public interest lawyers have filed revised papers in their marathon legal battle against a collective R14.25-million “SLAPP” defamation case brought against them by Australian mining interests.

This revision follows a pair of judgments handed down by the Constitutional Court, which for the first time in South African legal history set out parameters for defence against SLAPP suits, and also prescribed limits on defamation action brought by for-profit trading corporations.

SLAPP

SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation, and describes a legal strategy often employed by big corporations that bring defamation actions for huge amounts against individuals who criticise them, as a means of discouraging, censoring, intimidating and silencing these critics.

“The pair of landmark judgments [by the Constitutional Court] … for the first time recognise SLAPP as an abuse of process, and carve out a limitation to trading corporations’ ability to claim damages for reputational harm. The judgments have important consequences for the protection of activism and the rights and responsibilities of corporations in South Africa and beyond,” non-profit activist lawyer group Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) commented after the judgments were handed down in November.

Two of the six defendants were employed by the CER as environmental lawyers at the time of the alleged defamation.

While neither of the Constitutional Court judgments was technically in the six defendants’ favour, they were not penalised with costs, and were given a 30-day window in which to amend their two special pleas in the case.

Notices of intention to amend were duly filed in the Western Cape High Court.

The defendants’ first special plea relates to the court’s ruling that a SLAPP defence must also take the merits of the alleged defamation into account, because improper motive for bringing a case is alone insufficient to warrant dismissal of such an action.

This plea has been amended by the addition of a brief paragraph about merit that reads:

The plaintiffs have weak prospects of succeeding in their claims for defamation against the defendants and/or the relief sought against the defendants.”

The defendants’ second special plea – that “for-profit” trading corporations (such as the two Australian mining company plaintiffs) cannot sue for general damages in defamation cases – has also been amended.

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“South African activists and lawyers pursue legal battle” vs big corporations – Part 2

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/south-african-activists-and-lawyers-pursue-legal-batlle-02-february-2023/

02-02-2023 17:40

COURT

The Constitutional Court found that such corporations can sue for general damages, but not where the allegedly defamatory speech forms part of public discussion on issues of legitimate public interest. This is because awarding such damages would constitute an unjustifiable limitation on the right to freedom of speech.

The defendants’ amended second special plea argues that claims for damages by the first plaintiffs – Mineral Sands Resources and Mineral Commodities Ltd – are bad in law because: the allegedly defamatory statements concerned form part of public discourse and concern an issue of public interest; and the plaintiffs claim general damages and do not allege that they suffered any patrimonial [actual monetary] loss arising from the alleged defamatory statements concerned.

“In the circumstances, the first plaintiffs’ claim for damages falls to be dismissed with costs,” they argue.

There is as yet no indication of whether or when the proposed amendments to the defendants’ special pleas will be opposed by the plaintiffs.

Lawyers for both sets of parties are playing their cards close to their chests in this highly complex and extended case; the first papers were filed more than five years ago.

Ross Kudo, attorney for the plaintiffs, said the defamation action was continuing and that his clients’ next steps would be disclosed during the course of the litigation.

He pointed out that, until now, there had been agreement between all the parties that the issues before court would be dealt with collectively as a matter of convenience. However, there were actually three separate defamation cases, and collective agreement might not extend to the trial stage.

“In other words, each trial may be dealt with separately,” he said.

COURT HEARING

Currently, there was no indication of when the trial or trials would be set down for hearing, Kudo added.

“Due to the length of time it takes to obtain a trial date, and depending on how the various matters progress, the trial will most likely not be heard this year.”

The six South African defendants are: environmental lawyers Christine Reddell, Tracey Davies and Cormac Cullinan; social worker John GI Clarke; and community activists Mzamo Dlamini of the Wild Coast and Davine Cloete from Lutzville on the West Coast.

They are alleged to have defamed the plaintiffs: Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC) and its South African subsidiary Mineral Sands Resources; then MRC executive chairman Mark Caruso (he is no longer with MRC); and MRC’s black empowerment partner Zamile Qunya.

The allegations stem from comments made at various times and places in books, interviews and/or presentations about the miners’ controversial activities on the Pondoland coast at Xolobeni and at the Tormin mineral sands mine on the West Coast.

“Dr Richard Lindzen exposes climate change as a politicised power play motivated by malice and profit”

https://youtu.be/DYWrehjaMFQ

Apr 20, 2023

Veteran climate expert Dr Richard Lindzen made a name for himself before the fundamentally flawed field of climate science that we know today was invented. In an interview with the pioneering atmospheric physicist and former emeritus professor of meteorology at MIT, he recounted events that occurred in the 1980s, which gave birth to the all-consuming climate change narrative that prevails today. Having begun his research on climate change in the mid-70s motivated by a sincere interest in understanding the Earth's climate regimes, Lindzen's assessment of the various elements paraded as scientific evidence of an impending climate catastrophe is remarkably sensible. What's particularly revealing from his recollection of events is how complicit the media and politicians have been in forcing the disastrous climate change narrative upon an unsuspecting and trusting public from the very beginning.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Dr Richard Lindzen on his career as an atmospheric physicist and what drew him to study Earth's climate

01:21 On carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect

05:02 On politicians, the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the enabling of climate hysteria

07:21 On the politicisation of climate change and the significant human progress enabled by the fossil fuel industry

08:45 On the environmental destruction caused by renewable energy sources

09:46 On the cult-like climate activism movement and its demonisation of carbon dioxide

12:41 On the purported scientific consensus on climate change

14:46 On the Clinton-Gore administration's funding of climate impacts between 1989 and 1996

17:35 On Professor Guy McPherson's claim that abrupt climate change will lead to human extinction by 2026

18:22 On the motives behind the climate change/green energy movement

19:23 On his iris hypothesis on climate change proposed in 2001

21:56 On the epistemological issues relating to climate change

23:59 On climate variability vs anthropogenic climate change

27:19 On his experience with institutional bias in favour of scientists who support the official climate change narrative and the influence of institutional funding scientific research

29:50 How the situation is rigged to support the narrative and the complicity of politicians and scientists

32:10 On the climate catastrophe prediction and how this compares to reality

33:34 – “Time will of course play a role but I hope we don’t have to wait to see the destruction of modern society and realise it had nothing to do with climate. I’d like to think we can get out of this before that.”

34:39 – “Clearly China, India, Russia are ignoring this [climate change], they know it’s nonsense. They’re sitting by and watching the West self-destruct wondering about what divine good luck they have… [The enviromentalists] hate humanity, they want power and they don’t give a damn about the environment. And they certainly give no attention to feeding starving people.”