Considering that part of the cost of every litre of diesel is a tax levy called the illuminating paraffin (IP) tracer dye levy whose purpose is to curtail the unlawful mixing of diesel and IP and following the recent scandal of 70 petrol stations across the Republic reported to have mixed their diesel with paraffin, how did the dye tracing mechanism borne out of the levy fail to detect the contaminated diesel before it got sold to consumers?
Tracer dye is added to Illuminating Paraffin to enable its detection once it is mixed into diesel. The presence of the tracer dye can only be detected through laboratory testing or specialized mobile equipment. The Department collects fuel samples randomly at service stations to test for the presence of the tracer dye, amongst others.
It is precisely this random testing that led to the ...
(1) What is the total number of municipalities that submit to National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) for approval of the electricity tariffs adopted in Council within the required time frames for approval;
(2) does NERSA compare the minutes of the Council meeting to check if the adopted electricity tariffs are the same as those transferred to the NERSA form for adoption; if not, why not, if so, what is the total number of discrepancies that have been identified?
(1) NERSA has 176 licensed distributors, 12 of which are private distributors. The 164 municipal distributors submit tariff applications to NERSA annually, prior to the 1 July implementation date. Although some municipalities occasionally submit their applications late, NERSA always follows up with such municipalities in an effort to have the approvals finalised by 1 July.
(2) Subsequent to the tariff approvals, NERSA requests tariff ...
What is his department doing to ensure that municipal administrations stop inflating electricity tariffs through the gap between the approval of tariffs in Council and approval from National Energy Regulator of South Africa?
- Subsequent to the tariff approvals, NERSA requests tariff schedules from municipalities and compares them with the approved tariffs to ensure that the correct tariffs are being charged to customers. Further to this, when municipal compliance audits are conducted, NERSA checks the approved tariffs against the implemented tariffs to ensure that there are no discrepancies. It must, however, be noted that municipalities charge surcharges in ...
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Whether, in light of the Auditor-General’s Consolidated Generals Report on National and Provincial Audit Outcomes 2022-23, which indicates a material irregularity of a likely loss of R296 million in relation to fees for prospecting licences, permits and rights that were not collected between April 2020 and March 2023, the licences, permits and rights were awarded without the relevant fees being paid; if not, what were the reasons that fees were not collected; if so, what are the reasons that this was allowed?
Prospecting licences, permits and rights were awarded between April 2020 and March 2023. Prospecting Right holders are obliged to pay prospecting fees in terms of section 19(2)(f) of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act 28 of 2002) (as amended) (hereinafter referred to as the MPRDA). According to section 76(2) of the MPRDA Regulations a holder of a Prospecting Right must pay ...
(1) Whether he will furnish Mr M J Cuthbert with a full list of (a) completed and (b) outstanding applications for (i) mining rights, (ii) prospecting rights and (iii) mining permits that were received in each province in the 2023-24 financial year; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether he will provide reasons for the delay in each outstanding application; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
(1)(a)(b) & (2) Please refer to the attached Annexure A and B.
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What benefits do the communities of (a) Clewer in Witbank and (b) Tokologo in Middelburg derive from the mine operations in their respective areas in line with the Social and Labour Plans?
a) In relation to Clewer in Witbank, the community benefits derived from mining operations under Social Labour Plans are as follows:
- Construction of Clewer health post
- Construction of a Clewer hall
- Integrated waste management project: mini transfer station
- Community skills development project (AD Security training)
- Basic welding project for the greater Emalahleni community members
b) The community of Tokologo in Middelburg benefits are as ...
(1) What is the total number of candidates who were (a) awarded Government Certificates of Competence within the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate in each category of certificate in each of the last five financial years and (b) unsuccessful in each specified financial year.
(2) What (a) are the names of the current members of the Commission of Examiners for each category of certificate and (b) independent oversight is in place to ensure the integrity of the process of examination and the awarding of certificates;
(3) Whether there is an appeals or complaints process in place; if not, what is the position in regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) Whether his department received any complaints about the integrity of the certification process in each of the past five financial years; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) are the specific details of the complaints and (b) was done about the complaints?
1.
|
Mine Managers Certificate
|
|
|
Certificate Awarded
|
Unsuccessful
|
|
2019/20
|
113
|
636
|
|
2020/21
|
15
|
399
|
|
2021/22
|
69
|
508
|
|
2022/23
|
58
|
415
|
|
2023/24
|
64
|
556
|
NB: Certificate is awarded after a candidate has passed a total of 7 subjects.
|
Mine Surveyors Certificate
|
|
|
Certificate Awarded
|
Unsuccessful
|
|
2019/20
|
5
|
507
|
|
2020/21
|
5
|
206
|
|
2021/22
|
10
|
372
|
|
2022/23
|
9
|
314
|
|
2023/24
|
3
|
419
|
NB: Certificate is awarded after ...
(1) Whether, with reference to his reply to question 2266 on 30 June 2023, and the reply of the Minister of Public Enterprises, Mr P J Gordhan, to question 2772 on 4 October 2023, regarding the announcement nearly three years ago on 18 March 2021 of the preferred bidders for the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP) projects – in particular the three Karpowership projects at Coega, Richards Bay and Saldanha – and furthermore, with reference to the tender for the Gas Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (GASIPPPP) issued on 14 December 2023 for 3000 megawatts (MW) to be generated from gas, his department has implemented the long stop date on 31 December 2023 as indicated by the Minister of Public Enterprises in his reply to question 2772, by which time the projects under the RMIPPPP would have had to achieve legal close; if not, why not; if so, which projects achieved legal close;
(2) what is the status of the three Karpowership bids, given the appeals against the environmental authorisations;
(3) whether the Karpowership bids have been cancelled when the projects have not achieved legal close; if not, why not; if so, (a) on what date(s) were the bids cancelled and (b) what are the relevant details in each case;
(4) whether, given that the GASIPPPP makes provision for 2 000 MW to be procured from land-based gas-fired power generation facilities and makes special reference to facilities at Coega and within the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, the additional 1 000 MW at Coega and the specified local municipality in Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal is intended to provide a further opportunity for Karpowerships to bid and be included in the IPP programmes; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(5) given the continuing loadshedding and the urgency for additional generation capacity, what (a) measures has he implemented to ensure that preferred bidders from previous Bid Windows and the RMIPPPP reach legal close and commercial operation and (b) projects have reached commercial operation and total generation capacity has the projects contributed to electricity supply? NW7E
With regard to (1), (2), (3) and (5)(a), all Preferred Bidders appointed under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP) and the fifth bid window under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP Bid Window 5) were given an absolute deadline of 31 December 2023 to meet their specific conditions precedent to reach Legal and Commercial Close. Such conditions are ...
With reference to the identification by his department’s Integrated Resource Plan of the Komati Power Station as an underperforming power plant scheduled for decommissioning in 2020, and in light of his claims in recent interviews and speeches that the Komati Power Station was a performing plant that should not have been decommissioned, what (a) total amount of electricity did Komati Power Station generate and (b) was the Energy Availability Factor at the time of its decommissioning?
As part of information gathering process in preparation for the development of IRP 2019, the Department requested information on existing power plant generation capacity and performance projections. Eskom projected Komati to be performing at energy availability factor of 87 percent in year 2020. Komati power station has a design generation capacity of 1000 MW from a total of nine units. The repurposing of this ...
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(1)With reference to (a) his reply to question 1642 on 2 June 2023 and (b) the meeting on Tuesday, 14 November 2023 with the interested and affected parties discussing a scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, how is it possible that the Hillside Siding coal wash plant on Elandspruit, Farm 291 JS, in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality has been established and operational despite the farm not having records of (i) a water use registration, (ii) an approved EIA, (iii) an approved Basic Assessment Report and (iv) an approved Environmental Management Programme;
(2) whether Hill Siding has been authorised to make use of the specified property(ies); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(3) whether he will furnish Ms A M M Weber with a copy of the said authorisation; if not, why not; if so, (a) on what date and (b) what are the further, relevant details in this regard?
- The Department is not a competent authority to deal with coal siding and wash plant which is outside the mining area. This business operation as it falls outside of the mining area requires authorization from the departments of Forestry, Fisheries and Water and Sanitation.
- Please see (1) above
- Please see (1) above
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