Land reform law showdown reaches high court
The DA has asked the Western Cape High Court to declare the Expropriation Act of 2024 unconstitutional, putting DA public works minister Dean Macpherson, who must legally defend the act his party opposes, in an awkward position as first respondent. The case, consolidated with a separate AfriForum challenge and running August 3-7, tests whether the GNU’s internal dispute mechanism can hold, after the DA failed to resolve the disagreement through the coalition’s own clearinghouse process.
SA may get cheaper electricity when the sun shines
South Africa is considering introducing lower electricity prices on sunny days as a way to cut the ballooning cost of paying solar producers to curtail generation. The move would align retail pricing more closely with real-time supply, following Cabinet’s recent approval of a broader electricity pricing reform roadmap.
Dispute brews over parliament’s R4.6bn rebuild project
A standoff has emerged over the R4.6-billion project to rebuild parliament’s fire-gutted National Assembly building, with Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson’s department reportedly considering legal steps because the project was never formally handed over to parliament. Parliament disputes this, arguing the legislation the department is relying on doesn’t apply to the legislature.
Fuel shock set to hit South African motorists
With a day to go before new prices take effect on 5 August, month-end fuel data shows petrol’s price cushion has evaporated, with 93 octane decreasing by only 5 cents; while diesel users face the steepest hikes, with under-recoveries pointing to increases of R1.75 to R1.90 a litre. The reversal follows a late-July spike in global oil prices, crude briefly hit $100 a barrel after renewed US-Iran conflict shut the Strait of Hormuz, compounded by a weaker rand.
Cuba’s national grid collapses again
Cuba’s energy grid collapsed late Sunday, the state-owned electricity utility announced on social media, plunging the Caribbean country into yet another nationwide blackout; the first of August after three separate collapses in July. The outages continue as the US maintains an oil blockade that is straining the island’s aging energy infrastructure, with the utility not immediately offering further details on Sunday’s cause.
[Sources: BusinessDay, The Citizen, Netwerk24, News24, Reuters]