Modernising electricity metering - Good news for small business customers: Ekurhuleni
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
March 2015
Good news for small business customers:
Modernising electricity metering
Ekurhuleni has a good reputation when it comes to Please expect and assist Ekurhuleni contractors to
electricity metering with its larger customers, mostly gain access to your property to first audit your installation,
in the business and industry segment, metered via an and then to return with the correct meter to install. Given
automated meter reading system. opportunistic criminals, you will be well advised to confirm
These meters are uploaded in 30 minute intervals and the authenticity of the team visiting your premises, by calling
readings (and graphs) are displayed on a webpage where the persons mentioned on the official access letter. The
customers can access the data anytime, including using teams will also have Ekurhuleni identity cards.
the online site to understand and manage consumption The project promises an improved service to business
profiles. There are about 8 000 customers on this system, customers. Managing your electricity consumption will be
and successful monthly uploads over the past few years are easy on either system, enabling your business to have the
measured at 98%. edge.
On the other end of the consumption scale, Ekurhuleni
has been upgrading electricity meters with prepayment
ones. There are now 260 000 customers on prepayment UPGRADES TO ONLINE SYSTEM
meters, enjoying the numerous benefits associated with a The on-line payment system of the City of Ekurhuleni is
much more modern form of metering. These include not up and running with an additional hi-tech function set
having interim readings because meter readers can’t access to address technical glitches previously experienced by
the meter, no strange accounts due to misreads and the like. users.
A project has been commissioned to include smaller It has been enhanced with technology that can detect
business customers on one of the above two systems, statement integration failure. Over and above this, those
depending on the size of their electricity connections. Larger using the online system, e-Siyakhokha, can predate
business consumers, with a capacity of 3 x 100 Ampere payments and you will get notification of payment, it keeps
connections, will be moved to the automated meter reading records of your accounts and payments from the time you
system, at no cost at all to the business. register to use this method. You can also query your account
Smaller business customers, with connection online: https://www.e-siyakhokha.co.za
capacities less than that mentioned above, will be moved
to the prepayment metering system, again at zero cost to
customers.
See centrespread for highlights
from the State of the City Address
by Executive Mayor Cllr Mondli Gungubele
NETWORKING 2 PARTNERHSIPS 3
CITY
continues to strengthen
Have your say
The City of Ekurhuleni’s 2015 – 2019 Integrated Development Plan
(IDP) and 2015/16 – 2017/18 municipal budget is open for comment.
The integrated development planning is a process through which
ROADrehabilitation partnership
business links municipalities prepare a strategic development plan which extends
over a five-year period. This then guides and informs all planning,
A partnership between the City of Ekurhuleni and Bidvest Velocity to
augment the city’s road rehabilitation capacity to patch potholes
budgeting, management and decision-making processes in the This partnership has seen, in one months’
municipality. time, over 1 000 potholes being filled, totaling
The draft documents can be viewed at any customer care centre, library around 4 000m2.
or the city’s website. Work started in December just before the
You can send your comments to Budgettips@ekurhuleni.gov.za or online shutdown and resumed in February.
via the website at www.ekurhuleni.gov.za As part of Bidvest Velocity’s corporate social
investment (CSI) fund, it has been patching
potholes across Ekurhuleni pro bono. Bidvest
Velocity uses modern technology to carry out the
work – a specialised truck which carries stones
and bitumen emulsion separately and then
pressurises these materials into potholes to fix
them.
By end of February, areas where potholes had
been filled included Boksburg, Kempton Park,
Bakerton, Welgedacht, KwaThema, Actonville,
The City Meets Business platform Wattville, Meadowdale, Tembisa, Thokoza,
was launched to create a long term Alberton and Germiston.
partnership with businesses that will
enable economic growth in the region.
BULKvehicle registration made easy
The last engagement was held in
Kempton Park on 5 March, with the focus
on city planning developments. The event
attracted close to 200 business owners
from across Ekurhuleni. through major customers such as Barloworld, Avis, major
This initiative’s aim is to try and bridge the banks, motor dealerships as well as the taxi industry making
gap between the city and its stakeholders use of this new service.
as not only does the local authority share In the past, this was a function restricted to the Post
its flagship projects during the engagement, Office, but now bulk registration is available in the Kempton
moreover stakeholders also get the Park area. Over and above increasing revenue for the city,
opportunity to share their ideas as well as the Licensing and Registration Business Desk wants to build
challenges that they are currently facing in solid relations with major motor industrialists, while creating
the city. Through these sessions, the city a favourable environment to register their vehicles in bulk.
is sure to further emphasise ‘a partnership The intervention has brought to halt the days of waiting
that works’. for weeks to get vehicle registration documents done and
Business owners were also encouraged has reduced the turnaround time to within three days. The
to visit the Ekurhuleni Business Facilitation service desk offers convenience and specialised services
Network (EBFN) in Kempton Park to make by creating a one-stop shop for all the city’s bulk vehicle
use of the services designed to provide a More and more big companies are making use of the bulk registration needs. It also provides an element of financial
coordinated business support, investment vehicle registration service introduced in December by security as it is a cash free zone, meaning transactions are
facilitation, incubation and mentorship the city. done through the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
support to business. This has resulted in income being generated by the Operating hours are weekdays from 08h00 to 16h30.
Licensing Business Desk to the value of millions of rands
ENVIRONMENT 4 ENVIRONMENT 5
Clean,Green and Blue (DROP!)
In this age of environmental awareness, the City of
Ekurhuleni can take pride in the acknowledgement
given to it by the authorities that when it comes to things
green, it is a leader in its class.
Both the national departments of Environmental Affairs
and Water Affairs have given Ekurhuleni the stamp of Municipality Competition (GMC) run by the Department of Further affirmation of a job well done came in mid-
approval, the former for its status as a clean and green city, Environmental Affairs. In 2013, Ekurhuleni scooped the title 2014, when Ekurhuleni and Cape Town were recognised
and the latter for the quality of the city’s drinking water. of the greenest metropolitan municipality in South Africa in by the South African Local Government Association as top
the GMC, pocketing R3.5-million and subsequently receiving municipalities in terms of functionality, water quality, effluent
a certificate of recognition at the BkB awards for being the quality, audit reports, finances and asset management.
CLEAN AND GREEN and schools. BkB looks at municipalities’ environmental first Gauteng municipality to win the national competition. In addition, Ekurhuleni has an aggressive ‘war on leaks’
In August 2014, the city won the provincial round of initiatives that assist in the fight against poverty and Although the city was unable to repeat this performance project to preserve this scarce and valuable resource. As a
the Bontle ke Botho (BkB) Clean and Green Awards, promote sustainable living practices. in 2014, its reputation as an environmental leader is well result, a non-revenue water decrease of more than 2% was
once again highlighting its commitment to maintaining By winning the Gauteng leg, Ekurhuleni qualified to established and Ekurhuleni remains unwavering in its achieved in the 2013/2014 financial year.
sustainable environmental practices in its communities represent the province in the national 2014 Greenest commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and ensuring In the most recent Blue Drop Certification and Drinking
healthy environmental practices. Water Quality Report - for the 2012-2013 Financial Year - it
was shown that the City of Ekurhuleni had yet again met
all the compliance requirements and is still providing its
Water quality leader residents with excellent quality drinking water.
A four-time winner of the Blue Drop award for its superior Between July 2013 and July 2014, Ekurhuleni’s average
drinking water, the city is one of only a few municipalities water quality compliance level was 99.4% for microbiological
country-wide that makes the grade with regard to the health and 99.9% for chemical health.
quality of its drinking water – a reputation that it has In an effort to increase transparency, Ekurhuleni’s water
been growing for the past few years as it consistently quality data is loaded on the Department of Water Affairs’
excels in the Department of Water Affairs’ (DWA) Blue Blue Drop System on a monthly basis. Consumers can
Drop awards. check the quality of the drinking water in their area by going
DWA launched the Blue Drop Certification programme in to www.dwa.gov.za/mywater or www.my-water.mobi on their
September 2008 to ensure that municipalities provide their mobile.
citizens with sustainable, clean and healthy water and are
able to deal with any water quality incidents that may pose a
health risk to the public.
The City of Ekurhuleni was named the top scoring
municipality in South Africa in the 2012 Blue Drop report,
with an impressive score of 98.95%, and was also awarded
a Platinum Blue Drop Award in recognition of obtaining the
certification in each of the four years since the initiative’s
launch. To obtain Blue Drop Certification, a municipality must
score at least 95% across a range of criteria which include
drinking water quality compliance and asset management.
‘ ... the City of Ekurhuleni can take pride in the
acknowledgement given to it by the authorities when it comes
A jubilant former MMC for Environmental Management Cllr Vuyelwa Mabena and municipal staff after receiving the title as
cleanest municipality. to things green, it is a leader in its class.’
BUSINESS TOURISM 6 TRANSPORT 7
Ekurhuleni makes its mark with
Air Cargo Africa
Air Cargo Africa returned to the City of Ekurhuleni this
year, boosting the city’s profile as a business tourism
safety and security, as well as insufficient infrastructure, lack
of regulation and government actions that constrain the air Mayor Gungubele’s
State Of The City
destination of choice and underpinning its status as cargo industry. Africa needs to find solutions that can combat
Africa’s first Aerotropolis and a key role player in the these issues and create a road map towards profitability,
aviation industry. delegates agreed.
The three-day conference was first held at Emperors According to the United Nations’ Economic Commission
Palace in 2013 and proved so successful that the organisers, for Africa, more than 80% of Africa’s exports are destined for Strengthening Social Maturity by Advancing Social 10 economic clusters that will be prioritised for development
the STAT Media Group, decided to hold the 2015 event at outside markets, with the European Union and the United Cohesion in Pursuit of a Prosperous and, therefore, A in Ekurhuleni. The programme intends to balance the
the same world-class venue housed in the Emperors Palace States accounting for more than 50% of this amount. Livable and Delivering City – this was the theme for this distribution of economic activity between the nine affluent
complex, which - fittingly - is itself a stone’s throw away from Over the years, Asia and China have also become year’s State of the City Address by Executive Mayor Cllr areas and the 17 townships of Ekurhuleni.
Africa’s premier airport, the OR Tambo International. important export markets for African countries. Delegates Mondli Gungubele on Wednesday, 25 March 2015. The assets of the aerotropolis are
With the City playing host, it was Executive Mayor Cllr questioned how air cargo players could position themselves The City of Ekurhuleni’s broad-based Growth and unmistakable. Ekurhuleni is home
Mondli Gungubele who opened the conference on 25 to better penetrate these markets. Development Strategy (GDS 2055) is anchored on five to one of the best commercial
February, before African trade leaders and world players In addition to highlighting Ekurhuleni’s idealness as a strategic imperatives, namely: airports in the world with
in the air cargo industry got down to the serious husiness business tourism destination, the conference created spin- • Re-Urbanise – to achieve sustainable urban integration; direct service to and from
of grappling with a number of air cargo-related issues that off job opportunities as around hundreds of international • Re-Industrialise – to achieve job-creating economic major cities across the
affect the continent’s growth and economic development. visitors had to be accommodated - pumping half a million growth; world, something only a
The Mayor set the tone for the conference when he rand into the economy. The ripple effect saw local tourism • Re-Generate – to achieve environmental well-being; handful of airports can
acknowledged that African countries do not trade sufficiently destinations, affected retailers, restaurants and the transport • Re-Mobilise – to achieve social empowerment; and claim. Here are the spin-
amongst one another. industry enjoying a surge in business. • Re-Govern – to achieve effective co-operative offs of being Africa’s
In the first round table discussion, panellists consisting of The conference also resulted in global media coverage governance. biggest aerotropolis:
air cargo world leaders explored Africa’s role in the global air for the city, which will indirectly lead to a number of future Effective implementation of these strategic imperatives The master plan
cargo landscape. A number of crucial thoughts were shared benefits. should result in a future that can be defined in three inter- identifies a range of
over the three days of the interactive gathering as delegates The event also showcased employment opportunities connected ways. These being: opportunities to accelerate
debated how the continent’s potential for trade and business within the aviation and air freight industry and created upstream and
• A Delivering City – between 2012 and 2020, the form of
could be realised, and what work needs to be done to awareness around South Africa’s export and import potential. which will be a well-managed, resourced and financially
entrench Africa in the eyes of the world as an exciting market The demand for airfreight is picking up. International Air sustainable city;
filled with untapped opportunities. Transport Association reports suggest that cargo volumes • A Capable City – between 2020 and 2030, characterised
Air cargo is essential to Africa’s economic growth. The are expected to grow by 4.5% in 2015 and Ekurhuleni is by an inclusive industrial economy and meaningful
conference explored the continent’s generally poor record of working hard to ensure that the city is in on the action. reduction in unemployment and poverty; and
• A Sustainable City – between 2030 and 2055, where
we shall have a clean, green and sustainable African
manufacturing and logistics complex in a liveable and
dynamic city, highly integrated in its city region - Gauteng.
AEROTROPOLIS
As speed in the delivery of goods and services is
defining where companies decide to locate, the
aerotropolis is becoming an increasingly sought after
location for logistics companies, regional headquarters,
The Executive Mayor, Cllr Mondli high technology firms and other businesses.
Gungubele, opening the proceedings at A 30-year Aerotropolis Master Plan will soon be
the recent Air Cargo Africa conference. finalised. Having leveraged the best global expertise in the
development of the Aerotropolis programme in Ekurhuleni,
the five-year Strategic Implementation Plan has identified
8 TRANSPORT 9
Development Agency to provide both financial and non- • Ekurhuleni made a commitment to place 725 young
financial support to local youth. people in a job readiness and graduate placement
• The construction of the Thokoza Enterprise Hub in programme, and this was over achieved by 1 159. These
Kumalo Street, and the Tembisa Enterprise Hub on youngsters were placed both within the municipality and
downstream economic activities that rely on Just-In-Time “An aetropolis is a launch-pad for investment facilitation. Thami Myele Street, have both been completed. in private companies. To date this figure stands at 4 507
(JIT) Airport Connectivity. Each of the target industries has a That is why, in addition to the identification of over 107 • The construction of the Duduza, Barcelona (Etwatwa), at a cost of R35 million per year to the municipality.
function within the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis and varying levels investment projects across Ekurhuleni through a process of and Khulisa (Vosloorus) enterprise hubs is already • This year the intake was 464 taking the total number to
of interaction and reliance on the connectivity of the airport. strategic prioritization, we have identified 21 catalytic and underway. The projects will cost the City R30 million. 810 at a cost of R13.8 million per annum.
The first wave of catalytic projects has been induced in eight strategic projects for implementation and investment • In collaboration with the Gauteng Department of • The allocation towards community bursaries has been
the Catchment Area of the Aerotropolis namely: over the next five years,” said the first citizen. Economic Development, we successfully hosted a increased to enable many more of our children to
• A R300 million PRASA Nerve Centre building next Township Economies Regional Conference which improve their high-school performance in preparation for
Kaalfontein station in Kempton Park as part of the R4 was attended by no less than 3 000 entrepreneurs in tertiary education.
INVESTMENT FACILITATION
billion tender station upgrade programme by PRASA; Tsakane.
To date, the Ekurhuleni Investment Centre has registered
• The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (SOC) is • The first group of Vukuphile learner-contractors
and facilitated over 12 large-scale projects that are JOB CREATION BATTLE PLAN
developing its head office and training academy in has graduated. These youngsters graduate after
valued at billions of rands, and have the potential to The city has resolved to combat unemployment and
Isando, Kempton Park. undertaking projects worth R210 million over three years
create approximately 287 200 jobs over the next 15 eradicate poverty within Ekurhuleni by establishing
• The Peermont Group’s R320 million extension of – meaning that each was allocated projects to the value
years. strategic working relationships with social partners
their Emperors Palace Casino and Resort, to mention of at least R7 million to implement.
It is also working with the Gauteng Provincial Government such as business, organised labour, civil society and
but a few. • The Vukuphile programme continues to be the
to leverage the two Special Economic Zone licences that other spheres of government, state owned companies
have been granted in order to expand the scope of the beacon of hope for enterprise development and
The city has also recorded several interesting and state owned entities. These strategic partnerships
license so that it incorporates the Gibela Consortium project economic empowerment among the city’s young
developments in and around the Aerotropolis Catchment are meant to incentivise these social partners to adopt
in Dunnotar, Tambo Springs Inland Port in Vosloorus and the people. Preparations are in place to launch the EPWP
Area, wherein the following projects have been planned and an all ‘hands on deck’ approach to job creation.
Sentrarand Super Corridor in Etwatwa in order to leverage Vukuphile 3 programme, wherein the city is targeting
developed to date: To date Ekurhuleni has sustained and created no less
and maximise investment and development in these an intake of at least 40 learner contractors for a three-
• The Riverfields development in Kempton Park – which than 28 246 job opportunities since 2013 in the areas
localities. year development programme.
is a mixed-use development strategically located on the of community emergency response; community peace
“In order to consolidate our gains in this sector of the • It remains Ekurhuleni’s resolve to increase the volume
Portion of farm Witfontein 15-IR northeast of the existing corps; youth work readiness programme; waste collection;
economy, we have formalised partnerships with Productivity of projects allocated to them from R210 million to R500
Kempton Park CBD and the Albertina Sisulu Freeway fire fighting; fire hydrant inspection; rodent control; and
SA to implement an industrial upgrade programme in those million.
(R21) situated between OR Tambo International Airport environment management among others.
areas of industrial agglomeration. We shall also be hosting Going forward it envisages that by the end of the financial
and Tshwane; BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP
a Manufacturing Round Table with strategic companies year 2015/16, over 15 000 work opportunities, mostly for the
• Glen Erasmia Boulevard (430 residential stands) and The need for a skilled workforce is a perennial issue in
in Ekurhuleni as well as launch the Ekurhuleni Business youth, shall be created.
Zimbali Cluster Development, in Kempton Park; any economy. If Ekurheleni is to exploit the demographic
Council with local stakeholders and partners from civil
• Gleneagle Estate (392 residential stands), four cluster dividend it enjoys, it has to speed up the process of
society, business, academia, organized labour,” shared Cllr
developments (to be developed), clubhouse, tennis developing various skills in its huge young population.
Gungubele. TACKLING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN A
court, squash court and extensive parks; Skill development is an important initiative of the central
• The Gleneagle Office Park, in Kempton Park which is HOLISTIC WAY
THE REVITALISATION OF THE TOWNSHIP government and is being taken up on a war-footing. Here
currently being serviced and is practically sold out; The city must tackle youth unemployment with a
ECONOMIES is how the city is bridging the skills gap:
• Plumbago Business and Logistics Parks, Kempton combined set of policies in a holistic way. All relevant
“In short, we will need to become a city that generates the • In partnership with the Ekurhuleni East and West
Park, which is fully serviced and in the process of being measures must be pursued as a package - not in
jobs, income and purchasing power that the people and Colleges 1 200 applicants, who met the minimum
developed. John Deere and Blue Sky Logistics have isolation.
the economy need. This will require harnessing the talent requirements in the different trades, have already been
already taken occupation; Here is the battle-plan to boost youth employment:
of Ekurhuleni’s enormous pool of human resources in captured and pre-selected.
• To date, approximately R789 million has been invested • With effect from 1 July 2015, the Ekurhuleni Community
empowering and enabling people, especially youth and • About 300 young people from among other areas
in a number of projects along Albertina Sisulu Empowerment Package will come into effect as follows:
women,” explained the Executive Mayor. Here is how Daveyton, Etwatwa, Benoni and Watville underwent
Corridor creating at least 1,506 jobs. As a result, the • R2.9 billion of procurement value shall be ring-
the city is revitalising township economies: a two-month comprehensive training programme on
R21 Expressway now features iconic buildings that fenced for prequalified businesses owned by the
• To date 33 local emerging construction companies plumbing and solar water heating installation.
house companies such as John Deere, DB Schenker, youth, women and people with disabilities; black
are being incubated at Chloorkop into sustainable • Due to the successful completion of this pilot project,
DBZ Eng, DHL Global Warehouse, DHL Global Head industrialists; and community job creation initiatives
enterprises over a three-year period at the tune of R6 the city has been selected as one of 77 municipalities
Office, Wurth, Jonson’s Workwear, TAL Warehouse, in compliance with the SCM policy.
million to the city. country-wide that will participate in the national roll-out
Fast Freight, DHL Supply Chain, DB Schenker, Takealot • These prequalified entities shall be facilitated into
• 14 Youth Empowerment Offices have been of solar heaters – a programme to be conducted by the
and many more. strategic partnerships and/or sub-contracting
operationalised in partnership with the National Youth city in the near future.
10 SOCA NETWORKING 11
STATE OF THE CITY
On Friday, 27 March, another City Meets Business event was held with a focus on the State of the
relationships to enable skills transfer and The city has allocated R213 million for road rehabilitation
City Address. The business fraternity was hosted by the first citizen, Cllr Mondli Gungubele, at
localization of the procurement spent in Ekurhuleni, and pothole patching between now and the end of June –
a breakfast in Germiston. The event provided an opportunity for business to directly engage the
such that no less than 30% of all awarded contracts starting with priority roads.
Executive Mayor on key areas of importance.
per ward are localised. To date 18.8kms of pedestrian and cyclist paths have
been constructed in Tembisa, Kempton Park, Dawn Park,
Freeway Park and Rondebult.
ELECTRICITY - A GOOD VALUE EKURHULENI “That is why the construction of the Integrated Rapid
A careful strategy of planned growth, coupled with Public Transport Network (IRPTN), which commenced almost
successful conservation efforts have combined to create two years ago, continues to be aggressively implemented,
one of the most reliable, affordable electric systems in and we remain on track to unleash the first BRT bus on the
Ekurhuleni. streets of Ekurhuleni in the first quarter of next year,” said
The customer demand for electricity continues to rise Cllr Gungubele
in spite of aggressive conservation efforts. Increases in Another exciting development flowing from the IRPTN
population, the economic boom of the last decade and initiative is the city’s dedication to provide alternative modes
growth in electricity use in the home and business from of mobility and transport through the provision of Non-
the proliferation of electricity-intensive appliances has led motorized Transport infrastructure (NMT).
Ekurhuleni customers to set new records for peak usage. Indeed, the road infrastructure is a major catalyst for
Relief efforts continue – having already installed 138 518 the economic fortunes of the region as it ensures seamless
energy efficient lights in all Council buildings – saving the accessibility and mobility of goods and services which
city R11.2 million per year. It is also forging ahead with the ultimately stimulates the economy.
programme of looking for alternative sources of power as
per the mandate of the provincial government in its efforts to
reduce the pressure on the national grid. POSITIONED TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF
Efforts of introducing renewable energy sources are THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
moving with speed, having also commissioned the Biomas “Ekurhuleni is like many locations in South Africa that
Power Plant at Simmer and Jack Landfill Site to generate need to make the transition from being a traditional
electrical energy using landfill gas. One Mega-Watt of power industrial city to a modern digital city. We want to
can be generated from the landfill site and transmitted to encourage all people in the city to innovate for a
the Wychwood Substation in Germiston thus relieving the successful digital future,” said Cllr Gungubele.
pressure on the national grid. The Digital City strategy will play a key role in bridging the
Still on the issue of alternative energy sources, a 200 kVA digital divide, ensuring all people, business and communities
Leeuwpan Dam solar plant has also been completed at the in the city can enjoy the benefits which go with being a
OR Tambo Cultural Precinct in Wattville and this is the first competitive city in a global marketplace and thus encourage
PV Plant fully owned by local government in the country. broad deployment, transparency and robust enhancement of
The city’s commitment to providing quality and sustainable broadband and digital technologies.
services to our residents cannot be doubted as proven by our “We are taking all measures to ensure that we become
investment of R1.14 billion into our electricity infrastructure a smarter city that leverages the use of digital technologies
programe since 2011. to enhance performance and wellbeing, to reduce costs of
business and development, improved resource use and
TRANSPORT, SUPPORTER AND DRIVER consumption, and engage more effectively and actively with
TO THE PROCESS OF SOCIO ECONOMIC our citizens.”
DEVELOPMENT This will allow the city to respond faster and effectively to
The transport sector plays a significant supportive role city, regional, national and global challenges.
in economic development, the development of other
sectors are dependent on it. Transport provides the
** The full State of the City Address can be downloaded
required mobility for people and goods, and enables
from the Ekurhuleni website – www.ekurhuleni.gov.za
access to places and markets.
BUSINESS 12 ENERGY 13
Ekurhuleni tightens grip as When the demand is too high
business destination
The City of Ekurhuleni continues to hit the charts ambassador for peace”.
LOAD SHEDDING
as the city of firsts, including the hosting of the first Since its launch in 1986, IIPT has initiated the dedication Load shedding will take place as a last resort when the and go straight to load shedding to prevent complete power
International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) of 450 Peace Parks throughout the world, developed the national demand for power is higher than the available system collapse.
World Symposium in Kempton Park in February. world’s first code of ethics for sustainable tourism and has generation capacity. It is a measure to prevent the
Drawing around 450 delegates, made up of 250 more than 600 case studies of success stories and models complete collapse of the national power grid, referred to
local stakeholders and 200 international delegates, the for best practices. as National Blackout HOW DOES IT WORK?
symposium provided the city with opportunities for community The world symposium strategically consolidated When there is not enough power generation capacity to Load shedding schedules are predetermined, drawn up and
development, economic empowerment, and international the city’s position as a business tourism destination of supply the country’s demand, load shedding is declared by published in advance by the City of Ekurhuleni and Eskom
brand exposure as a business destination. choice, Africa’s Aerotropolis and key role player in the aviation Eskom to reduce the electricity demand below the available to enable consumers to be in a position to see when they will
The IIPT is a non-profit and United Nations accredited industry as well as to increase visitation to the region. capacity. This is declared to avoid available generators be affected as and when load shedding is declared. When
NGO founded in 1986, the year of the UN International Year The City receives 18.2% international tourists out of tripping on overload that could lead to a country-wide Eskom declares a system emergency, it means that the
of Peace. It was formed in response to major global issues 3.8 million tourists visiting Gauteng. Of this percentage of blackout. It is estimated that should we experience a country- system is in a critical state and if enough load is not reduced
of the mid-1980s with a mission of mobilising travel and international tourists visiting Ekurhuleni, 72% are business wide blackout, it may take more than a week to restore the voluntarily, then load shedding will start.
tourism as world’s first global peace industry that promotes tourists, therefore defining Ekurhuleni as a business tourist country’s electricity supply. On days when it is required, to balance electricity
and supports the belief that “every traveler is a potential destination. Steps are normally taken by Eskom to keep the system supply and demand, the electricity networks are switched
stable and to avoid load shedding. When practically possible, off in a planned and controlled manner, so that, as far as
Eskom first declares a system emergency, requesting all possible, consumers are affected according to the published
electricity consumers to reduce load voluntarily in order to schedules.
balance electricity supply and demand. It must be noted that in exceptional circumstances, if the
System emergency, also popularly referred to as “power scheduled load shedding is not getting the required load
manufacturing system being tight”, means that the system is in a critical reduction and/or unexpected emergencies or failures occur,
state and if enough load is not reduced voluntarily, then load additional load outside of the published schedules may be
indaba shedding will be declared and implemented. If, however, shed by using emergency switching in order to protect the
several power station generation units trip suddenly and national power grid to completely collapse.
unexpectedly, it can be deemed necessary to skip the steps
ENERGY 14 EIA 15
EIA landscape
STAGES OF LOAD SHEDDING
Changes to
Eskom determines the stage at which load shedding needs to be realized that depends on the generation capacity shortfall in
the country at that particular time.
There are three stages:
STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 Ekurhuleni businesses and developers
Generation shortfall of up to Generation shortfall of up to will need to get to grips with the country’s
2 000 MW 4 000 MW new Environmental Impact Assessment
Generation shortfall of up to
(EIA) requirements that came into effect
1 000 MW
At this stage the City of The City of Ekurhuleni is on 8 December, 2014.
Ekurhuleni will reduce load, on not in control at this stage and Developed to lessen the environmental
At this stage the City of
Eskom’s request and follow the power is switched off at high impact of human activities on the
Ekurhuleni will reduce the load,
predetermined and published voltage levels by Eskom and all environment, the new legislation will control
on Eskom’s request, and follow
schedules. consumers, including industrial how potentially damaging activities are
the predetermined and published
areas are affected as per Eskom’s assessed, investigated and reported before
schedules.
** Ekurhuleni does not shed industrial predetermined and published the go-ahead is given to a project.
areas during stages 1 and 2. stage 3 load shedding schedules. The new Environmental Impact
Assessment Regulations, 2014, under
*The load shedding schedules for Ekurhuleni and Eksom are available on the city’s website – www.ekurhuleni.gov.za sections 24(5) and 44 of the National
Environmental Management Act, 1998
(Act No 107 of 1998), were gazetted
on 4 December, 2014, by the Minister
of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa
(Government Gazette (38282 / 982) and
repeal the previous regulations published in
Government Notice 543 in Gazette 33306
of 18 June 2010.
The Minister also published three lists of
activities (Notices 983, 984 and 985) that
set out the specific activities that would
require environmental authorisation prior to
commencement.
NEW REGULATION
If a development triggers any of the activities
listed in these notices, an EIA must be done
by a registered Environmental Assessment
Practitioner (EAP) and an application
for environmental authorisation must be
lodged with the competent authority.
Depending on the type of activity
undertaken, the competent authority to
which an application must be submitted
will either be the provincial environment
department – in Gauteng that would be
the Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development – or the national Department
of Environmental Affairs.
EIA 16
The new regulations mean that new criteria and procedures The competent authority, after reaching a decision, must
will have to be followed when it comes to the preparation, notify the applicant within 5 days and the applicant must,
evaluation, submission, processing and consideration of in turn, notify all interested and affected parties of the
applications for environmental authorisations. competent authority’s decision within 14 days thereof.
They are in line with government’s plan to consolidate Unless justified by exceptional circumstances, as agreed
regulations pertaining to the EIA authorisation process, to by the competent authority, the proponent and applicant
and thus include a number of provisions to provide for the must refrain from conducting any public participation process
transition of the environmental regulation of mining from during the period of 15 December to 5 January.
the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act When a State department is requested to comment in
(MPRDA) to the National Environmental Management Act terms of these regulations, it must submit comments in writing
(NEMA). within 30 days from the date on which it was requested to
The mining industry is particularly affected by the new submit comments. Where a prescribed timeframe is affected
regulations as are industrial and development projects which by one or more public holidays, the timeframe must be
require EIA authorisation. extended by the number of public holiday days falling within
Mineral-right holders must now also obtain environmental that timeframe.
authorisation before commencing with any of the activities Requirements now ensure that the issuing of EAs is co-
associated with the exercise of their mineral rights, including ordinated. An important change to the EIA landscape is that
decommissioning activities. The competent authority for the competent authority may now issue a single environmental
granting these applications, however, remains the Minister authorisation or multiple environmental authorisations in the
of Mineral Resources. name of the same or different applicants covering all aspects
Another significant change is the strict timeframes in for which authorisation is granted.
place to ensure that applications are processed efficiently. In In addition, the new EIA regulations include appendices
the case of a Basic Assessment, the applicant must submit which stipulate the specific information required for a
the report within 90 days of the application, or 140 days Basic Assessment Report, Scoping Report, EIA Report,
if the report is subject to further public participation. The Environmental Management Programme, Closure Plan,
competent authority must make a decision on the application Specialist Reports and Environmental Audit Reports.
within 107 days of receipt of the Basic Assessment Report. There are also substantive requirements for audits
An application for Basic Assessment can, thus, take up to of compliance with Environmental Authorisations and
247 days to process. Environmental Management Plans.
A number of ancillary regulations have also been
SCOPING REPORT published to complement the new Environmental Impact
In the case of a Scoping Report, the applicant must submit Assessment process. These include: the national Appeal
the report with 44 days of the application and the competent and Exemption regulations published in Government Notice
authority must make a decision on the acceptance or R993 and R994 of 08 December 2014, respectively and
rejection of the report within 43 days of receipt. Where a the prescribed fees for the consideration and processing of
Scoping Report is accepted by the competent authority, the applications for environmental authorisations published in
applicant must submit the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Government Notice 141 of 28 February 2014. Regulations
within 106 days, or 156 days if further public participation pertaining to applications in terms of Section 24G of NEMA
is required. The competent authority then has 107 days to for the rectification of activities commenced unlawfully are
grant or refuse the application. An application for Scoping due to be published in the near future.
and EIA can, thus, take up to 350 days to process.
You can also read
