permits, registering property and supplying electricity. Electricity production has been earmarked as a key area for economic reform. Recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that independent power producers will now be allowed to generate up to 100 MW of electricity.
South African Government is dedicated to taking decisive action against state capture and corruption. Under the amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)’s licencing threshold for embedded generation projects will increase from 1MW to 100MW, creating new opportunities for companies to produce electricity. 4. Taking control of corruption Over the last few years, President Ramaphosa has put various anticorruption measures in place. These serve not only as a guard for the public service but also create a competitive climate for businesses to partner with the government. In his State of the Nation Address earlier this year, Ramaphosa said corruption is one of the greatest hurdles facing the country’s growth and development. He reiterated that the South African Government is dedicated to taking decisive action against state capture and corruption. To support this decision, the government has introduced
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the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which was approved by Cabinet in 2020. This strategy looks to create an independent statutory structure that will report directly to parliament. There are several examples of this strategy already in place. Among the anti-corruption initiatives introduced by the president are the formation of the Special Investigative Unit (SIU). The SIU carries out forensic investigation and civil litigation services to combat corruption, serious malpractices and maladministration to protect the interest of the State and the public. Another example is the recent signing of the Auditing Profession Amendment Act into law. This Act will offer additional controls for the auditing profession and gives greater power to the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors. It is expected the Act will be a critical tool in the fight against state capture and corruption. 5. Infrastructure needs As a developing economy, with a history of economic challenges, South Africa finds itself in need of numerous infrastructure upgrades and development. This is a key focus area for the government, and it is actively working to strengthen public-private partnerships in infrastructure development. These projects include the construction and upgrade of roads, schools, dams, hospitals, clinics and human settlements.
Not only are the projects vital for social upliftment and job creation, but they also offer the potential for businesses to through a partnership with the government. The government has also indicated a need for larger projects such as energy plants, transportation, telecoms, and fibre optics. There is also extensive funding available for these projects, which was made available in 2019. At the time the presidency announced R100 billion would be set aside over 10 years for the National Infrastructure Fund, to leverage further investment from private investors and international financial institutions. n
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