The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) calls on the public to use water wisely and sparingly as water levels drop in the Mpumalanga Province. 

According to the latest DWS weekly state of reservoirs report of 29 April 2024, the Mpumalanga Province recorded a 0.7% drop from 98.2% to 97.5% on average water levels over the past week. In the Water Management Areas (WMAs), the Olifants WMA dropped from 87.2% to 87.0% and the Inkomati-Usuthu WMA dropped from 98.4% to 97.3%. 

In terms of water levels per district, Ehlanzeni remained unchanged at 99.7%, Gert Sibande dropped from 97.1% to 95.7% and Nkangala dropped from 98.6% to 98.4%.
Ehlanzeni District and the Lowveld recorded mixed results with slightly more listed dams dropping in water while the rest recorded some improvements. On the positive, the listed dams that recorded improvements in water levels include Blyderivierspoort Dam increasing from 100.4% to 100.5%, Driekoppies from 100.3% to 100.5%, Klipkopjes from 99.6% to 99.8%, Primkop from 100.6% to 101.1%, and Da Gama from 99.8% to 100.3%.

Dropping in water levels in the Lowveld include Buffelskloof from 100.2% to 100.1%, Longmere from 100.2% to 99.8%, Witklip from 100.4% to 100.3%, Kwena from 100.4% to 100.3%, Inyaka from 100.4% to 100.3%, and Ohrigstad from 69.1% to 68.2%.

The majority of listed dams in Gert Sibande District recorded declines in water levels except for Westoe Dam which recorded an improvement from 70.5% to 70.8%.

On the decline in Gert Sibande District, Grootdraai Dam dropped from 97.1% to 96.9%, Nooitgedacht from 96.9% to 95.8%, Vygeboom from 100.6% to 100.5%, Jericho from 69.5% to 68.5%, Morgenstond from 100.5% to 90.0%, and Heyshope from 103.0% to 102.2 

In Nkangala District, Witbank Dam remained unchanged at 99.0% with the rest of the listed dams recording declines in water levels.

The listed dams that recorded drops in water levels in Nkangala District include Middelburg Dam dropping from 96.5% to 96.2%, Loskop from 100.3% to 100.2%, and Rhenosterkop / Mkhombo dropping from 95.8% to 95.5%. 

The Department of Water and Sanitation encourages the public to be more responsible and conservative in their water use as we enter the dry winter season taking into consideration that water has no substitute and South Africa is a water scarce country.

For more information, contact Wisane Mavasa, Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation on 060 561 8935 or Themba Khoza on 066 301 6962

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.

Premier Alan Winde hosted a digicon today where he and the Western Cape Government’s Special Advisor on Energy, Alwie Lester, gave an update on numerous energy initiatives the provincial government, along with other stakeholders, is implementing to make the Western Cape the first province to beat load shedding.

“We are making steady progress. This is thanks to the hard work and expertise of our Energy Council, which brings together all of our departments and municipalities as well as our universities and other stakeholders to find lasting solutions to the energy crisis,” said Premier Winde.

The provincial government’s drive towards making the Western Cape energy secure is informed by the Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme (WCERP). Among the programme’s objectives is to understand the current and future energy needs of the province and its residents, with particular emphasis on alternative energy sources and forging partnerships and enabling the environment to reduce the region’s reliance on Eskom power.

The Premier said, “Our province is well on its way to meeting its target of generating 5 700 MW of energy by 2035. With the resilience plan as our blueprint, we are mapping out and implementing measures, both short and long-term, to beat mass power cuts. While we seek out and implement short-term measures, we must always keep one eye on the future and what our future energy needs will be, so that we don’t face this crisis again.”

The WCERP consists of the:

Load Shedding Relief Programme (LSRP)
Provincial Integrated Resource Plan (PIRP)
Demand Side Management Programme (DSMP)
New Energy Generation Programme (NEGP)
Network Development Programme (NDP)

Mr Lester stated that there has been good progress in all of these focus areas.

Load Shedding Relief Packs

A key objective of the resilience plan is offering support to vulnerable communities and citizens. Load shedding has a disproportionately higher impact on the poor. Since late 2023, the WCG has been distributing load shedding relief packs to vulnerable residents across the province. “Over and above the more high-level interventions we are leading, we have also been handing out load shedding relief kits (emergency lighting and solar charging systems) to Western Cape Department of Social development-funded facilities, like gender-based violence shelters and school learners. In any way possible, we want to help our residents, in this case, by offering them these packs in the hopes of making them feel less vulnerable during power cuts,” explained Premier Winde.

To date:

4 000 packs have been distributed to social development facilities
This week the next phase was rolled out, focusing on the education sector. More than 16 000 packs have been distributed to quintile 1-3 schools. 
In total, 96 000 packs are to be distributed to vulnerable grade 1 and 12 learners across the province.

Helping SMMEs: Alternative Energy Support Programme

Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME)s – the engines of the Western Cape economy – have borne the brunt of the energy crisis. Since load shedding commenced in 2007, the Western Cape has lost between R48.6 billion and R61.2 billion in real GDP. In the 2023/24 financial year, the provincial government allocated R12 billion to its Alternative Energy Support Programme which is rolling out solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems to 12 trading hubs in 7 municipalities where SMMEs operate. This is helping about 50 businesses to stay open, sustaining more than 100 jobs. 135 businesses are also benefitting from mobile power solutions procured by the provincial government to keep them trading despite power cuts.

Enabling and empowering municipalities
With financial and capacity support from the WCG, the Hessequa Municipality is implementing a renewable energy project to make the town of Riversdale load shedding free. Mr Lester explained that the municipality has gone to market with its bid. He added “That bid closed at the end of April. The WCG and municipality are currently evaluating the bid and within the next few weeks we should be able to announce a successful bidder for that project.”

The initiative is made up of 3 phases:

Phase 1 is a 4 MW solar plant with 2 MWh battery storage
Phase 2 is an additional 6 MW solar plant with 2MWh battery storage and 
Phase 3 is 6 MWh battery storage to provide a complete solution delivering a 10MW solar plant with 10 MWh battery storage after 3 years. 

The Saldanha Bay Municipality is also in the process of rolling out a renewable energy project. A 50-hectare site has been earmarked for the development of a 1.5 GW gas-to-power project, in partnership with ArcelorMittal. A service provider has been appointed to initiate the next steps in this process.

The WCG’s Municipal Energy Resilience (MER) Initiative develops and capacitates municipalities to implement renewable energy solutions. This initiative has so far seen the successful request for information from more than 100 potential energy generation projects. Around 2 000 MWs are already in the market.

Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG)
The uptake of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) has been significant. 220 MW of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) has been registered by municipalities across the province so far. New GIS data shows that an estimated 835 MW of solar PV has been installed to date across the Western Cape. 

24 municipalities are being supported with SSEG interventions, with 21 providing compensation for feedback of electricity. Mr Lester pointed out, “Between last year October and January 2024 nationally there was close to 4 500 MW of SSEG that came into the system. Roughly 35% of that is sitting in the Western Cape.” The Premier added that the WCG will keep providing support to municipalities to in turn make it easier for private households to explore and implement alternative energy solutions.

Protecting critical services
To protect as far as possible essential municipal services, early in 2023 the WCG allocated R89 million to local governments to ensure services such as water treatment and sewage infrastructure are still operational during power cuts:

195 health facilities have generator capacity to continue essential services during load shedding.
47 clinics have completed inverter installations and 
10 hospitals have been exempted up to Stage 6 load shedding. 

The Premier stated, “we are also taking steps to save power and manage demand for energy in facilities we manage.” Energy-saving LED interventions were undertaken at 52 schools with 23 schools fitted with this type of lighting, and work under way at a further 29 schools. The total estimated annual energy savings of the 23 schools is 536 MWh per year.

At 18 schools 418 kWp solar PV and 653 kWh of battery storage have been installed thus far. This means when the power goes out up 17 000 learners can still be taught. A further 56 schools are in line to receive these alternative power systems.

Premier Winde concluded, “In just under 2 years we have made significant progress in tackling the energy crisis, which has plagued our country for over 16 years now. There has been a reprieve from load shedding in the short-term. At least we will be better prepared in the Western Cape for its unwelcomed return.”

To watch a recording of the briefing, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/live/A-3A9M_iyNw?feature=shared

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.

Kenyan authorities have not responded adequately to flash floods resulting from heavy rains, Human Rights Watch said today. The floods have left at least 170 people dead; displaced more than 200,000; destroyed property, infrastructure, and livelihoods across the country; and exacerbated socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

Kenya’s government has a human rights obligation to prevent foreseeable harm from climate change and extreme weather events and to protect people when a disaster strikes. Extreme weather events such as flooding are particularly threatening for marginalized and at-risk populations, including older people, people with disabilities, people in poverty, and rural populations.

“The unfolding devastation highlights the government’s obligation to prepare for and promptly respond to the foreseeable impacts of climate change and natural disasters,” said Nyagoah Tut Pur, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Kenyan authorities should urgently ensure support to affected communities and protect populations facing high risk.”

Kenya and most of the East Africa region has been lashed by relentless and devastating downpours in recent weeks, as an El Niño weather pattern exacerbates the seasonal rainfall. Recent studies suggest that climate change could be a contributing factor. The government has acknowledged that the extreme weather events were predictable.

Over the last few days, social media videos and mainstream media reports indicate that the affected people were receiving little to no support from the government to reach safety and to access essential services such as shelter, health care, and food assistance. Media reported that police and rescue teams’ help lines were unresponsive in some locations.

In its plans to combat climate change, including the comprehensive National Climate Change Action Plan 2023-2027 and its disaster response plans, Kenya identified flooding as a risk, identified areas that could be affected, and highlighted ways to mitigate it. The country also has a national disaster management unit.

As early as May 2023, the Kenya Meteorological Department warned that the country would experience enhanced rainfall due to El Niño between May-July and October-December, continuing into early 2024.

That same month, the government announced that at least 10 billion Kenyan shillings (about US$80 million) would be released to prepare a nationwide response. The Public Finance Management Act of 2023 requires county governments to set aside 2 percent of their annual budgets for disaster response. However, the government failed to put in place a timely national response plan. In August 2023, the Ministry of Health started coordinating with county governments to stock up medical supplies and begin cholera vaccinations. But in October, President William Ruto announced, mistakenly, that Kenya would not experience El Niño rains as earlier predicted.

Between October and February, 1,781 people died because of riverine floods, flash floods, and landslides, caused by heavy rains in the Western, North Eastern, Central, and Coastal regions. The Kenya Red Cross Society also reported an increase in waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhea.

It is unclear what happened to the funds that had been set aside for the response, with some media reporting that the money was misappropriated. In November, parliament approved an additional 8.2 billion Kenyan shillings (about $60.7 million). An official with the Kenya Red Cross Society told Human Rights Watch that Kenya seems to have the requisite capacity and resources to adequately prepare for the heavy rains, but the government was slow to act despite warnings from the meteorological department and its partners.

Despite these harsh lessons from seasonal rains in late 2023 and meteorological department warnings, the authorities did not take appropriate measures to avert further disaster in early 2024 and were slow to respond, Human Rights Watch said. It was not until April 24, after nearly a month of heavy rains and many deaths, that President Ruto announced the creation of a multi-agency team to manage the response. Opposition leaders and clergy have called on the government to declare a national disaster and to hold accountable those responsible for inaction.

In low-income neighborhoods in Nairobi like Mathare, Mukuru Kwa Jenga, and Kariobangi, the flood impact has been quite severe due to less solid structures, congestion, and poor sanitation infrastructure, leaving people homeless and creating public health risks like malaria, cholera, and diarrhea. A well-known human rights activist, Benna Buluma, known as Mama Victor, was among 10 people who died on April 4 trapped in their houses by floods.

On April 29, the Mathare Social Justice Centre said on social media that at least 200 people had been displaced and still had not received support from county or national governments for temporary shelter, food, and other needed items.

The authorities should conduct a thorough and credible investigation to identify what went wrong and lessons learned, Human Rights Watch said.

The meteorological department has stated that the rains will continue in May.

On April 30, the government announced that people living in at-risk locations should relocate within 48 hours or be forcefully evicted.

Kenyan authorities have a responsibility to ensure that all possible steps are taken to prevent or alleviate human suffering arising from the ongoing floods and to realize the rights to life, health, housing, food, water, and sanitation of those most affected. The authorities should ensure that the response is inclusive and respects people’s rights.

“The government should ensure a timely and effective approach to disaster management,” Pur said. “This could ensure that future catastrophes are not as devastating and deadly.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

International Workers Day, 1 May, was observed at the premises of the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers under the theme “Professional Competence Development Stimulant.” The event was attended by Ministers, senior government officials, PFDJ members, and invited guests.

Mr. Kibreab Kidane, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers, highlighted Eritrea’s encouraging achievements in ensuring equal pay, gender equality in the workplace, and the provision of free educational and vocational training opportunities. He emphasized the importance of enhancing social justice and supporting development through professional competence.

Mr. Woldeyesus Elisa, Director General of Labor at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, spoke about the timely responsibility of strengthening participation in the nation-building process. He reflected on preserving the values that contributed to the victory of the struggle for independence and national sovereignty. He also called for prioritizing the improvement of the socio-economic lives of workers by organizing sustainable vocational training programs, which are aimed at developing the overall capacity of workers, ensuring their professional health, maintaining social justice, and fostering the creation and expansion of labor relations.

During the event, the Employers’ Federation delivered a message of solidarity.

International Workers Day is being observed for the 134th time at the international level.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.