ANC eyes Tshwane and good news for South African rail

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Gauteng ANC eyeing to reclaim Tshwane mayorship: Panyaza Lesufi, chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng and Premier of the province announced that the party is consulting its national leadership on whether to pursue reclaiming the mayoralty in Tshwane to regain lost electoral ground. He noted that the party’s negotiations with other political entities are ongoing and highlighted the need to be mindful of existing relationships with the national government. [EWN]

• Great news for South African rail: Thungela Resources believes South Africa’s coal rail crisis is easing following significant progress in resolving key issues. Major challenges, including a supply blockade from the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), have been partially addressed through private-sector collaboration and alternative sourcing of critical spares. Thungela CEO July Ndlovu confirmed that direct procurement from other suppliers has helped mitigate the problem. [News24]

• Matthews agrees to part ways with Prasa: Zolani Matthews has agreed to leave his CEO position at the Passenger Railway Agency of South Africa (Prasa), ending a three-year dispute. The recent settlement allows Prasa to proceed with its service restoration plans and includes a payout for the remaining 19 months of Matthews’ contract. The dismissal follows three failed attempts and has cost Prasa about R30 million in legal fees and CEO salaries. [News24]

• Various KZN households left in the dark: Households in KwaMaphumulo, north of Durban, face frequent power outages due to Eskom’s load reduction, which they say is aimed at protecting transformers from illegal connections. Residents experience outages of up to four hours, with frustrations growing over illegal usage. In Mshukangubo, most homes have illegal connections, affecting local services and paying customers. [GroundUp]

• Markets: The rand strengthened to a nearly 13-month high on Monday, ahead of the release of domestic inflation data on Wednesday, which may provide hints on the country’s future interest rate path. On Tuesday (20 August), the rand was trading at R17.74 to the dollar, R23.04 to the pound, and R19.64 to the euro. Oil is trading at $77.07 a barrel. [Reuters]