Klerksdorp – Eskom will not cut off power to the Matlosana (Klerksdorp) municipality in the North West, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

“Yes, there was an outcome to the talks. An agreement was reached with Eskom,” municipal spokeswoman Ntswaki Makgetha said.

“The public should not stress. There won’t be any switching off of electricity tomorrow.”

She could not provide further details about the agreement.

The parastatal and the municipality were in talks on Wednesday morning about an unpaid electricity account.

Beeld reported that Eskom planned to cut the municipality’s power on Thursday unless it paid R91 million in arrears. Cutting the power was a last resort, Eskom spokeswoman Hilary Joffe was quoted as saying. – Sapa

Johannesburg – The petrol price may increase by a further 1.4 cents a litre in Gauteng after Nersa approved new tariffs for Transnet’s petroleum pipelines.

“The consequent petrol price rise is expected to be 1.4 cents per litre,” the National Energy Regulator of SA said on Wednesday.

It said this would represent a 0.1 percent increase in the February 2013 retail price of 93 octane petrol in Gauteng.

This would happen if the energy minister decided to use the pipeline tariff as a proxy for the cost of transporting fuel from Durban to Johannesburg.

Nersa said it had amended Transnet Limited’s licence to operate its petroleum pipeline system by setting tariffs, as a condition of that licence, for the period from April 3, 2013 to April 1, 2014.

Last week the petrol price went up by 81 cents a litre and diesel by 58.38 cents per litre.

The increases came into effect two weeks before the 30 cents a litre increase in the general fuel and Road Accident Fund levy announced by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

The fuel levy increases take effect next month, pushing the price of 95 octane petrol to R13,38 a litre in the inland provinces.

Transnet had applied for a 22.6 percent increase in its allowable revenue, which would have resulted in a 4.72 cents per litre increase in inland petroleum product prices, had it been granted.

In arriving at its decision, Nersa said it looked at factors such as public interest, regulatory certainty, the new multi-product pipeline project reaching its capital expenditure peak, and current and future debt funding.

“Consequently, Nersa has set petroleum pipeline tariffs that will allow Transnet to realise an 8.53 percent increase in allowable revenue compared to the 2012/13 tariff period.”

This would be an increase from R2.57 billion in 2012/13 to R2.79bn in 2012/13.

Nersa said Transnet pipelines reported a 7.1 percent reduction in total petroleum volumes pumped from 2010/11 to 2011/12.

This was a decline from 18.025bn litres in 2010/11 to 16.741bn litres in 2011/12.

Transnet has forecast an overall 4.6 percent increase in volumes to be pumped in the 2013/14 financial year.

This includes an approximate 5.96 percent increase in petroleum product volumes transported from the coast to the inland region, as a result of the new pipeline capacity that Transnet has brought into operation. – Sapa

A man and a woman were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly running a bogus Further Education and Training College in Tzaneen, Limpopo police said.

Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the 31-year-old man and the 34-year-old woman, both from Zimbabwe, were arrested after students asked the department of higher education about the college’s legitimacy.

“The matter was referred to the Hawks for investigation. It was revealed that the college was not registered with the department of higher education.”

The college had been using fake accreditation certificates since opening in 2008. The two were expected to appear soon in court.

-Sapa

Madibeng – Forty houses in Madibeng local municipality had their electricity disconnected without receiving the requisite notice, AfriForum claimed on Wednesday.

The civic organisation’s Hartbeestpoort branch chairwoman Eunice  Serfontein said the municipality should have given the residents 14  days’ notice.

“The electricity had been cut in spite of proof delivered by AfriForum members that their accounts were settled in full,” she said in a statement.

Municipal spokesman Frederick Komane could not immediately verify AfriForum’s claims and could not immediately comment on the matter.

Serfontein said if the power was not restored within 12 hours, AfriForum would consider approaching the High Court in Pretoria with an urgent application.

It would also consider holding the responsible officials accountable in their personal capacities. – Sapa

Rustenburg – Lonmin miner Mzoxolo Magidiwana broke down and cried on Wednesday when new footage of the August 16 shooting at Marikana, North West, was shown at a Farlam Commission of Inquiry hearing in Rustenburg.

Commission chairman, retired judge Ian Farlam, adjourned the hearing as Magidiwana sat with his head bowed and crying.

“It is terrible,” said Farlam. “Even if he is prepared to carry on, I don’t know if we should subject him to further interrogation,” he said.

The new footage of the shooting was shown by advocate Dali Mpofu, for the injured and arrested miners.

“It is definitely new footage, although it shows old footage. It is definitely new footage,” he said.

The eNews footage was a live crossing on the telephone to a reporter in Marikana, with a camera recording the actions of miners  and the police.

The reporter said the police had told him they ran back after inhaling gas while trying to disperse the crowd, and said they saw about three guns in the miners’ possession.

The video showed the police shoot the miners, and later showed men lying in pools of their own blood on the ground.

Mpofu said he discovered this clip and a shorter clip from the SABC while looking for the two journalists Magidiwana claimed had seen the police assaulting him.

Earlier, Farlam appealed to the media to make all the footage of  the day available. Mpofu made a special appeal to the SABC.

“I am aware that there is an ethical implication,” he said. “I would like to make a special appeal to the SABC… to release material.”

The commission is probing the deaths of 44 people during an unprotected strike at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana.

On August 16, 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead and 78 were  injured when the police opened fire while trying to disperse a group gathered on a hill near the mine.

Ten people, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed near the mine in the preceding week.

This was the second time the commission adjourned on Wednesday for Magidiwana, 23, to compose himself.

During his re-examination the miner started crying when he spoke  about the advice and warnings he received from his father to not join the strike, but to return home to the Eastern Cape.

The commission again heard how the miners ran away from the water sprayed by the police on the day.

Magidiwana asked why, if they ran away from water, they would run towards guns.

He also told the commission that if the miners had wanted to attack the police, they would have started with two police officers  standing on the side and not the group of officers.

Mpofu asked: “On August 16, did anyone address the group and ask (them) to put down weapons?”

Magidiwana, speaking through an interpreter, said no one had.

As the commission adjourned, people in the public gallery, dressed in National Union of Mineworkers attire, said Magidiwana

was purposely crying. They said they had never seen a man cry so much.

National police commissioner Riah Phiyega is expected to testify  before the commission after the re-examination. – Sapa

Rustenburg – National police commissioner Riah Phiyega will not give evidence  before the Farlam Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, said its chairman, retired judge Ian Farlam.

“The national commissioner will not be giving evidence today but  tomorrow (Thursday),” Farlam said after the lunch adjournment.

Phiyega arrived at the Rustenburg Civic Centre on Wednesday morning and waited all day to give evidence before the commission, said Makhosini Nkosi, the commission’s consultant to her.

“The national commissioner is here and will give evidence when the re-examination (of Lonmin miner Mzoxolo Magidiwana) is completed,” Nkosi said earlier in the day.

“She is waiting to be called by the commission.”

However, advocate Dali Mpofu, for the injured and arrested miners, later indicated he would take all afternoon to re-examine Magidiwana, who was wounded in the shooting at Marikana on August 16.

The commission is probing the deaths of 44 people during an unprotected strike at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana. On August  16, 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead and 78 were injured when  the police opened fire while trying to disperse a group gathered on  a hill near the mine.

Ten people, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed near the mine in the preceding week.

Nkosi said Phiyega denied reports that she laughed and joked when footage of the shooting was shown in October.

The Times reported that Phiyega joked with a state law adviser while a prelude to the killings was being screened.

The commission adjourned for lunch on Wednesday after Magidiwana  broke down and cried when new footage was screened.

“It is terrible,” said Farlam. “Even if he is prepared to carry on, I don’t know if we should subject him to further interrogation.”

Said Mpofu: “It is definitely new footage although it shows old footage. It is definitely new footage,” he said.

The eNews footage is of the shooting, with a reporter on the scene explaining what is happening. 

The hearing continues. – Sapa