Mozambique paves way for restart of TotalEnergies LNG project: report
TotalEnergies, which halted construction in 2021 after an Islamic State-linked insurgency attack threatened its Afungi site in the north of Mozambique, has said it wants to resume development this summer.
TotalEnergies' CEO Patrick Pouyanne met with Mozambique President Daniel Chapo on Thursday to discuss restarting activities after security interventions helped reduce, but not entirely eradicate, insurgent attacks around its base.
"It was a meeting with the perspective of restarting activities," Estevao Pale, minister of mineral resources and Energy said at an event in Inhambane province on Monday, referring to the president's meeting last week.
"At the government level, all the conditions are being created to allow investors to restart activities as quickly as possible," Lusa quoted Pale as saying.
TotalEnergies declined to comment.
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Earlier this month, Mokoena seconded Dhlamini as the municipality has been without a CFO for months after the contract of Matholase Mazinyo expired in March and was not renewed. Free State Cogta and Human Settlements Department spokesperson, Zimasa Mbewu, said Mokoena has withdrawn the secondment of Dhlamini, and Thuso Ronald Marumo, formerly CFO of the Moqhaka Local Municipality in Kroonstad, has been seconded to be Maluti-A-Phofung acting CFO. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Dhlamini is accused number three in the Nulane matter and was the CFO of the provincial Agriculture Department when the company was awarded the R25m contract to conduct due diligence and feasibility studies into the R334m Vrede Diary Farm Project, part of the broader Mohoma Mobung Programme, run by Indian company Estina on behalf of the department. She has been charged with unlawfully and intentionally, and with common purpose, committing fraud. In April 2023, the Free State High Court withdrew charges against Dhlamini and her co-accused, but last month, the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered they be retried for the same offences they were acquitted of as if they had not previously been arraigned, tried, and acquitted but provided that a different judge presides over the trial. 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Mokoena set out a number of conditions including a process plan with timelines on filling of the vacant post of CFO and a provision that all additional cost associated with the secondment such as compensation of the seconded official, an allowance and compensation while on secondment for subsistence and travel etc. are borne by the municipality. Additionally, the secondment must be by agreement, which must stipulate the duration and party responsible for costs. 'The agreement must further include terms of reference, which outline that a person seconded must account to the municipal manager, report in writing at least once a month to the relevant seconding authority with regard to the key performance areas relevant to the position together with the development and implementation of any municipal institutional recovery plan for which the seconded official is responsible,' demanded Mokoena. He said he was seconding Dhlamini and requested Melato to engage Speaker Mandlenkosi Dlamini in order to convene a council meeting on the seconded candidate to allow council to consider the appointment of the seconded candidate and table the conditions for the position of CFO. Mokoena also asked the municipality to forward a signed council resolution in terms of Municipal System Amendment Act appointing the seconded candidates to act in the relevant position after the secondment. Melato was also asked to provide regular progress reports in writing to the relevant seconding authority with regard to the filling of the post and the development and implementation of any municipal institutional recovery plan for which the seconded official is responsible. Mofokeng did not respond to requests for comment.
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