Latest news with #Mokwena
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
No fines or penalties over Koeberg delays, Eskom says
The two disputes stem from the Steam Generator Replacement Project of Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. Eskom has sought to clarify that two contractual disputes with Framatome, the contractor for the Steam Generator Replacement Project at the Koeberg nuclear power station, are being addressed through agreed resolution processes. The two disputes stem from the Steam Generator Replacement Project of Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, which has now seen significant progress, following problems that contributed to a bout of stage 3 load shedding in March. Steam generators Framatome had taken over the contract to supply and install replacement generators at the power plant's two reactor buildings from Areva NP in 2018. The recent Long-Term Operation (LTO) programme for Unit 2 included the replacement of three steam generators, extensive inspections, and refuelling activities, ensuring continued safe and efficient performance. ALSO READ: Koeberg Unit 2 back online, but what caused the 'unplanned' trip? Eskom needed to replace the plant's six steam generators – three in each of its two units – to prolong its life by another 20 years. Media reports Eskom issued a statement on 21 July, following media reports, that the utility had been ordered by the high court to pay more than R1 Billion to Framatome over delays to the Steam Generator Replacement Project at Koeberg. According to reports, the Western Cape High Court agreed with the findings of an adjudicator who investigated the delays two and a half years ago, ruling that Eskom was at fault for the stoppage of work and had to pay for breaching its contract. Disputes The utility's spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, said the two disputes were adjudicated between December 2022 and February 2023. Mokwena said in accordance with the contract, disputes are first referred to adjudication and, if not resolved, to arbitration. 'As Eskom was not satisfied with the adjudicator's decisions, the two matters were escalated to arbitration as per the agreed process. The arbitration was held from June to July 2025, and a decision is expected in the last quarter of Eskom's financial year. ALSO READ: Load shedding: Hiccup in Eskom's power plans 'Recent media reports appear to have mixed separate legal processes. To clarify, no new payments are currently due, and all actions taken by Eskom have been in line with the applicable legal and contractual procedures,' Mokwena said. Disagreement Mokwena added that although Eskom disagreed with the adjudicator's decisions, the utility complied with the requirement to implement the outcome and made payments in the interim. 'All payments had been made by March 2024 as part of standard contract processes—not as penalties or fines. At the same time, in March 2023, Eskom approached the Cape High Court to have the adjudicator's decisions set aside due to procedural irregularities.' Mokwena said the court only delivered its judgment on 17 July 2025, over a year late. 'Eskom is currently reviewing the judgment to determine the appropriate next steps. We encourage the public and media to trust the integrity of this process. Eskom is following the proper legal channels to resolve these matters responsibly, and we remain committed to transparency and accountability throughout. 'Most importantly, despite these disputes, the core technical work, replacing the steam generators on Koeberg Unit 2, has been completed. This is a major milestone that contributes to the safe and extended operation of the power station, helping to ensure energy security for the country,' Mkowena said. Eskom stated that it anticipates a decision on the arbitration hearing in the last quarter of its financial year. Koeberg Koeberg's units 1 and 2 have undergone life extension exercises. In July last year, the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) granted Eskom a licence to continue operating Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 until 21 July 2044. As a result, Koeberg Unit 1 is expected to contribute over 930MW to the grid for another 20 years,' Mokwena said. ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
The Citizen
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Rulani explains MC Alger technical team
'The club insists on a couple of people, which is excellent,' Mokwena told Metro FM. New MC Alger head coach Rulani Mokwena be joined by a mixture of his own choice of staff and some that the club want him to use, as he takes up his latest role on the African continent. ALSO READ: Williams questions Nkota's Pirates to Saudi switch Mokwena left Wydad Casablanca towards the end of last season, and while he was heavily linked with a move back to Orlando Pirates, the 38 year-old has chosen to remain in North Africa. Rulani – 'The club insists' 'The club insists on a couple of people, which is excellent. That still breeds familiarity … there is still a little bit of … technical staff that knows how to win and do well in the Champions League with this group,' Mokena told Andile Ncube on Metro FM. Mokwena will be joined at MC Alger by his former colleague at Mamelodi Sundowns, goalkeeper coach Wendell Robinson. 'I've got coach Wendell [Robinson] because he also speaks a goalkeeping language and if we retain a goalkeeping coach maybe the relationship there can be established a little bit quicker.' Former Togo and AS Vita assistant coach Enzo Donis will also join up with Mokwena in Algeria. 'Then, of course I have an assistant coach that's worked with AS Vita, who is from Belgium and he's coming on. He's agreed to leave his job with the Togo national team, and so he's excited by the project. 'He also allows me to have someone of a hybrid assistant because he's got a bit of work and expertise in setpieces.' Mahlangu on board Mokwena also confirmed he will be joined by conditioning coach Sbu Mahlangu, who worked with him at Sundowns and Wydad. ALSO READ: Chiefs 'a joy to watch' says Dutch coach MC Alger are the reigning Algerian champions, who won the Champions League way back in 1976 but since then have not got past the quarterfinals. The club will no doubt hope that Mokwena's experience of Champions League football can help them break that particular hoodoo.
The Citizen
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Nail in load shedding coffin removed after Eskom delay
Eskom clears the air on whether the setback will affect its winter outlook Eskom has shared bad news, announcing that the planned maintenance on Koeberg Unit 1 will be delayed by about a month, with the unit now expected to only return to operation by August. The utility shared an update on the planned maintenance of Unit 1 at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station in Cape Town on Tuesday. Offline The 930 MW Unit 1 is currently offline for the second phase of a long-term operation extension. It was initially planned to be back online in July after undergoing scheduled maintenance, including fuel refuelling and statutory tests, as part of the life extension process. Load shedding Eskom said the revised return date for Koeberg Unit 1 will not increase the risk of load shedding. 'The Winter Outlook released on 5 May 2025, which covers the period until 31 August 2025, remains valid. Importantly, the planned return of 2 500MW this winter does not rely on Unit 1'. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the revised timeline underscores the utility's commitment to ensure the ongoing safe and reliable performance of South Africa's only nuclear power station. ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile's final unit adds 800MW to grid Inspections Mokwena said that eddy current inspections — a non-destructive testing method used to detect cracks, corrosion, or wear in the metal tubes of steam generators — identified defects on four tubes among several thousand tubes inspected, across two of the newly installed generators. 'Eskom immediately carried out an advanced automated process to address the four tube defects, supported by specialised international teams working alongside local experts. These critical repairs have now been successfully completed to uphold the highest safety and quality standards. Back to grid Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom's Group Executive for Generation, said the planned maintenance underway on Unit 1 will help deliver decades of affordable, low-carbon baseload power. 'Once all maintenance work is complete, Unit 1's reactor core will be refuelled, tested and synchronised back to the national grid'. Eskom said to protect the supply, planned outages at Koeberg are carefully staggered every 16 to 18 months so that both units are never offline at the same time. 'Together, Koeberg Units 1 and 2 provide around 1 860MW — approximately 5% of the country's electricity needs. Unit 2 remains fully operational, generating up to 946MW, with a year-to-date Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 99.38% as of the end of June 2025. 'The national power system remains stable, with a month-to-date EAF of 62%. As the winter season continues, Eskom encourages all customers to adopt energy-efficient practices,' Eskom said. Medupi Last week, Eskom hammered another nail in the load shedding coffin, announcing that Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station was successfully returned to service eight months ahead of its original schedule. This has added 800MW to the national grid. Medupi's return follows extensive repairs, made possible by the innovative use of a refurbished Generator Stator, an alternative to waiting for a brand-new component. The unit had been out of service since 8 August 2021, after sustaining significant damage from the explosion of its Generator Stator, a key component in the operation of the generation unit. ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
eNCA
14-07-2025
- Sport
- eNCA
Mokwena to coach Algerian champions Mouloudia
CAIRO - Rulani Mokwena was named coach of Algerian champions Mouloudia Alger on Monday, ending weeks of speculation as to where the 38-year-old would work in the 2025/26 season. His move to Algiers follows one season with Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca. He left after finishing third in the national league and failing to qualify for the CAF Champions League. Here, AFP Sport also reports on a setback for Sudanese giants Al Hilal as they chase a place in the forthcoming Champions League in the latest football news across Africa. Algeria Mokwena will come up against two other former South African Premier Soccer League coaches in the Algerian championship. German Josef Zinnbauer, the former Orlando Pirates tactician, guided JS Kabylie to second place behind Mouloudia last season and qualification for the Champions League. Another German, Sead Ramovic, led Chabab Belouizdad to third place and entry to the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup. His previous clubs include TS Galaxy in South Africa. South Africa Young Orlando Pirates forward Mohau Nkota is joining Saudi Pro League club Ettifaq, the Soweto club announced. Last season was his first with the Buccaneers' first team and he scored 12 goals in 39 appearances, including three in Champions League victories over Belouizdad and Mouloudia in Algeria. The 20-year-old will join fellow African Wissam Chaouali, a Tunisian defender, at a club that finished seventh in the Pro League last season, 33 points behind champions Al Ittihad. Sudan Al Hilal, who have featured in every Champions League since 2004, suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for the 2025/26 edition of the premier African club competition. The Sudan Elite League pacesetters lost 1-0 to Al Amal Atbara in the fourth round of a mini-league and remain top of the table only on goal difference from Al Zamaleh Umm Ruwaba. Only two points separate seven of the eight contenders and 16 matches have produced just 18 goals as clubs chase top-four finishes and places in the Champions League and Confederation Cup. Angola Angolan champions Petro Luanda have hired 48-year-old Spanish coach Franc Artiga as they prepare for their Champions League campaign. Former Angola forward Flavio Amado had been in charge of the record 19-time national champions, but lacks the necessary coaching qualifications for the Confederation of African Football competitions. Petro have twice reached the Champions League semi-finals, losing to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in 2001 and Wydad Casablanca three years ago. Namibia Namibia, one of many African countries lacking a FIFA-approved stadium, will play their remaining 2026 World Cup home qualifiers against Malawi and São Tomé and Príncipe in neighbouring Botswana. The matches in September are earmarked for Francistown, 440 kilometres (274 miles) northeast of the capital, Gaborone. They previously hosted qualifiers in Soweto near Johannesburg.
The South African
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Rulani Mokwena joins former Orlando Pirates coach in Algeria
Rulani Mokwena was named coach of Algerian champions Mouloudia Alger on Monday, ending weeks of speculation as to where the 38-year-old would work in the 2025/26 season. His move to Algiers follows one season with Moroccan outfit Wydad Casablanca. He left after finishing third in the national league and failing to qualify for the CAF Champions League. Here, AFP Sport also reports on a setback for Sudanese giants Al Hilal as they chase a place in the forthcoming Champions League in the latest football news across Africa. Mokwena will come up against two other former South African Premiership coaches in the Algerian championship. German Josef Zinnbauer, the former Orlando Pirates tactician, guided JS Kabylie to second place behind Mouloudia last season and qualification for the CAF Champions League. Another German, Sead Ramovic, led Chabab Belouizdad to third place and entry to the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup. His previous clubs include TS Galaxy in South Africa. Meanwhile, young Orlando Pirates forward Mohau Nkota is joining Saudi Pro League club Ettifaq, the Soweto club announced. Last season was his first with the Buccaneers first team and he scored 12 goals in 39 appearances, including three in CAF Champions League victories over Belouizdad and Mouloudia in Algeria. The 20-year-old will join fellow African Wissam Chaouali, a Tunisian defender, at a club that finished seventh in the Pro League last season, 33 points behind champions Al Ittihad. In other news, Al Hilal, who have featured in every Champions League since 2004, suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for the 2025/26 edition of the premier African club competition. The Sudan Elite League pacesetters lost 1-0 to Al Amal Atbara in the fourth round of a mini-league and remain top of the table only on goal difference from Al Zamaleh Umm Ruwaba. Only two points separate seven of the eight contenders and 16 matches have produced just 18 goals as clubs chase top-four finishes and places in the Champions League and Confederation Cup. Angolan champions Petro Luanda have hired 48-year-old Spanish coach Franc Artiga as they prepare for their Champions League campaign. Former Angola forward Flavio Amado had been in charge of the record 19-time national champions, but lacks the necessary coaching qualifications for Confederation of African Football competitions. Petro have twice reached the Champions League semi-finals, losing to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in 2001 and Wydad Casablanca three years ago. Namibia, one of many African countries lacking a FIFA-approved stadium, will play their remaining 2026 World Cup home qualifiers against Malawi and Sao Tome e Principe in neighbouring Botswana. The matches in September are earmarked for Francistown, 440km northeast of the capital Gaborone. They previously hosted qualifiers in Soweto near Johannesburg. Namibia are unbeaten in Group H after three victories and three draws and lie second, four points behind six-time World Cup qualifiers Tunisia. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
