For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Eskom ordered to pay French company R1bn-plus over Koeberg dispute; AfriForum challenges CoJ on CCTV camera by-law; And, Zambia sees economic growth picking up to 6.4% next year

Eskom ordered to pay French company R1bn-plus over Koeberg dispute

State-owned utility Eskom has been ordered by a high court to pay more than R1-billion to French nuclear energy company Framatome, after contract and project management problems delayed a steam generator swap at the entity’s Koeberg nuclear power plant, newspaper Business Day reports.

In an article on July 21, reporter Kabelo Khumalo reports that the adjudication process, which was handled by advocate Peter Ramsden, resulted in the court ordering Eskom to pay Framatome €35.2-million (or R727-million) and a further R256.6-million, in line with Ramsden’s earlier findings.

This excludes value-added tax, interest and Framatome’s French-based attorney’s fees.

The dispute arose in 2022 when Eskom took Koeberg Unit 2 offline, for what it said would be a five-month outage to refuel and replace its three steam generators. However, Eskom months later informed Framatome that it would not be continuing with the work, leaving the latter to claim compensation for breach of contract, Khumalo reports.

The article indicates that Eskom was of the view that the utility and the contractor were both responsible for the delays, arguing that both parties had contributed to the deficiencies.

AfriForum challenges CoJ on CCTV camera by-law

Lobby group AfriForum has described the by-law on privately owned closed-circuit television cameras as a blatant power grab disguised as regulation, calling on the High Court to declare the by-law unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid.

Last week, the organisation brought a court application to challenge the Johannesburg metropolitan municipality’s controversial CCTV cameras by-law. AfriForum is seeking a court order to have the by-law set aside in its entirety, with costs against the Johannesburg metro.

The by-law seeks to regulate and control CCTV networks installed in public spaces and private property of which the range and angle of coverage includes public space.

AfriForum’s chief spokesperson for community safety Jacques Broodryk said this by-law is a blatant power grab disguised as regulation.

Broodryk said that it is nothing more than an attempt to seize years of private investment, undermining the right to privacy and centralise surveillance power in the hands of a municipality that has consistently failed to uphold public safety.  

And, Zambia sees economic growth picking up to 6.4% next year

Economic growth in Zambia is expected to accelerate to 6.4% next year from 5.8% this year, driven by its mining and agriculture sectors, the finance ministry said.

The Southern African country's economy is recovering from a severe regional drought, which curbed growth last year after years of protracted debt-restructuring negotiations.

The finance ministry's medium-term budget plan projected gross domestic product would rise 6.5% in 2027 and 5.1% in 2028.

The government said it would focus on increasing electricity supply from power sources like solar, given the severe impact the drought had on hydropower generation and productivity in major industries.

Production of key export copper is projected to be just over 1-million metric tons next year, 1.2-million metric tons in 2027 and more than 1.3-million tons in 2028, the budget plan said.

President Hakainde Hichilema's government has been trying to lift copper output and is aiming for close to 1-million tons this year after strong first-quarter production.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA