For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: Nzimade says late release of 2022 matric results won't affect higher education registrations; Mantashe doubles down on claim he's not to blame for loadshedding; And, Motshekga lauds top achievers as public school ambassadors

Nzimade says late release of 2022 matric results won't affect higher education registrations

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has assured students that the late announcement and release of the 2022 matric results will not affect tertiary education institutions' readiness for the year ahead.

Independent Examination Board results were announced yesterday and individual National Senior Certificate results will be released on Friday.

Universities' registration processes started on Monday and it is anticipated that they will close on Friday.

However, Nzimande added that several universities will allow late registrations.

Prospective students are advised to continue to liaise with the universities of their choice through their communication channels.

Most Technical, Vocational and Training Colleges have already started classes after online registration processes.

Mantashe doubles down on claim he's not to blame for loadshedding

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe is adamant that he is not to blame for continued loadshedding – even though his department oversees the procurement of generation capacity and not a single megawatt has been connected to the grid during his tenure.

Mantashe, who is also African National Congress chairperson, not only continued to distance himself and his department from the crisis but doubled down on his comments that effectively accused outgoing Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter and staff at the power utility of treason.

He also made further potentially misleading claims that Eskom was allowing generation capacity to "stand idle" when it is in fact broken and in need of costly and time-consuming repairs, which may not be financially viable.

He said that he was not lying by saying the capacity was idle because the units were not decommissioned but needed to be serviced and maintained.

The utility has since secured another 50-million litres of diesel used at its Open Cycle Gas Turbines that burn diesel at high rates and alleviate the worst levels of loadshedding.

And, Motshekga lauds top achievers as public school ambassadors

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga described the performance of the country's top matric pupils at public schools as “the absolute embodiment of true ambassadors of public schooling”.

Motshekga hosted a ministerial breakfast for the top performers from the class of 2022 and their parents at the MTN headquarters in Roodepoort, in Gauteng, this morning.

She said the class of 2022 did the last two and half years of their schooling under intermittent Covid-19 lockdowns, school closures and various difficulties, including curriculum trimming.

She praised the pupils for putting in the long hours and avoiding the "well-beaten path to failure by being slack".

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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