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

Making headlines: Ramaphosa suspends Dipuo Peters without pay; Eskom board tasks Marokane with three priorities in his first 100 days as CEO; And, Roger Jardine's Change Starts Now won’t contest 2024 elections

Ramaphosa suspends Dipuo Peters without pay

Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Dipuo Peters has been suspended for one month, without pay, by President Cyril Ramaphosa, following a sanction from Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interest.

In a statement, the Presidency said the suspension would take place between February 28 and March 28.

The Presidency said the Committee found that Peters had breached the Code of Ethical Conduct in her former portfolio as Minister of Transport.

Eskom board tasks Marokane with three priorities in his first 100 days as CEO

State-owned power utility Eskom's board of directors has tasked incoming CEO Dan Marokane with prioritising three key areas – assessing the generation operational recovery plan, reviewing Eskom’s unbundling plans and engaging with internal and external stakeholders – in his first 100 days in office.

Today, Marokane assumed the role of Eskom CEO at a time when the utility faces an existential challenge and is undergoing significant changes that require hands-on, bold and decisive leadership.

Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati said in a statement the utility expects Marokane and his leadership team to address the current business challenges, and to reposition and restructure Eskom to enable growth and sustainability.

Nyati said the first 100 days are crucial for helping Marokane gain necessary insights about Eskom and the industry and that he should be in a position to engage with the media at the end of this period

He expressed confidence in Marokane’s abilities, and the leadership and staff of Eskom, and emphasised their collective commitment to turning the organisation around.

And, Roger Jardine's Change Starts Now won’t contest 2024 elections

Change Starts Now announced that it will not be contesting the elections in May.

Former government official and leader of the new political party Roger Jardine noted that a recent Constitutional Court decision posed barriers to newly established political parties as they faced a prejudicial logistical timetable to qualify for the ballot.

The Independent Electoral Commission’s rules for new parties, relating to the amount of signatures required for them to contest the elections, was recently under scrutiny in the Constitutional Court, however, the court chose not to hear the issue citing a disruption in preparations for the May elections.

Jardine said the party had taken a decision that, while it believed that it was essential to give voters as much encouragement to exercise their democratic right, by providing them with a range of options, in the interests of increasing the chances of political change, CSN would for now support political parties who shared its values and aspirations.

CSN came on the scene in December 2023, with Jardine saying the party was launched recognising a desperate national crisis.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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