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There's a positive story to tell about booming data centres energising SA’s economic landscape

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 1185 words · By Lindsey Schutters
Economic Development Energy Infrastructure Industrialization
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What to know about Economic Development

[Cities] must have enough infrastructure capacity to supply a data centre...

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center89%
Right11%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

[Cities] must have enough infrastructure capacity to supply a data centre...

Why it matters

So we are talking about upgrades of existing substations or new-build substations.” That was Kovilan Naicker’s clarification when Daily Maverick asked him what he meant when he said that African cities need to be “energy ready” to become attractive…

Common ground

Naicker is the manager of the Hitachi Energy Grid Automation business unit, so power infrastructure investment means he gets to spin up the local factory to produce more grid protection equipment, which helps protect power assets (transformers, substations,…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-21-theres-a-positive-story-to-te…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 60% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Glittering Generalities 70% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
schedule Pending 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
help
Claim 1: “the conservative R440-billion estimate for this buildout already includes the salaries for the future engineers needed to build it”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this claim in the provided search results.
check_circle
Claim 2: “Cape Town Film Studios... is the primary photography location for the Netflix live-action anime adaptation One Piece”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Netflix's live-action One Piece series is shooting at Cape Town Film Studios.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cape Town Film Studios is a film and television studio in Cape Town, South Africa. It opened in May 2010.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town_Film_Studios
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A newly leaked image shows us a potentially unfinished model of the Going Merry in Cape Town South Africa, let's talk about what that means for the coming li...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwkHWb8hw-Q
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Netflix's One Piece is underway in Cape Town.Netflix has partnered with Tomorrow Studios and Tokyo-based entertainment company Shueisha (publishers of One Piece) to adapt the Japanese best-selling man…
https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2022/02/07/netfl…
info
Claim 3: “the company has partnered with the Department of Basic Education on a tutoring programme to help support children in maths and science”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence shows ACTOM has an engineering learnership and the Department of Basic Education publishes calendars, there is no specific evidence of a partnership for a maths and science tutoring program.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ACTOM, one of South Africa’s leading electrical engineering giants, has officially opened applications for its ACTOM 2026 Engineering Learnership —a highly valuable opportunity designed to support une…
https://www.onlinelearnership.co.za/actom-2026-engineering-l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — South Africa’s recent hosting of the BRICS summit and the impending implementation of the Africa Free Trade Agreement underscore this transformative moment in history. “This allows African companies t…
https://miningbusinessafrica.co.za/actom-turns-120-and-remai…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The current and proposed school calendar for South Africa. 2026 The Department of Basic Education published the school calendar for 2026 on 26 February 2025.
https://www.gov.za/about-sa/school-calendar
schedule
Claim 4: “Eskom is threatening to cut Johannesburg’s power if it doesn’t get its account payments in order”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 5: “two 132kV transmission cables that stop at the private substation at the data centre housed within Cape Town Film Studios”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results mention 132kV cables in Dubai (DEWA) and Saudi Arabia, but provide no information regarding a data center at Cape Town Film Studios.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — These include 52 new 132kV substations, 223km of 132kV underground transmission cables, two 400kV substations and 130km of 400kV overhead transmission lines, all scheduled for completion by 2028.
https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2026/may/17-05/dewa
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The orders pertain to constructing one 380 kV substation and two 132 kV substations.The Power Transmission & Distribution (PT&D) business vertical is a major EPC player, providing technology-driven, e…
https://www.saudigulfprojects.com/2026/05/lt-awarded-380kv-a…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Data Centers in Worldwide - List of Colocation and Cloud data facilities in Worldwide. Get Quotes and find Specs, Photos, Videos etc.
https://www.datacentermap.com/datacenters/
info
Claim 6: “We employ approximately 8,000 people”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence does not confirm the total employee count of 8,000; one source mentions 1,220 employees in a specific campaign, but does not verify the overall company size.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Electromechanical equipment manufacturer ACTOM has unveiled a revitalised transformer production and testing facility in Pretoria. The 40 000 m2 site previously served as a factory for Powertech Trans…
https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/actom-unveils-revi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Learn more about ACTOM PTY LTD's company details, contact information, competitors, and more. Find accurate contact data easily with LeadIQ.
https://leadiq.com/c/actom-pty-ltd/5a1d95c52300005400847085
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Some of the 1220 ACTOM employees, who made it an unforgettable day! At the heart of this campaign was the dedication of ACTOM employees, with 1220 employees representing the organisation.
https://whatswatt.actom.co.za/
verified
Claim 7: “subsidiary John Thompson is one of the best in the boilermaking business”
VERIFIED
Multiple sources, including LinkedIn and EngNet, explicitly state that John Thompson is a division/subsidiary of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — John Thompson is a leader in energy and environmental solutions through value engineering and innovation.External link for John Thompson - A division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd. Industry. Industrial Machinery…
https://za.linkedin.com/company/john-thompson-a-division-of-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ACTOM Your one-stop global energy-solution partner. ACTOM offers a winning and balanced combination of manufacturing, service, repairs, maintenance, projects and distribution of electro-mechanical equ…
https://actom.co.za/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — John Thompson (JT) is a division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd with its principal focus on being the best boiler and environmental solutions company serving the power generation and industria.
https://www.engnet.co.za/c/f.aspx/joh001
info
Claim 8: “Naicker is the manager of the Hitachi Energy Grid Automation business unit”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim is completely irrelevant, discussing Tom Hanks instead of Kovilan Naicker or Hitachi Energy.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hanks
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tom Hanks Through the Years Take a journey through the prolific career of Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks through his standout roles in Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, and more films.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 16, 2026 · Tom Hanks (born July 9, 1956, Concord, California, U.S.) is an American actor whose cheerful everyman persona made him a natural for starring roles in many popular films. In the 1990s h…
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tom-Hanks
help
Claim 9: “The electricity minister has admitted that the 14,000km transmission expansion planned for 2035 isn’t yet priced into grid liberalisation plans”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this claim in the provided search results.
schedule
Claim 10: “Annexure 26 of the City’s draft budget for 2026/2027 lists multiple power projects... One standout is the ground solar photovoltaic project planned for a plot of land in Somerset West”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 11: “Tier 4 facilities — those that require fully redundant power, 2N+1 fault tolerance (where every component is duplicated), 99.995% uptime and only 26.3 minutes of unplanned downtime per year”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that Tier 4 data centers have an expected uptime of 99.995% and approximately 26.3 minutes of unplanned downtime per year.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 99.995% uptime: Tier IV data centers offer the highest uptime guarantee, with just 26.3 minutes of downtime allowed per year.
https://arzhost.com/blogs/tier-4-data-centers/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 99.995% expected uptime, which translates to approximately 26.3 minutes of downtime per year. Fault tolerance for unplanned events — this is the defining characteristic that separates Tier IV from Tie…
https://massivegrid.com/blog/tier-iii-vs-tier-iv-data-center…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This tier comes with an expected uptime of 99.995% per year. The four data center tiers are progressive. Data centers can move up and down the ratings, and each level includes the requirements of the …
https://phoenixnap.com/blog/data-center-tiers-classification
schedule
Claim 12: “Stuart Michie, sub-Saharan Africa head of sales and marketing for Hitachi Energy”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 13: “Actom has expanded its production capacity to battery energy storage solutions — importing only the cells — as well as now owning LH Marthinusen”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that LH Marthinusen is a division of ACTOM. However, there is no specific evidence provided in the search results regarding the import of cells for battery energy storage solutions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Discover ACTOM (Pty) Ltd, Africa's premier electro-mechanical equipment manufacturer and solution provider. With over a century of experience in energy solutions, we offer innovative, eco-friendly pro…
https://actom.co.za/actom/about-us
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Report this post. LH Marthinusen - A division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd. has completed a fan installation project for a major mine in the Phalaborwa region, solidifying its position as a leading provider of …
https://za.linkedin.com/company/lh-marthinusen
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Transformer manufacturer LH Marthinusen (LHM), a division of electromechanical equipment manufacturer ACTOM, has launched its new R32-million industrial fan production facility, in Germiston, Gauteng.
https://www.miningweekly.com/article/actoms-lh-marthinusen-d…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.