News 17:00

BULLETIN 17 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Government is to introduce measures to reduce load-shedding and improve supply 
# The Electoral Commission readies for elections following the announcement of the election date 
# And Cricket: Virat Kohli reveals the reason for his absence from the Test series against England 

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says load-shedding is a critical issue affecting all South Africans, disrupting production, operations, and livelihoods. Delivering the last budget of the 6th administration, he says reforming the energy sector would lead to long-term energy security. The government’s past decisions are showing positive results, and to further promote investments in renewable energy, the budget proposes increasing the limit for qualifying renewable energy projects under the carbon offsets regime from 15 megawatts to 30 megawatts:

Godongwana has also revealed that tax revenue for 2023/24, sitting at 7.73-trillion-rand, is 56.1-billion-rand lower than estimated. Godongwana said that this shortfall is attributed to the weak performance of the economy, resulting in a sharp deterioration in tax revenue collection. The decline in corporate profits and revenue from taxes on mining are among the factors contributing to this shortfall:

Meanwhile, Godongwana says to keep pace with inflation and increase access, permanent social grants will be increased. He announced an increase of 100-rand to the old age, war veterans, disability and care dependency grants. This amount will be divided into 90-rand effective from April and another 10-rand effective from October. The foster care grant will increase by 50-rand and the child support grant by 20-rand.

# The Independent Electoral Commission says eligible voters have until Friday to register for the upcoming elections, following president Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the election date. The commission welcomes the announcement and is intensifying preparations for election day on 29 May. The IEC says voter registration has been successful, with the voters’ roll now at 27.6-million. The commission will publish the election timetable in the government gazette, detailing key dates for activities like certifying the voters’ roll and submitting candidates’ nominations. 

# Cricket: The reason for prolific Indian batter Virat Kohli’s absence from the sport has become clear – the birth of his second child. The former captain and his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, welcomed their son, Akaay, last week. They already have a daughter, Vamika. Kohli released a statement on the baby’s birth after his absence from the current five-match Test series against England, ascribed to “personal reasons”, led to intense speculation. The couple asks for blessings and good wishes, as well as privacy.  

Stay tuned for more news………….