News 06:00

BULLETIN 22 February 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom implements stage 4 load-shedding due to the loss of generating units
# Parliament votes to impeach judges Hlophe and Motata
# And, the Inkatha Freedom Party terms the budget a political stunt

# Eskom says stage four load-shedding was implemented at four this morning until further notice. It says this is due to the loss of five generating units at the Kendal power station and a generating unit at the Duvha power station in Mpumalanga. The power utility says it will closely monitor the power system and communicate should any significant changes to the grid occur.

# The National Assembly has voted in favour of the impeachment of Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe and retired judge Nkola Motata, becoming the first judges to be impeached in democratic South Africa. They were both found guilty of gross misconduct by the Judicial Services Commission. Hlophe was found guilty of trying to sway two Constitutional Court justices in 2008 to rule in favour of then-president Jacob Zuma. Motata was convicted of drunk driving in 2009. The final decision on their removal now lies with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

# IFP deputy president Inkosi Buthelezi has labeled the 2024 budget speech as a political stunt ahead of the elections. He expressed disappointment with the economy’s downward trajectory and the underperformance of different departments despite fund allocations. Buthelezi voiced concern over the government’s intention to use 150-billion-rand from the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account due to lower-than-expected growth, and revenue shortfall:

Meanwhile, the union federation Cosatu says the budget is underwhelming and fails to address South Africa’s economic challenges effectively. They support the release of 150-billion-rand from reserves, urging the strategic use of these funds to stabilise critical entities like Eskom and Transnet. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks, also calls for faster action on transportation challenges. He expresses concern over the lack of plans for embattled state-owned enterprises and the deteriorating state of local government:

# Six Russian prison managers won’t be allowed to travel to Britain and had their assets in the country frozen following the death of opposition leader Alexander Navalny. He died in an Arctic prison last week, with the United Kingdom blaming Russian authorities – including president Vladimir Putin. Britain’s Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, says those responsible for Navalny’s brutal treatment should be under no illusion that they would be held accountable. The United States is also expected to announce sanctions against Russia tomorrow.

# Cricket: England vice-captain Ollie Pope says chances are good captain Ben Stokes will bowl in the fourth Test against India that starts in Ranchi tomorrow. Stokes hadn’t bowled since the second Ashes Test against Australia in July and underwent a knee operation in November. He bowled in the nets yesterday and Pope says they will see how he feels. India is leading the five-match series 2-1 after humiliating England in the third Test in Rajkot, winning by a mammoth 434 runs.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-91-cents and the euro at 20-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 51-thousand-587-dollars-47-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-27-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….