News 12:00

BULLETIN 25 March 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A poll suggests the DA could lose its majority in the Western Cape
# The Electricity minister details plans to address the challenges at Eskom
# And Olympics: The race is on to make the Paris Games mosquito-free 

# The DA could potentially lose its majority in the Western Cape in the upcoming general elections. This is according to a survey by the Social Research Foundation, where the DA’s support on the provincial ballot stands at 53-percent. This is more two percentage points fewer than the 55.4-percent it received in 2019. The ANC is second with 17-percent, which is eleven percentage points fewer than in 2019. The Freedom Front Plus’s support is measured at seven-percent, more than four percentage points higher than it received in 2019.

# Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa outlined measures to address Eskom’s challenges. Ramokgopa emphasises the urgency to prioritise improving the performance of Eskom’s fleet. This includes focusing on building relationships with the original equipment manufacturers to enhance spare parts availability. Ramokgopa also highlighted the urgency of speeding up procurement and maintenance processes for generation units to ensure efficient operations:

# The National Sea Rescue Institute is continuing an extensive search operation for six fishermen who are missing at sea onboard a grey Ballistic rigid hull inflatable boat off Cape Town. The men are believed to be from Hout Bay and Hawston in the Western Cape. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon says they are conducting an extensive search area in the deep sea south and south west of Cape Point, where it is believed the fishermen were fishing on Saturday:

# The Garden Route District Municipality says rubella cases have been detected in the George area. While it is typically a mild illness in children and adults, it can be very harmful if contracted by pregnant women, as it can infect their unborn babies. The municipality’s spokesperson, Herman Pieters, says rubella is a highly contagious illness characterised by symptoms like fever and a rash:

# Olympic Games: France is scrambling to prevent the virus-carrying tiger mosquito, a growing menace in Europe, from spoiling the Paris Games, with millions of visitors due in four months’ time. AFP reports the insect has made its home in much of northern Europe, including France, over the past two decades, due to climate change, spreading diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and zika. Authorities have tried in vain to get rid of the insects, including by fumigating parts of Paris, a technique regularly used in tropical cities.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-98-cents and the euro at 20-rand-55-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-77-dollars-76-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-166-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….