News 16:00

BULLETIN 26 April 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom announces an Energy Saving Campaign in May
# The Lesotho Highlands Water Tunnel shut-down is necessary for the future sufficiency of water
# And Rugby: It’s an action-packed weekend in the United Rugby Championships

# Eskom CEO Dan Marokane has confirmed an upcoming Energy Saving Campaign in May to bolster electricity generation for winter. Addressing the media on Eskom’s State of the System and Winter Outlook, Marokane stresses collaborative efforts to end load-shedding. South Africa will only face Stage 2 load-shedding if necessary, as Eskom targets a 1.3-gigawatt reduction in unplanned losses and 382-megawatt demand initiatives:

# The Department of Water and Sanitation says strategic measures are in place to ensure the planned closure of the Lesotho Highlands Water Tunnel does not affect communities. The department’s director-general, Sean Phillips, says this proactive measure aims to mitigate future water challenges for the next three decades. Scheduled from October 2024 to March 2025, he says the closure ensures optimal water supply for Gauteng and surrounding areas:

# A 13-year-old girl made a first appearance in court in Wales today on three counts of attempted murder after two teachers and a learner were stabbed at a secondary school. Following the incident, the school went into lockdown for four hours after an alarm sounded. The girl, whose name cannot be published because she is under 18, confirmed her name and address but showed no emotion when she appeared in the dock at the Llanelli Magistrate’s Court. She will next appear at Swansea Crown Court on 27 May.

# Rugby: It’s another action-packed weekend in the United Rugby Championship with home semifinals and playoff places at stake. Tonight at 8:35 the Sharks take on the Scarlets in Wales to kick off the action for the South African sides. The Bulls, who are currently fourth on the log, will have a tough task at Loftus against the Ospreys tomorrow at 3pm. The Lions face third-placed Munster in Johannesburg at 5pm. The sixth-placed Stormers need a win when they face the top team on the log, Leinster, just after 7pm in Cape Town.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-81-cents and the euro at 20-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-53-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-407-dollars-23-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-346-dollars-70-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The University of Fort Hare has produced its first cohort of qualified speech and language therapists. The Health Professions Council of South Africa previously flagged issues with the curriculum, causing a delay in the graduation of students who enrolled in the four-year degree in 2018. The council finally cleared the programme in time for the 2024 graduation season. Thirteen students graduated. The university says graduates’ proficiency to practice in isiXhosa, a first for the country is a huge leap forward in the field of speech therapy.

Stay tuned for more news………….