News 13:00

BULLETIN 4 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom says the Generation Recovery Plan enabled the successful return of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station
# Very busy traffic conditions are recorded on the N3 Toll Route
# And Tennis: Osaka reaches her first final since 2022 ahead of the Australian Open

# Eskom says generation recovery plan has recently enabled the successful return of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 to the national grid on 30 December.  Acting spokesperson, Aubrey Sambo says this milestone follows extensive upgrades as part of a comprehensive Long-Term Operation programme aimed at extending the unit’s operational lifespan by 20 years. He says Eskom is currently in the process of ramping up the unit to its full capacity of 930-megawatts, in accordance with operational procedures:

# The N3 Toll Concession says very busy traffic conditions have been recorded on the N3 Toll Route between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Spokesperson Thania Dhoogra, says one-thousand-800 vehicles per hour were recorded going northbound to Gauteng and one-thousand-200 vehicles per hour were heading southbound toward KwaZulu-Natal during the day yesterday. She says this traffic pattern is expected to continued today and likely to increase further Sunday:

# The Border Management Authority says it will continue to monitor the movement of holidaymakers to ensure the smooth return of travelers into South Africa through the Beitbridge Border Post in Musina, Limpopo this weekend. Commissioner, Mike Masiapato says yesterday, they managed to process over nine-thousand-500 people who were crossing from Zimbabwe to South Africa. He says 70 individuals were intercepted while trying to enter the republic illegally:

# Residents of northeastern Ethiopia were moved to temporary shelters yesterday as a volcano showed signs of starting to erupt. The Ethiopian Geological Institute posted a video on its Facebook page showing what appeared to be dust and smoke emerging from a volcano in Awash Fentale in Afar region. Local media reports residents were evacuated from the affected area, roughly 165-kilometres from the capital Addis Ababa. The area experiencing volcanic activity has also been prone to earthquakes and tremors in recent months.

# And finally, tennis: Former world number one Naomi Osaka reached her first final since 2022 as she swept aside unseeded American Alycia Parks at the Auckland Classic. The four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan won 6-4, 6-2 in another confidence boost ahead of the Australian Open starting on January 12 in Melbourne. Osaka was contesting her first semifinal since 2022, having taken a break from tennis and becoming a mother in 2023. She returned to the sport a year ago. The 27-year-old will meet Clara Tauson of Denmark in the final on Sunday.

Stay tuned for more news………….