News 15:00

BULLETIN 20 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Three people die as heavy downpours wreak havoc in KwaZulu-Natal
# Nersa approves Eskom’s tariff restructuring plan
# And the Pope remains in hospital fighting double pneumonia

# Three people have died after a mudslide in KwaMakhuta, Durban, following heavy downpours. Several other homes and roads have also been damaged in the south KwaZulu-Natal. Mop-up operations are underway as the South African Weather Service warns of more rain in the coming days. ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson says a landslide was caused by overnight torrential rain:

Meanwhile, the City of Tshwane is urging residents to be cautious as inclement weather conditions continue in Gauteng. The Weather Service issued a level 6 orange warning for disruptive rain over most parts of the province today. Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson, Lindsay Mnguni, says the inclement weather conditions are expected to cause the overflowing of low-water bridges, localised flooding, and potentially disrupt major routes:

# Energy regulator Nersa has approved Eskom’s retail tariff plan, requiring solar PV users to pay fixed charges. To ease the impact, the charges will be phased in over three years from the first of April. Eskom will restructure tariffs to align with updated cost drivers and prepare for a competitive market. Changes include revised time-of-use tariffs, simplified municipal rates, and the removal of inclining block tariffs for residential users.

# Rugby: Head coach Eddie Jones describes Japan’s visit to Europe in November as a tour of a lifetime. The Asian country will play Ireland in Dublin, Wales in Cardiff and Georgia at a venue still to be announced. Before then, they have home Tests against Wales and Australia. Jones describes Ireland as the most consistent team in the world, and playing Wales at their home stadium as one of the best experiences in the sport. He says Georgia is by far the most improved team in the world.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-44-cents and the euro at 19-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-290-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-950-dollars-56-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: The Vatican says Pope Francis’ overall condition remains stable, with blood tests indicating a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory markers. The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital last week with a respiratory infection and was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. According to doctors the Pope is also suffering from asthmatic bronchitis. Francis is breathing on his own, without the use of a respirator, and able to get out of bed to work from a chair in his room.

Stay tuned for more news………….