News 08:00

BULLETIN 24 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party is not surprised by the return of load-shedding
# Pope Francis remains in critical condition
# And rugby: Argentina is once again crowned the Vancouver Sevens champions

# The MK Party says it is not surprised by the return of load-shedding, as this once again exposes the incompetence and outright failure of the government of national unity. Eskom has reduced load-shedding from stage six to four until further notice. The MK Party’s Nomahlubi Radebe, says load-shedding is a manufactured crisis designed to weaken and destroy the power utility:

Meanwhile, the South African Federation of Trade Unions says the return of load-shedding is a direct consequence of the government’s mismanagement of Eskom, and its continued adherence to disastrous neoliberal policies. Load-shedding was ramped up to stage six on Sunday morning, after multiple units tripped, but has now been reduced to stage four until further notice. Saftu’s spokesperson, Newton Masuku, says they are reiterating their demand for a radical transformation of the energy sector:

# ActionSA in Gauteng says premier Panyaza Lesufi must provide a comprehensive update on the critical interventions he previously promised to address the province’s growing crises. The premier is set to deliver his state of the province address today. ActionSA’s, Funzi Ngobeni, says residents cannot afford another SOPA filled with empty promises and gimmicks, as they need real, measurable progress. He adds that Lesufi must provide clear updates, backed by data and timelines, on whether his administration’s interventions have made any impact:

# The Vatican says Pope Francis remains in critical condition but has not presented any further respiratory crises. The 88-year-old pontiff was hospitalised over a week ago, after being diagnosed with pneumonia in both his lungs. The leader of the Roman Catholic church is still receiving high-flow oxygen therapy and has undergone blood transfusions. The Vatican says Pope Francis’ blood tests had indicated early kidney failure, which is currently under control. It adds that he continues to be alert and well-oriented.

# Rugby: Defending champions Argentina beat South Africa 19-12 in the final to win the Vancouver Sevens in Canada, for a historic fourth consecutive time. Two tries from player of the final Luciano Gonzalez and one from Tobias Wade secured the win for Argentina. In the men’s third-place playoff, Spain made a statement with a commanding 22-7 win over Fiji. Meanwhile, New Zealand women thrashed Fiji 41-7 to secure their third-consecutive title in Canada. In the women’s third-place game, Australia overcame a valiant Japan side 26-12.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-30-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-672-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-941-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….