News 12:00

BULLETIN 15 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The return of Koeberg’s Unit 1 is delayed but Eskom maintains this won’t increase the risk of load-shedding
# Rugby: Jasper Wiese will face the music today after his red card in Gqeberha
# And flowers are starting to bloom in the Namaqua National Park in the Northern Cape

# Eskom says Unit 1 at the Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Town is now scheduled to be back online by the end of August. The unit was initially expected to return to service this month. The 930-megawatt nuclear plant unit is currently offline for the second phase of a long-term operation extension. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says the revised timeline is due to faults found during inspections and maintenance. She adds that this delay will not increase the risk of load-shedding:

# The Public Servants Association has welcomed the precautionary suspension of Road Traffic Management Corporation CEO Makhosini Msibi. The suspension follows allegations of financial misconduct, irregular expenditure and governance failures at the state entity. A forensic investigation has been launched. PSA’s spokesperson, Claude Naiker, says Msibi’s precautionary suspension is a necessary step to ensure the investigation is unhindered:

# The South African Weather Services is warning of a cold front that will hit several parts of the country later this week, especially in the Western Cape. The province is expected to experience thunder showers and rain from Thursday. Rainfall is also expected in the eastern parts of the country, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng on Friday. Senior forecaster, Tokelo Chiloane, says the only places that will experience milder temperatures this week are those in the north, such as Musina and Upington.

# Rugby: Springbok lose forward Jasper Wiese is facing a disciplinary committee of World Rugby today after his straight red card during Saturday’s second Test against Italy in Gqeberha. He was sent off by Irish referee Andrew Brace for a head butt during a confrontation in the first half. The Boks nonetheless won the match 45-0. Wiese can probably expect a harsh punishment given his not-so-good disciplinary record. The foul-play review committee sent the case straight through to a full hearing, indicating the severity of the charge.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-78-cents and the euro at 20-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 116-thousand-789-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-360-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-22-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Good rainfall has been falling in the Namaqua National Park in the Northern Cape since March, and low temperatures have been punctuated by periods of sunlight. This has made it possible for early germination, particularly among the daisy species. SANParks says flowers have started to bloom in the Skilpad area, while sections of the four-by-four eco-route, including Wildeperdehoek and Kookfontein, are already bursting with vibrant colours. It adds conditions are favourable for blooming to extend well into August and even through to September.

Stay tuned for more news………….