News 15:00

BULLETIN 16 January 3pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa remains on high alert of possible imported cholera cases
# Mauritius is on a maximum cyclone alert as the storm Belal wreaks havoc
# And cricket: ActionSA says there is a lack of transparency on David Teeger’s role 

# Deputy minister of Health, Sibongiseni Dhlomo, says South Africa remains on high alert of possible imported cholera cases from the neighbouring Zimbabwe which is currently battling an outbreak of the disease which has so far claimed over 200 lives. South Africa recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in Limpopo. Both cases are imported from Zimbabwe. The department’s spokesperson,  Foster Mohale says the department, in collaboration with the Border Management Authority, has intensified health screening at Beitbridge border post to mitigate against the imported cholera cases:

# The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and the Independent Power Producers Office will host three virtual bidders conferences tomorrow and Thursday. This follows the release of three new requests for proposals for the public procurement of seven-thousand-615 megawatts of new generation capacity from wind, solar photovoltaic, gas to power and battery energy storage technologies. The department is expected to provide bidders with additional information on the approach that will be taken to the prevailing grid constraint in the country.

# City Power in Johannesburg has launched a dedicated toll-free line, making it easier for residents to log calls for lengthy power outages and supply interruptions. The toll-free line, 0800 003 156, will operate daily between six am in the morning and six pm in the evening. City Power’s spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, says the line will be used for escalating power supply interruptions exceeding a period of 24 hours for individual calls and four hours for area outages:

# The Mauritian government has raised its cyclone warning to the maximum level as Tropical Storm Belal brought powerful winds and heavy rains to the island nation. Prime minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth has issued a stay-indoors order. Several flights scheduled for today, including to France and South Africa, had been cancelled. The Meteorological Service has reported that the storm is moving eastwards away from the island. Belal has caused widespread power outages, with numerous cars submerged or stranded due to torrential rains. Cyclone Belal has already hit nearby Réunion, leaving at least one person dead.

# Cricket: ActionSA is calling on Cricket South Africa’s president, Rihan Richards, to address concerns regarding recent developments that have raised questions about transparency and consistency. There are apparent contradictions within CSA’s decisions, particularly concerning the under-19 team’s captaincy. This follows after Jewish player David Teeger was relieved of the role for the World Cup. ActionSA’s Tsepo Mhlongo says the situation surrounding the promising young talent has sparked confusion as it seems he will still be in the team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-90-cents and the euro at 20-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 42-thousand-753-dollars-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-39-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….