News 06:00
BULLETIN 27 November 6 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The minister of Electricity says there could be uninterrupted supply of electricity in December
# The Eskom CEO welcomes the utility’s credit rating upgrade from Standard and Poor
# And, Joe Biden wants the ceasefire extended as Hamas releases more hostages
# Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the country will likely have an uninterrupted electricity supply in December. This is despite the country experiencing stage six last week. He says work is underway to bring to service two generating units from the Kusile power station in Mpumalanga in the next few weeks. Ramokgopa reiterates that if Eskom builds an additional buffer, it means that the country will be less prone to major fluctuations in the intensity of load-shedding:
Meanwhile, Eskom’s acting CEO Calib Cassim has welcomed Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings’ decision to upgrade the power utility’s credit rating. Eskom’s credit rating was lifted to B, five levels into junk, from CCC+ with a stable outlook. The credit rating agency stated that government’s 254-billion-rand financial support package will help cover Eskom’s debt obligations for the current and the following two fiscal years. Cassim says they continue to work with key stakeholders to implement the turnaround plan focusing on operational and financial recovery.
# The ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, says the party’s renewal will not be undermined and deterred by those who are not clear on its constitutional processes, as well as the renewal process. Mbalula addressed delegates at the Sanco national conference in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. He says they went to an ANC national conference that adopted radical policies, and in that conference, they also adopted policies that deal swiftly with corruption:
# The City of Ekurhuleni says the high rate of gender-based violence continues to place a heavy burden on the health and criminal justice system. The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children kickstarted on Saturday. The Justice Department deals with no less than 50-thousand cases related to gender-based violence and almost one-thousand murder cases a year. Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana emphasised that men have a critical role in this 16 Day of Activism campaign, both as victims and perpetrators.
# US president Joe Biden says his administration’s goal is to extend the four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas so that more hostages can be released safely and for the delivery of critical aid. The Israel Defence Forces has confirmed that 17 hostages held by Hamas were released yesterday evening. Among those freed is four-year-old Abigail Edan, a dual US-Israeli citizen. In exchange, 39 more Palestinian prisoners held in Israel were released. Biden says a two-state solution is the only way to guarantee the long-term security of both Israelis and Palestinian people.
# Golf: South African Dean Burmester won the Joburg Open by three shots at the Houghton Golf Club, to claim his third European Tour title. He shot three birdies over the final six holes to fire an unblemished six-under-par 64, finishing on 18 under par overall. His compatriot, Darren Fichardt, who shot a 64, his best round of the tournament, ended second with defending champion England’s Dan Bradbury, who scored 64 despite three bogeys, finishing third. All three have earned entries into the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. Burmester says winning a title at home is special:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-80-cents and the euro at 20-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 37-thousand-505-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-7-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-59-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….