News 12:00

BULLETIN 24 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Nersa registers 105 generation facilities
# Fawu criticises the early termination of the search for missing fishers
# And cricket: Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals fight it out for a place in the IPL final 

# The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has registered 105 generation facilities between January and March this year. The total capacity of the generation facilities is 788 megawatts, with a total investment value of 18.4-billion-rand. Nersa’s spokesperson, Charles Hlebela, says the composition of the registered generation facilities consists of solar photovoltaic with battery energy storage system, wind turbine, cogeneration and gas:

# The Food and Allied Workers Union claims the search for eleven missing fishers off Cape Town was called off prematurely. The South African Maritime Safety says a number of search and rescue units that were activated following the incident yielded no results. The trawler carrying the fishers is 350 meters underwater, making body retrieval impossible. The union’s Western Cape secretary, Zolani Mbanjwa, voiced concerns over safety in the fishing industry:

# US president Joe Biden and his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, have pledged to protect democracy in Africa. During Ruto’s state visit to the White House, the two leaders emphasised partnerships in technology, security, and debt relief. The discussions included combatting terrorism, economic ties, and new investments in green energy. Ruto has called on the US to strengthen its support for African countries:

# Cricket: This year’s Indian Premier League is drawing to a close, with the penultimate game being played today. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will do battle in the second qualifier in Chennai. Sunrisers lost to top of the log Kolkata Knight Riders in the first qualifier, while Rajasthan beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Wednesday’s eliminator. KKR won the tournament twice in the past, Sunrisers were crowned champions in 2022, and Rajasthan wore the crown in 2008.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-42-cents and the euro at 19-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-40-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-896-dollars-56-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-338-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Statistics South Africa’s latest General Household Survey reveals that 23-percent of the country’s households depend on social grants as their main source of income. This is an increase from 20-percent in 2019. Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke says the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant contributed to the increase in social grants dependence. The survey also shows 83-percent of households in metropolitan areas live in formal dwellings, with 16-percent residing in informal settings, particularly in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Stay tuned for more news………….