News 15:00

BULLETIN 22 April 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Elections 2024: The MK party founder vows an election victory despite ANC obstacles
# Eskom’s partial load losses shows a significant improvement 
# And rugby: The Stormers are under pressure ahead of their URC game against log-leaders Leinster 

# The founder of the MK Party, Jabulani Khumalo, has criticised the ANC leadership, asserting their inability to impede the party’s electoral success. He welcomes the ruling from the High Court in Durban, dismissing the ANC’s bid to halt the MK party’s use of the uMkhonto we Sizwe trademark. This marks the second legal defeat for the ANC in their ongoing dispute with the MK Party. Khumalo says they are preparing for electoral triumph despite the challenges:

# Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced a significant reduction in partial load losses, attributed to the execution of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan. Addressing the media, Ramokgopa confirmed other contributing factors including planned maintenance, opportunity maintenance as well as lower demand due to performance on renewable energy. He notes a three-percentage point increase in accelerated maintenance due to improved generational units:

# US president Joe Biden condemned any anti-Semitism on college campuses as pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University spent their fifth day demanding the school sever financial ties with Israel. Students camped out on university grounds and are calling for the prestigious New York institution, which has an exchange programme with Tel Aviv University, to boycott all activities associated with Israel, in light of the country’s war with Hamas militants and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

# Rugby: The Stormers are under pressure in the United Rugby Championship after a disappointing home loss to the Ospreys this past weekend. They are now in sixth place on the log with four games remaining before the play-offs. On Saturday evening they will host defending champions Leinster, who will be keen to shake off a big loss to the Lions at Ellis Park. Stormers Coach John Dobson says his team will have to be much better:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-11-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-907-dollars-17-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-346-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Insurers say severe weather events linked to climate change are prompting South Africans to recognise the importance of short-term insurance cover. According to the global reinsurance broker, Aon, the 2023 economic losses due to natural catastrophes was 22-percent above the 21-percent century average, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of cover for vulnerable communities. Industry experts have stressed the need for improved infrastructure and innovative risk transfer mechanisms. They believe the addressing of affordability issues and the leveraging technology are vital to narrow the protection gap and the enhancement of resilience.

Stay tuned for more news………….