News 15:00
BULLETIN 1 December 3 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The DA says South Africans will likely spend the holidays in the dark
# The Road Freight Association welcomes a 47-billion-rand bailout for Transnet
# And Soccer: Mohamed Salah is close to reaching 200 goals for Liverpool
# The DA says Eskom has now confirmed that it has depleted its diesel budget. It says as Eskom’s aged coal-fired power stations struggle to generate enough power to meet the demand, the decline in the use of open cycle gas turbines means South Africans will continue to experience heightened levels of load-shedding right into the December holidays. The DA’s Mimmy Gondwe says reports indicate that Eskom is left with just 3.6-billion-rand for the procurement of diesel to power the turbines:
# Road Freight Association CEO, Gavin Kelly says the allocation of a 47-billion-rand bailout to Transnet in its recovery plan is a step in the right direction. He says Transnet has received allocations and presumably bailouts from Treasury before and the question still remains whether the management, operational foresight and control that was required for many years, will now come into play. Kelly says the RFA looks forward to seeing vastly changed efficiencies from the port and rail services controlled by Transnet:
# Deputy minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Philly Mapulane, has acknowledged the negative impact of digitisation on the South African Post Office’s future viability. During a National Assembly session, Mapulane cited the redundancy of letter post due to digitisation and the internet. He noted the global struggle of postal operators facing similar challenges and highlighted the need for a transition to embrace the digital era. The Post Office, like its global counterparts, grapples with adapting to evolving communication trends and technological advancements.
# Soccer: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is nearing 200 goals for the English club. The Reds qualified for the Europa League knockout stages as Group E winners after defeating LASK four-nil at Anfield. Liverpool scored two quick-fire goals in the opening 15 minutes curiosity of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo. Salah’s second-half penalty, his 199th goal for the club made it three-nil before Gakpo scored another one in injury time. Salah will have the chance to reach a double century of goals for Liverpool when his side host Fulham on Sunday.
# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-64-cents and the euro at 20-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-59-cents and Bitcoin trades at 38-thousand-622-dollars-19-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-40-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-88-cents a barrel.
# And finally: South African Airways has launched a promotional offer providing free flights for children aged 2 to 11. Up to two children can travel with one adult on SAA’s flights. The airline aims to make it possible for children to experience flying and explore the country during the festive season. This promotion is exclusively valid for SAA flights to Cape Town and Durban. Families will only need to cover regulatory taxes and levies for each child. The offer is applicable from today until 31 January 2024.
Stay tuned for more news………….