News 06:00
BULLETIN 20 November 6 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Electricity minister says the loss of cluster units has resulted in the escalation of load-shedding
# Parliament has suspended nine officials following a probe into the National Assembly fire
# And in cricket, Australia defeated India to claim a sixth World Cup title
# Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says Eskom has lost a cluster of units from different power stations across the country, resulting in the escalation of load-shedding. Eskom was forced to implement stage three load-shedding yesterday in order to replenish emergency reserves in preparation for the week ahead. Updating the country on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan yesterday, Ramokgopa also cited the unplanned capacity loss factor as another key contributor to the escalation of load-shedding:
# Eskom says stage two load-shedding will be implemented from five this morning until four in the afternoon, and this will be followed by stage three until five tomorrow morning. On Tuesday and Wednesday, stage one will be enforced from five in the morning until four in the afternoon followed by stage three in the evenings. This pattern will continue until further notice. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says they are currently experiencing a shortage of generation capacity and there is a need to manage emergency reserves.
# Parliament has suspended nine senior staff members following an external investigation into the fire that gutted the National Assembly building in January last year. They form part of a group of 28 officials who have been identified in the investigation and may have been responsible for security lapses. Secretary to Parliament Xolile George says the identified officials were given an opportunity to respond to the possible charges. He says out of the 28 staff members, 13 will face disciplinary action. The parliamentary buildings are now being repaired at a cost of two-billion-rand.
# City of Johannesburg manager Floyd Brink will convene an extraordinary council meeting today for the election of a new council speaker. The position was left vacant last week after the city confirmed Colleen Makhubele’s termination as a councillor. She was fired as a member and councillor of the Congress of the People, after joining a newly formed coalition dubbed the SA Rainbow Alliance without approval from Cope’s leadership. Former Johannesburg mayor Thapelo Amad and African Independent Congress councillor Margaret Arnolds have reportedly emerged as possible candidates for the speaker position.
# Israel, the US and Hamas are reportedly close to reaching an agreement that would free dozens of hostages, in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting. Pressure is growing on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal for the safe return of about 240 people abducted by Hamas on the seventh of October, when over one-thousand people were killed. The deal could allow a greater flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The White House says there is no deal yet, but work continues towards producing one.
# Cricket: A sensational batting performance from Travis Head led Australia to their sixth World Cup title, defeating hosts India by six wickets. India, who came into the final as the only unbeaten team in the tournament, were bowled out for 240 with Mitchell Starc claiming three wickets. Australia snapped the home side’s proud winning streak in the biggest game of all, reaching their target of 241 for four in 43 overs with Head’s 137 from 120 balls being the standout innings. Australia’s Steve Smith says the team put on an amazing performance:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-32-cents and the euro at 19-rand-98-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 37-thousand-337-dollars-63-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-981-dollars-28-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-96-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….