News 08:00

BULLETIN 5 December 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Brian Molefe suggests Eskom put the whole country on prepaid electricity
# Another more than 20 illegal miners have resurfaced in Stilfontein
# And French MPs have ousted prime minister Barnier in a no-confidence vote

# MK Party member of Parliament, Brian Molefe, has proposed Eskom implements prepaid electricity across South Africa to address non-payment issues. Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa revealed last month that municipal debt to the power utility surged from 78-billion-rand in July to 90-billion-rand in three months. Molefe, former Eskom CEO, told Parliament’s portfolio committee on Energy and Electricity, that municipal debt can be resolved by buying prepaid electricity:

# The Gauteng High Court has ruled against the government’s plan to procure one-thousand-500 megawatts of coal-fired power, deeming it unconstitutional due to health risks. The decision, challenged by environmental groups, found the 2019 plan unlawful, citing coal’s severe impact on public health. Judge Cornelius van der Westhuizen emphasised its violation of the constitutional right to health. Activists says despite this victory, South Africa still relies heavily on coal, while advancing renewable energy.

# North West Police have confirmed that a total of 26 illegal miners resurfaced at a disused mine shaft at Stilfontein between Tuesday and Wednesday. Fourteen of the illegal miners are from Mozambique, eleven are from Lesotho, and one is a South African national. Police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone, says the illegal miners have been arrested and face a range of charges:

# French prime minister Michel Barnier has been ousted in a historic no-confidence vote, just three months after he was appointed by president Emmanuel Macron. This marks the first time a French government has been toppled in this way in more than 60 years. Opposition parties had tabled the motion after Barnier controversially used special powers to force through his budget without a vote. A total of 331 lawmakers out of 577 voted against Barnier. He will submit his resignation to Macron today, a constitutional obligation after losing a vote of no-confidence.

# Golf: Defending champion Max Homa leads one of the strongest fields of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City. The American is seeking to become the eighth player in the tournament’s history to successfully defend his title. He is joined by compatriot Will Zalatoris and Canadian duo Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes. Thriston Lawrence leads a strong local challenge that includes Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen. Lawrence says playing at the Gary Player Country Club is always a highlight:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-16-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-143-dollars-93-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-647-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….