News 08:00

BULLETIN 17 April 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Simelane says the government is tackling unlawful land and building occupants
# The DA calls for a parliamentary inquiry into Eskom’s municipal power agreements
# And, mayor Nasiphi Moya says there is no water crisis in Tshwane

# Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, says the rise in unlawful land and building occupations across the country is placing a significant financial and administrative burden on both government and the private sector. Government has published the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment Bill for public comment. Simelane says the proposed amendment seeks to empower municipalities, State entities, and private property owners to respond more decisively to illegal occupations and evictions:

# The DA says Eskom’s system for dealing with municipal debt is failing, with debt now at about 111-billion-rand and still rising despite a National Treasury debt relief programme. The party calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the utility’s municipal distribution agency agreements, arguing the rollout has been slow, and most municipalities are not complying with payment terms. The DA’s Kevin Mileham says stronger oversight is needed to prevent further decline in municipal finances:

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya says the metro is not facing a water crisis, but rather battling losses caused by ageing infrastructure, leaks and inefficiencies, not a lack of bulk supply. The metro meets a demand of 800 to 900 million litres per day. Water tanker spending increased from 140-million-rand in 2024 to 777-million-rand in 2025. Moya says Hammanskraal and Bronkhorstspruit remain key pressure points, but they are committed to restoring the water supply after decades. She adds that the goal remains unchanged: To build a water-secure Tshwane.

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli military will not withdraw from its positions in southern Lebanon during the ten-day ceasefire. This goes against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah’s demand for them to withdraw. Netanyahu says the ceasefire is to allow for the continuation of historic talks with Lebanon, which started in the US earlier this week. He says Israel has two fundamental demands for these peace talks: first, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and second, a sustainable peace agreement, peace through strength.

# Cricket: The Punjab Kings defeated the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets to continue their unbeaten start and move to the top of the Indian Premier League table. Quinton de Kock scored an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls as Mumbai posted 195 for six. In reply, Prabhsimran Singh scored an unbeaten 80 from 39 balls and shared a 139-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer to ensure Punjab sailed to victory with 21 balls to spare. Iyer credited his bowlers for restricting Mumbai to under 200:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-19-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-718-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-795-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….