News 08:00
BULLETIN 1 August 8 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Cosatu opposes the unbundling of Eskom
# South Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem ranks seventh lowest globally
# And soccer: Magaia salvages a last-gasp WAFCON draw for South Africa
# Cosatu has welcomed the Cabinet’s approval of further reforms to Eskom’s structure and pricing system. President Cyril Ramaphosa has endorsed the Phase One report of the Eskom Restructuring Task Team, setting the stage to restructure South Africa’s electricity sector. Cosatu spokesperson, Matthew Parks says they are opposing Eskom’s unbundling as they fear it may lead to privatisation and threaten Eskom’s ability to service debts, borrow to invest in infrastructure and its sustainability:
# A new Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report indicates South Africa’s entrepreneurs have plenty of ideas, but not enough support to turn them into successful businesses. The report, compiled by Stellenbosch Business School, the University of Johannesburg, North West University and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency, ranks South Africa’s support system 7th lowest out of 56 countries studied. The monitor’s Natanya Meyer calls for simpler rules to help businesses grow:
# Newly appointed ActionSA Gauteng election ambassador Ayanda Allie says she’s looking forward to the next chapter of her political career. The former Build One South Africa’s member of the Gauteng legislature, who was expelled from the party last week over allegedly unpaid tithes, struck a positive tone at her ActionSA unveiling, thanking her former party for the experience and opportunity to serve. Allie says the experience has prepared her for this next step:
# A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Campi Flegrei area near the southern Italian city of Naples on Friday, causing power outages, disrupting train and metro services and damaging some buildings. The quake had its epicentre in the Campi Flegrei area to the west of Naples at a depth of about three kilometres. Although small earthquakes are common in the area, stronger tremors have heightened fears of a repeat of the seismic crisis that struck Campi Flegrei in the early 1980s, causing widespread disruption and forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.
# Soccer: Substitute Hildah Magaia scored nine minutes into added time to salvage a 2-2 draw for South Africa against Ivory Coast on Friday in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Ivorians led 2-0 at half-time in the Group B match thanks to a brace from 18-year-old Grace Sery. Thembi Kgatlana halved the deficit midway through the second half in Casablanca. Also on Friday Burkina Faso beat Tanzania 2-1. In the final Group B round on Tuesday, Ivory Coast face Tanzania and former champions South Africa meet Burkina Faso.
# And rugby: A strong Springbok squad of 26 players leave for Argentina today for next Saturday’s one-off Test against the Pumas in Buenos Aires. Captain Siya Kolisi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, and Morné van den Berg all return from injury, while other players included had a lighter workload over the past few weeks. The rest of the squad stays behind to continue preparations for the All Blacks’ series. Coach Rassie Erasmus says Argentina is a quality outfit and they expect a massive challenge.
Stay tuned for more news………….