News 09:00

BULLETIN 15 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Energy Council wants the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill signed into law
# Numsa secures a wage agreement with Bidvest SA
# And an epidemiologist warns children are at higher risk of Mpox Infection

# The Energy Council of South Africa says the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill needs to be signed into law. The bill paves the way for the direct purchase and transmission of electricity, not only from Eskom but also from private power producers, without going through cumbersome legal processes. Trade, Industry and Competition minister Parks Tau says the bill was still being assessed by president Cyril Ramaphosa, and that no timeframe was provided for its possible signing into law. The council says the legislation will help boost electricity generation and competition.

# Metalworkers’ union Numsa has signed an above-inflation wage agreement with Bidvest South Africa Container Depot. This comes as the union was preparing to strike after reaching a deadlock, but they found one another at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. Numsa’s spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, says they have secured a six-percent increase across the board for the rest of the workforce, while other employment conditions and benefits remain unchanged:

# The DA in Gauteng recently conducted follow-up oversight inspections at several schools including Vosloorus Comprehensive School and Kwanele Primary School in Katlehong. The inspections were initiated due to complaints about irregular and non-delivery of food. The DA’s, Sergio Isa Dos Santos, says there were also concerns about the quality of the meals provided to learners following a dispute over a one-billion-rand school feeding contract:

# Epidemiologist Salim Abdool Karim has warned that children are more susceptible to Mpox due to the lack of Smallpox vaccination. His caution comes as the African Union’s health watchdog declared a public health emergency over the increasing Mpox outbreak in Africa. Karim emphasised the need for heightened vigilance in the health sector, noting that younger people are particularly vulnerable to infection.

# Tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner battled past qualifier Alex Michelsen in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. The Italian had to save eight break points on his way to a, 6-4, 7-5, victory over the American. Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while there were also victories for Danish 15th seed Holger Rune and France’s Gael Monfils. In the women’s draw, world number one Poland’s Iga Swiatek beat France’s Varvara Gracheva, 6-0, 6-7, 6-2.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-5-cents and the euro at 19-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-348-dollars-29-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-454-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….