News 11:00

BULLETIN 19 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Antonio Guterres calls on the global community to carry Mandela’s vision forward
# Geordin Hill-Lewis says communities across South Africa deserve reliable basic service
# And rugby: South Africa remain the Junior World Champions

# United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, called on the global community to carry forward former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela’s vision of a just, inclusive, equal, and peaceful world. On Nelson Mandela International Day, he stressed that combating poverty is not a charity, but an act of justice and collective responsibility. Guterres says he has always been inspired by Madiba’s life and belief that when people stand together, nothing is impossible:

# DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has emphasised every citizen has the right to be treated with dignity, with communities across South Africa deserving reliable basic services. He says building a better South Africa begins when citizens ask what they can do to serve neighbours, strengthen communities, and leave their country better than they found it:

# Eskom has successfully maintained grid stability and met high winter electricity demands, and South Africa has recorded 428 consecutive days without load-shedding since 16 May last year. Spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says this resilient system performance is powered by the Eskom Generation Recovery Plan, which features an Energy Availability Factor of 65.46-percent. She says during the previous financial year, supply interruptions were limited to just 26 hours across four days in April and May last year:

Meanwhile, Eskom has successfully installed a renewable energy microgrid solution at the Mafikeng Provincial Hospital, North West, through its corporate social responsibility vehicle, the Eskom Development Foundation. Eskom acting CEO, Mologadi Motshele, says the technology will be used to increase resilience for critical hospital departments, including the Intensive Care Unit, operating theatres, and the Emergency Department. He says the project provides the hospital with a 200-kilowatts solar photovoltaic system coupled with a 400-kilowatt-hour battery energy storage system as a backup supply.

# The South African Medical Association Trade Union is urging healthcare professionals in the country to reconnect with the passion and purpose that inspired their journey into the profession. SAMATU General-Secretary, Cedric Sihlangu, says the union cannot allow financial constraints to erode the collective empathy or compromise the care of the vulnerable. He says true progress is measured not by economic metrics, but by how people can protect and uplift each other compassionately in times of adversity.

# And rugby: South Africa showed their champion pedigree to retain their World Rugby Junior World Championship title after beating France 16-5 in Georgia on Saturday to secure back-to-back titles for the first time. South Africa have now won 11 consecutive matches on the Junior World Championship stage and become the fourth team to go back-to-back after New Zealand, England, and France. They now have three titles in the prestigious age-grade tournament, matching the tally of France, and beaten only by England’s four and New Zealand’s six titles.

Stay tuned for more news………….