News 11:00

BULLETIN 28 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fires in the Breede Valley and Witzenberg are still burning out of control
# Eskom unlocks grid capacity for wind in the Western and Eastern Cape
# And, a social attitudes survey reveals despondency with the country’s democracy

# The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services reports fires in the Breede Valley and Witzenberg areas continue to rage out of control. Spokesperson Jo-Anne Otto attributes the escalation to strong north-westerly winds. Flames intensified at Bains Kloof and Fairy Glen, prompting flare-ups in previously contained zones. Otto says they hope the fire in Elandsberg will burn itself out:

# Eskom has published a curtailment addendum to its latest Generation Connection Capacity Assessment 2025. It is expected to unlock grid capacity for wind projects in the Western and Eastern Cape. The addendum has been approved by the National Energy Regulator. It states by accepting a reasonable share of no more than ten-percent of curtailment, an additional three-thousand-470-megawatts of grid capacity will be made available for wind generation. This includes two-thousand-680-megawatts in the Western Cape and 790-megawatts in the Eastern Cape. 

# French farmers maintained nationwide protests yesterday and kept up their threat of roadblocks around Paris. They argue government measures do not meet their demands for better pay and living conditions. Reuters reports prime minister Gabriel Attal’s government earlier dropped plans to gradually reduce state subsidies on diesel, and announced other steps to relieve the pressures faced by farmers. France’s biggest farming union, the FNSEA, says it will keep up its protests and many farmers remain at roadblocks at major roads.

# Cricket: Sunrisers Eastern Cape put on a solid seam-bowling display to overcome M-I Cape Town by four runs in their SA20 clash in Gqeberha yesterday. Sunrisers restricted the visiting side to 171 for seven, after the hosts posted a competitive 175 for six from their 20 overs. Last night, Pretoria Capitals and Joburg Super Kings shared the spoils after their SA20 clash in Centurion was washed out. A thrilling end to the competition awaits, with the Capitals on ten points, M-I Cape Town on nine and Super Kings on eight, all fighting for the final playoff place.

# And to end with: The Human Sciences Research Council’s South African Social Attitudes Survey has unveiled a sense of despondency among the population regarding the country’s 30-year-old democracy. The report highlights concerning trends, including a decline in overall life satisfaction, pessimistic views about the future, and a growing sense of hopelessness and despondency. According to the council’s Narnia Bohler, the research indicates that nearly 65-percent of the population is dissatisfied with the current situation in the country:

Stay tuned for more news………….