News 12:00

BULLETIN 18 April 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An energy analyst says the demand for Eskom’s electricity is declining  
# AfriForum calls for registration on its Water Crisis Portal
# And cricket: England bowler Jofra Archer says he won’t be able to cope with any fresh injury problems 

# Energy analyst Chris Yelland says businesses and households are using less power derived from Eskom, which explains the continued suspension of load-shedding. Today marks the 22nd consecutive day without load-shedding, with the power utility attributing this to sustained generation capacity. Yelland says alternative sources of electricity, such as rooftop solar and commercial installations, are supplementing the national power utility’s electricity generation. He adds that increasing electricity costs could strengthen businesses’ search for alternative sources of electricity.

# AfriForum has urged organisations, engineers, specialists, and stakeholders in water management to register on its Water Crisis Portal. Environmental Affairs manager, Lambert de Klerk, says the initiative aims to compile a comprehensive list of expertise and resources to address water challenges. He stresses the importance of collaboration to find sustainable solutions:

# Cosatu says Old Mutual and Santam must be commended for their commitment to implement a 15-thousand-rand monthly minimum wage. Santam, worth about 35-billion-rand on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, has a six-thousand-472 workforce, making it one of the biggest employers in the insurance industry. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says one of the objectives in setting a national minimum wage was to push wages for the most exploited workers from the bottom up:

# Cricket: England fast bowler Jofra Archer has admitted he will struggle to cope with any more injury setbacks. He has been plagued by a litany of fitness problems since bursting onto the international scene in 2019. Archer last played competitively in May last year when he sustained a repeat stress fracture in his right elbow. He says he hopes to return in time for the T20 World Cup in the US and his native Caribbean in June.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-1-cent and the euro at 20-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-127-dollars-78-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-379-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Cape Town deputy mayor Eddie Andrews and The Voice South Africa Season two winner, Craig Lucas, both graduated from the University of the Western Cape. Known for his musical talents, Lucas graduated with a Masters in Development Studies, expressing a strong desire to pursue a PhD in the near future. He focused his thesis on youth aspirations in Bonteheuwel. Andrews, a former Springbok rugby player, received his Bachelor of Administration Honours:

Stay tuned for more news………….