News 13:00

BULLETIN 9 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom justifies delaying power station shutdowns
# Roadrunning: Piet Wiersma of the Netherlands wins the Comrades
# And, a snake swallows an Indonesian woman whole

# Eskom has reassured the Presidential Climate Commission that delaying the shutdown of several power stations is necessary. CEO Dan Marokane told the commission Eskom’s decision to postpone decommissioning Camden, Hendrina and Grootvlei coal-fired stations until 2030 will cost the utility between 85- and 90-billion-rand. He maintains the delays are essential despite the substantial costs involved in keeping the ageing plants operational for longer:

# AZAPO has expressed deep concern over the slow response of local and provincial governments in addressing the challenges faced by flood-affected communities in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. The party urges proactive measures, including improved weather monitoring, disaster-resistant building materials, and relocation from disaster-prone areas. AZAPO criticises the government’s failure to maintain infrastructure. The party calls for effective action to rebuild and support affected communities.

# A UNICEF report reveals South Africa is one of 20 countries accounting for 65-percent of all children globally living in severe food poverty. Twenty-three-percent of South African children experience food deprivation and they are 50-percent more likely to suffer life-threatening malnutrition. UNICEF’s Christine Muhigana says the consequences can last a lifetime, weakening immunity, increasing disease risk and perpetuating the poverty cycle:

# Roadrunning: Piet Wiersma won today’s Comrades Marathon in five-hours, 24-minutes and 56-seconds. It is the man from the Netherlands’ first Comrades title.  South Africa’s Dan Moselakwe was second. Another South African, Tete Dijana, who holds the down run to Durban record of five-hours, 13-minutes and 58-seconds, was hoping to bag a hattrick of wins, but had to stop several times, apparently with cramps. In the women’s race Gerda Steyn claimed her second successive win in a record time after leading from start to finish.  

# And finally: Indonesian officials say a woman has been found dead inside the belly of a snake after it swallowed her whole. The husband of the 45-year-old woman and residents of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province discovered her inside the reticulated python, which measured around five-metres. The mother-of-four had gone missing on Thursday night, forcing a search effort. AFP reports such incidents are extremely rare but several people have died in Indonesia in recent years after being swallowed whole by pythons.

Stay tuned for more news………….