News 13:00

BULLETIN 13 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# No load-shedding is expected for the remainder of winter
# European leaders and Zelensky will hold online talks with Trump today
# And rugby: Jesse Kriel backs André Esterhuizen to deliver against the Wallabies

# Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says no load-shedding is expected for the rest of winter. Delivering the state-of-the-grid update in Hatfield, Pretoria, Ramokgopa credited improved plant performance, including Kusile’s Unit 6 and Medupi’s Unit 4, for system stability. In addition, unplanned outages dropped below critical levels, with the energy availability factor recently breaching 70-percent. Ramokgopa confirmed the grid is resilient as the country transitions into summer:

# Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber will open a criminal case against those responsible for torching Home Affairs offices in Germiston, Ekurhuleni. The blaze, allegedly started by protesters using petrol bombs yesterday morning, severely damaged the two-story building, disrupting vital services including the issuing of IDs and passports. The incident is linked to residents evicted from their Pharoe Park flats for not paying rent. Police investigations are underway.

# Cape Town police have launched a manhunt for suspects following the deaths of four men in Overcome Heights, Muizenberg, earlier this morning. Spokesperson Andrè Traut says detectives attached to the anti-gang unit are working tirelessly to determine the events that led to the incident. He says the bodies of the four men, aged between 20 and 37, were discovered in Mountain Road with fatal gunshot wounds:

Moving abroad:

# European leaders and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will hold online talks with US president Donald Trump today. They will try to convince him to respect Kyiv’s interests when he discusses the war with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on Friday. Zelensky will travel to Berlin to join the video conference with the host, German chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz has also invited European leaders and the heads of the European Union and NATO to take part in the talks.

# Rugby: Springbok centre Jesse Kriel says they are expecting a tough clash against Australia in their Rugby Championship opener at Ellis Park on Saturday. This is despite the Wallabies coming off a tough series against the British and Irish Lions. Kriel will link up with André Esterhuizen in the midfield while Damian de Allende is still recovering from a niggle. Thirty-one-year-old Kriel is excited for Esterhuizen to show what he can do against the Wallabies:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-53-cents and the euro at 20-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-980-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-361-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….