News 14:00

BULLETIN 18 March 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# NERSA approves Eskom’s transfer of powers with Independent Power Producers 
# The AA says fuel prices are set for a mixed outlook in April 
# And cycling: Britain’s most successful female Olympian retires 

# Energy regulator NERSA has approved Eskom’s transfer of powers with Independent Power Producers to the National Transmission Company South Africa. This move is part of the utility’s unbundling process and aligns with the Department of Public Enterprises’ roadmap for a transformed electricity supply industry. NERSA’s Nhlanhla Gumede views this transition of the buyer role from Eskom to the transmission company as pivotal for industry transformation, highlighting its significance for South Africa’s electricity sector.

# The Automobile Association has forecasted a mixed fuel outlook next month, with petrol prices expected to increase slightly while diesel and illuminating paraffin prices are set to decrease. The decrease in diesel and paraffin prices is particularly good news for sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and retailing, where diesel is a significant input cost. The AA attributes these price changes to a downward trend in the rand and US dollar exchange rate and international product prices. The association offers free holiday vehicle checks until 2 April for those planning road trips.

# Cosatu has launched it’s Elijah Barayi Elections Brigade across all provinces today, to encourage workers to vote for the ANC in the upcoming elections. The federation and its affiliates have pledged their support for the ANC and will engage members and workers across workplaces over the course of this election season. Acting national spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says the federation’s brigade will be rolled out across all nine provinces:

# Cycling: Britain’s most successful female Olympian, Laura Kenney, has announced her retirement four months before the Games in Paris. She has won five Olympic gold medals as well as seven World Championship titles. The 31-year-old says she always knew she would realise when the time has come to call it quits, and now was the time. Kelley is married to former cyclist Jason Kenney, who is the most decorated British Olympian. She says it became increasingly difficult to leave their two young children at home.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-83-cents and the euro at 20-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-825-dollars-21-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-155-dollars-70-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-94-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, has welcomed the city ranking first among South Africa’s metros in the Good Governance Africa’s Governance Performance Index for 2024. The index ranks the country’s cities, and local and district municipalities across five good governance indicators, with Cape Town the only metro to score a minimum of four out of five for every measure. Hill-Lewis says Cape Town scores well across the GPI categories, ranking first for service delivery, the most weighted category in the index:

Stay tuned for more news………….