News 16:00

BULLETIN 23 May 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA demands the release of the crime statistics ahead of the elections 
# Women leaders drive success and boost the electricity availability at Eskom 
# And cricket: The Proteas start their final World Cup preparations with the first T20 against the Windies 

# The DA has accused Police minister Bheki Cele of politicising crime statistics by delaying their release ahead of the elections. Despite a scheduled release last week, the 2023/’24 fourth-quarter crime statistics remain undisclosed. The party promises to ensure transparency and accountability in crime reporting. The DA’s Andrew Whitfield says a request under the Promotion of Access to Information Act has been submitted to obtain the data and publicise these statistics:

# All four of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations with electricity availability factors over 75-percent are led by women. Speaking at the Women in Energy breakfast at Enlit Africa 2024, Eskom’s HR executive, Elsie Pule, highlighted the decade-long Women Advancement Programme. It boosted women senior executives from 29- to 42-percent and reduced the gender salary gap to six-percent. Pule says the energy availability factor increased whenever a woman took charge. The programme is now developing 100 women for senior and future executive roles.

# South Africa is considering lodging a formal complaint at the World Trade Organisation against the European Union’s proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism. Trade, Industry and Competition minister Ebrahim Patel says the levy on carbon-intensive imports like steel and cement would penalise developing nations struggling to reduce emissions. The trial phase which began in October, is set to be fully implemented from 2026. Patel argues the mechanism unfairly targets developing economies and could seriously hit South Africa economically. He calls for continuous negotiations.

# Cricket: The Proteas will take on the West Indies in the first of three T20s in Jamaica tonight. This series will serve as an important warm-up for the T20 World Cup that will be played in the Caribbean and the USA next month. Rassie van der Dussen is captaining the Proteas for a series that gives them the opportunity to get to grips with Caribbean conditions:  

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-36-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-848-dollars-63-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-367-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Chief Justice Raymond Zondo hailed late Constitutional Court judge Yvonne Mokgoro as an embodiment of constitutional values. Speaking at Bryanston Catholic Church in Johannesburg, Zondo hailed Mokgoro as an icon of the history of women lawyers. She also fought for human rights against the death penalty and ensuring prisoners’ right to vote in 1999. Zondo confirmed that a memorial service will be held in her honour at the Constitutional Court on Monday:

Stay tuned for more news………….