News 16:00

BULLETIN 19 November 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Public Works minister pledges to take action against the construction mafia and to restore order on building sites
# Stable power supply is projected for South Africa until 2029
# And soccer: Bafana Bafana faces South Sudan in their final Afcon qualifier

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson has vowed to take strong action against the construction mafia causing disruptions at building sites. The minister is leading the national construction summit in Durban to tackle site disruptions and violence, and reduce project delays caused by criminal activity. Macpherson called for a united effort from government, the private sector, and police to restore order and allow projects to proceed without the fear of extortion: 

# The tenth National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Lekgotla has begun at KwaZulu-Natal’s uKhahlamba-Drakensberg heritage site. The Green Scorpions are addressing transnational environmental crime, and strengthening compliance measures nationwide. Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment chief director Frances Craigie says the agenda also seeks to look at strengthening measures on pesticide control following food poisoning from spaza shops that have left learners hospitalised and fatalities recorded:

# A report by the National Transmission Company of South Africa projects that South Africa’s electricity system is adequate until 2029, with Eskom’s generation turnaround ending power cuts. Moneyweb reports that Eskom’s energy availability factor improved to 63-percent in the first half of 2024, up from 55-percent in 2023. However, delays in large coal units, like Medupi and Kusile, could negatively impact the system. Eskom also faces challenges managing excess energy due to increasing renewable capacity and a planned coal shutdown in 2029.

# A high-speed rail linking Gauteng and Limpopo is in development, starting with a Pretoria-to-Polokwane connection and potential extensions to Louis Trichardt and Musina. The 420-kilometre line aims to reduce traffic, boost tourism, and strengthen economic ties. According to Gateway Magazine, it will also create a direct corridor to Zimbabwe. Joint tourism initiatives, including a golfing route, are planned. The master plan for the project is set to be completed by the end of next year.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana will play their first official match in Cape Town in nine years when their encounter against South Sudan kicks off at 6 pm tonight. This is their final qualifier for Afcon 2025, having already secured their participation in the tournament. More than 40-thousand tickets for the Cape Town Stadium have been sold and expectations are that it will sell out before kick-off. It will be a memorable match for captain Ronwen Williams as he earns his 50th cap.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-4-cents and the euro at 19-rand-6-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-79-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-139-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-633-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….