News 17:00

BULLETIN 12 December 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet commends the national energy action plan for improving the power supply
# A Fochville farmer is arrested for illegal electricity distribution to over 600 households
# And horseriding: A British Olympic champion is banned for a year for whipping her horse

# Cabinet has commended the successful implementation of the national energy action plan, led by Electricity and Energy minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. The plan has contributed to 252 continuous days of power supply, and a saving of 17.37-billion-rand. In her media address, minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said cabinet was also updated on Eskom’s progress with the successful rollover of 5.5-million prepaid meters:

Meanwhile, a farmer from Fochville in Gauteng will appear in court on Wednesday on charges of illegally distributing electricity to over 600 informal households, costing Eskom an estimated 6.6-million-rand. He was arrested after his operation was uncovered during a joint raid by Eskom, police, and City Power. They found stolen equipment used to supply electricity in exchange for payment. The farmer, who had previously reconnected the power supply after multiple disconnections, faces serious charges, including tampering with infrastructure. He remains in custody.

# Air France and KLM, the national flag carriers for France and the Netherlands, respectively, have formed an agreement with the South African regional carrier Airlink. The agreement will now see the two major European airlines have access to 14 domestic Airlink routes across South Africa. Members of Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue Loyalty programme will also be able to earn miles on marketed flights operated by Airlink. Air France-KLM and Airlink plan to expand their codeshare operations to African countries including Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

# eThekwini Municipality says Durban is rolling out the red carpet for travellers this festive season as it takes bold steps to revitalise tourism and ensure a safer, more magical experience for all. Durban Tourism’s Winile Mntungwa says the city has worked tirelessly to address past challenges and elevate its attractions. She says improvements include stabilised beach water quality, fully operational swimming pools, a robust safety strategy, and upgraded maintenance standards:

# Horseriding: British three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin was banned from the sport for a year following the emergence of a video showing how she whipped a horse during training. She was forced to withdraw from this year’s Games in Paris after she was provisionally suspended just days before she was due to participate. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports also fined Dujardin over 200-thousand-rand. The 39-year-old admitted she made an error of judgment. The suspension was backdated to July.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-6-cents and the euro at 19-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-225-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-651-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-14-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….