News 17:00

BULLETIN 25 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa unveils a plan to end load reduction by 2027
# The Kruger National Park records a high attendance rate on Heritage Day
# And Rugby: Ruhan Nel leads the Stormers against Leinster

# Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says a three-pronged strategy will end load reduction by 2027. The plan includes full coverage of free basic electricity for indigent households, a mass rollout of smart meters, and the deployment of distributed energy resources. Ramokgopa told the media currently, over one-million customers are affected, mainly in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal, due to overloaded feeders, transformer failures, and illegal connections:

Meanwhile, the National Union of Metalworkers SA criticises Ramokgopa and Eskom for delays in implementing an electricity dispensation tariff that could reopen mothballed Glencore and Samancor smelters. Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says despite promising meetings, retrenchments continue, with thousands of jobs lost. She says the union urges decisive government action, including moratoriums on layoffs, industrial incentives, and import/export controls:

# Kruger National Park experienced record attendance on National Heritage Day, coinciding with SA National Parks Week. SANParks says many nature enthusiasts visited to enjoy wildlife and landscapes, however some guests were turned away due to capacity limits and safety protocols. The park’s management urges future visitors to book in advance to avoid disappointment. Free entry runs until tomorrow, and standard gate quotas apply. No free entries will be allowed this weekend.

# Rugby: Centre Ruhan Nel will lead the Stormers in their United Rugby Championship opener against Leinster in Cape Town tomorrow. Nel is joined in midfield by the experienced Dan du Plessis, with Leolin Zas and Seabelo Senatla on the wings and Wandisile Simelane at fullback. Jurie Matthee and Stefan Ungerer form the halfback pairing. Evan Roos will be at the back of the scrum. The 19-year-old prop Olly Reid, loose forward Ruan Ackermann and flyhalf Clinton Swart are all set to make their debut for the Stormers off the bench.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-40-cents and the euro at 20-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-30-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-672-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-742-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Top-selling carmaker Toyota opened its new high-tech village in Japan, an experimental project to test autonomous driving and other futuristic developments. It is touted as a real-life setting in which to trial myriad inventions, from flying taxis to robot pets and drones that escort you home at night. Around 360 Toyota staff and others related to the company will soon move into smart homes. The number of residents in the cluster of homes built on a disused Toyota factory at the base of Mount Fuji is eventually expected to grow to two-thousand.

Stay tuned for more news………….