News 18:00

BULLETIN 31 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Ramokgopa confirms stage 3 load-shedding over the weekend due to planned maintenance
# The EFF is ready for the 2026 local government elections
# And soccer: Real Madrid and Manchester City face each other again in the Champions League play-off

# Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has confirmed that stage 3 load-shedding will be implemented throughout the weekend due to planned maintenance and unplanned breakdowns. He told the media Eskom must ensure grid stability and replenishing reserves to prevent further disruptions. Despite the setback, Ramokgopa maintains progress is being made in reducing load-shedding, with additional generating capacity expected to return in the coming months:

# EFF leader Julius Malema has declared that the party is ready for victory in the 2026 local government elections. Speaking during the third National People’s Assembly in Nascrec, Johannesburg, Malema urged members to prioritise selflessness, stressing 2025 as the year of picket lines to liberate South Africans. He warned against factionalism and emphasised rebuilding efforts to ensure success in upcoming elections:

# Parents in Strand, Cape Town, have shut down Solomon Qatyana Primary School. They are demanding the Western Cape Education Department build a permanent structure as allegedly promised. The school has operated in mobile classrooms since 2005, which parents argue are overcrowded and poorly ventilated. The department’s Bronagh Hammond denies making a commitment to build a new school but says it is open to discussions:

# Uganda has confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Kampala following the death of a 32-year-old nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital. The Health Ministry reported that the nurse experienced multi-organ failure after seeking treatment. At least 44 people, including 30 health workers, are being traced to contain the outbreak. A vaccination drive for contacts will begin immediately. Health authorities urge the public to report suspected cases as they work to manage the situation.

# Soccer: Reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City in the play-off round of the Champions League. It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season. Scottish champions Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern Munich. Celtic is into the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years. It last faced Bayern in the group phase in 2017/18, losing home and away.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-63-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 104-thousand-593-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-807-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….