News 18:00

BULLETIN 8 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SONA is anticipated to play pivotal role in shaping business confidence this year 
# Eskom is making progress to restore power in the Karoo
# And Cricket: It’s sink or swim for the Proteas in New Zealand

# The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry anticipates president Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address to play a crucial role in shaping business confidence this year. Sacci’s Business Confidence Index for December 2023 hit 112.1, the second-highest for the year after January’s peak at 112.9. Sacci CEO Alan Mukoki notes a marginal increase to 112.3 this January, emphasising the need for fiscal tightening aligned with monetary policy and expanded economic growth to bolster business and investor confidence in 2024.

# Eskom says it is diligently working to restore electricity supply in parts of the Karoo caused by severe weather conditions last Saturday. The outage is expected to be resolved by next Thursday. Several areas, including Sutherland, Roggeveld, and Ladismith remain without power. Eskom’s major engineering teams from the Western and Eastern Cape are on-site, working around the clock to reconstruct damaged infrastructure caused by gale-force winds and heavy rain. Eskom apologizes for the inconvenience and expresses gratitude for the affected customers’ patience.

# The United Nations is seeking approximately 77-billion-rand in aid to assist civilians affected by the ongoing war in Sudan. The funds aim to address humanitarian needs and aid those who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. With Sudan in conflict since April last year, government forces are in confrontation with a paramilitary group over its inclusion in the national army. The UN calls for urgent global support, urging them not to forget the plight of the Sudanese people amid the prolonged conflict.

# Cricket: An inexperienced Proteas Test squad will have to learn quickly from their opening game defeat to New Zealand. A South African side with six debutants were outplayed by the Black Caps and beaten by 281 runs. The second and final Test starts in Hamilton on Tuesday. Coach Shukri Conrad say the Proteas will have to adapt quickly: 

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-95-cents and the euro at 20-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 45-thousand-34-dollars-51-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-30-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-66-cents a barrel.

# And finally: More than five-thousand new Stellenbosch University students took part in the institution’s annual Social Impact Community Morning today. This is part of the official welcoming programme for newcomers. The university’s, Chevaan Peters, says the students will be involved in several activities including donating stationery packs to learners, handing out food parcels and embarking on a beach clean-up:

Stay tuned for more news………….