Author: newsnote correspondent
Energy regulator Nersa is set to finally make an announcement on how much Eskom can hike electricity prices in 2023 when it meets on Wednesday (12 January 2023). The expected announcement follows several delays by Nersa, which was supposed to make its final decision on Eskom’s application to hike prices by 32% back in November 2022. Eskom’s submission, given to Nersa in September, applied for a 32% tariff hike in 2023, which, when added to court-ordered backlogs, could see electricity prices climb by over 38%. The power utility is looking to recover R351 billion through the tariff hike for 2023/24…
Peruvian authorities have decreed a curfew in the Puno region following anti-government protests that left 18 people dead on Monday, Prime Minister Alberto Otálora announced on Tuesday. ”We have approved in the Council of Ministers a supreme decree that declares the mandatory social immobilization (curfew) in Puno for the term of three days from 8:00 pm until 4:00 am. This is to safeguard the life, integrity, and freedom of all the citizens of Puno,“ Otárola told a Congress plenum during his appearance to seek his appointment’s Parliamentary endorsement. Otálora also explained that a ”national working mourning“ had been declared for…
The growing South African coffee industry offers investment opportunities that the serious investor should take note of. One of these is an investment of R1,78 to R2 million (excluding VAT) in a profitable The Daily Coffee Café franchise in which investors can expect to receive a higher-than-average return on investment. This earning power is further enhanced by the fact that the capital needed for the set-up costs is considerably lower than that of comparable franchise models in the market. Why invest in the coffee industry? Worldwide – including in South Africa – the coffee industry has become a landscape where…
Countries should consider recommending that passengers wear masks on long-haul flights, given the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Tuesday. In Europe, the XBB.1.5 subvariant was detected in small but growing numbers, WHO and Europe officials said at a press briefing. Passengers should be advised to wear masks in high-risk settings such as long-haul flights, said the WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, adding: “this should be a recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission”. XBB.1.5 – the…
Energy Analyst Lungile Mashele says that South Africa could be looking at higher stages of rolling blackouts as things get back to normal following the festive season shut down of industries. This week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a resolution adopted by the governing African National Congress at its national conference last week that will see the energy department take over responsibility for overseeing Eskom. The power utility has been facing power generating challenges since 2008, with 2022 being the worst year on record as far as rolling blackouts go. Mashele said the outlook is not any better for this year. “I…
The Moroccan Association for Advanced Sciences, Innovation and Research (MASCIR) will soon put on the market the first African-manufactured kits to diagnose breast cancer and leukaemia, a move that will cut costs and waiting times for patients in Morocco and the wider African continents, wrote the UK newspaper the Guardian. “The price of the kit can be double that of what it would cost to manufacture it locally. It is also a long process. It can take weeks or months for the kits to arrive,” the Guardian quoted Hassan sefrioui, a MASCIR executive board member, as saying. MASCIR, an offshoot…
Simulations Soccer simulation games have been popular for the last couple of decades, with titles such as Sensible Soccer and Match Day among the early favourites that let us take control of the players and compete against other human players or the computer. In fact, the FIFA series of titles by EA Sports holds the title of best-selling sports video game franchise, having sold well over 100 million units to date. The FIFA 23 title released in 2022 will be the last under this name, as the agreement between EA Sports and FIFA has now ended. However, the franchise is expected to continue…
With only one day until the start of the inland provinces’ school year in 2023, some Gauteng parents are calling the online scholar registration system a failure. With only one day left before the start of the 2023 school year for inland provinces some Gauteng parents are lambasting the online scholar registration system, calling it a failure. The men’s team has supplemented another embarrassing World Cup exit with a string of abject batting performances in Tests. The women’s side has seen a golden generation lose its sheen. Sponsors are hard to come by. Patience is running low. However, a new…
Scientific advisors were currently looking at the change to the vaccination approach, and are expected “in the next few days to finalise” the new protocol, he said. There are no plans for further vaccinations for children, said national health department child-health specialist Lesley Bamford.”For now we are confident that two doses provide this age group (who are at low risk of severe disease) with adequate protection.” Adults are expected to be offered booster shots before the end of January, and there should be no shortage of shots for those who want them. SA has some 10 million doses of the…
When the African National Congress came to power in South Africa in 1994, an expressed priority was land reform. This was to address the fact that black farmers had been excluded from the agricultural economy for most of the 20th century. The aim of land reform was to provide agricultural land to disadvantaged people, raising their productivity, income and employment. A plethora of policy initiatives were launched. The target was to distribute 30% of agricultural land to black farmers. In 2006 the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) was adopted. This replaced the land redistribution programmes implemented between 1996 and 2006. The acquisition programme…