Author: newsnote correspondent
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on all South Africans to join a march to Luthuli House on the 25th of January to protest the electricity crisis. The party says that the crisis has been engineered by the African National Congress (ANC) and says citizens should voice their anger at the governing party’s destruction of the country’s energy infrastructure and economy, and demand urgent solutions to the escalating crisis. DA leader John Steenhuisen says, “The DA’s protest will specifically target Luthuli House because this is the scene of the crime that the ANC continues to perpetrate against the people of South Africa…
South Africa’s passport power went up in the past year as Egypt granted us visa-free access. You can now visit 106 destinations visa-free – out of 227 measured by Henley & Partners for its annual passport ranking and Global Mobility Report. “SA is currently ranked 53rd with visa-free access to 106 destinations (out of 227) worldwide. It has climbed up the ranking two places since July 2022 when it was ranked 55th with visa-free access to 105 destinations (47% of the world’s destinations). The new destination to which the country now has access visa-free is Egypt. “This does not necessarily…
According to Andrew Lukhele, chairperson and founder of the National Stokvel Association of South Africa (Nasasa), the number of South Africans belonging to stokvels is expected to grow in 2023. How do stokvels work? “The term ‘stokvel’ is derived from the cattle auctions or stock fairs of English settlers in the Eastern Cape during the early nineteenth century,” explains Lukehele. It is a financial scheme where clubs of individual members contribute money each month in a lump sum. This lump sum can be given to one member of the club weekly, every fortnight, monthly, or even annually. Members can also…
According to the City of Johannesburg, residents of Johannesburg will be forced to pay for years of political neglect and corruption with the latest electricity tariff increase granted to Eskom. Nersa has approved Eskom’s request for a tariff increase in response to Nersa’s decision. April 1st will mark the start of the 18,65 % price increase. The increase, according to Mpho Phalatse, is unfair to residents who have been subjected to rolling blackouts for a number of years. In the current economic climate, the tariff hike is unaffordable, and will increase City Power’s bulk purchases costs to approximately R200 million…
The electricity tariff hike allowed by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) is appreciated, Eskom said in its response to the decision. On Thursday, after lengthy deliberations, Nersa decided to increase electricity prices by 18.65% for the 2023/4 financial year, signing off on R318 billion for the ailing utility. The increase will come into effect on 1 April. Some customers will pay a tariff of R1.73 per kilowatt in the 2023/24 financial year, up from R1.46 per kilowatt. Customers will then pay R1.95 per kilowatt in the 2024/25 financial year. Eskom Chief Financial Officer Calib Cassim said the decision would…
fter Boitumelo gave birth she decided not to go back to school. She assumed that, because she was now a mother, she would be barred from returning. Then she had a surprising interaction: They [school] were like, why did you not come back [to school], do you attend [school] elsewhere? I was like, no, I have a child. Then they were like, on January we need you here, this school is empty without you, and that gave me the confidence of saying, oh I must go back to school. In fact, Boitumelo had the right, under South African law, to continue her…
The Mahindra of yesteryear is not the Mahindra of today, and because of its value proposition, its popularity is skyrocketing. Officially it is now the fastest-growing brand in South Africa. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa announced this in a report in December. Mahindra’s sales volumes in 2022 increased by 78% as compared to 2021. The report also shows that Mahindra’s passenger sales are up 80% and light commercial sales 77%. The Mahindra Pik Up was the fastest-growing bakkie brand on the market. The XUV300 is the safest car in Africa as tested by the Global New Car Assessment Programme. “Our…
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Thursday that President Cyril Ramaphosa was exploring “urgent measures to mitigate the impact of load shedding”. According to Magwenya, Ramaphosa is engaged in critical meetings on the current energy crisis, including some scheduled for Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, power utility Eskom announced Stage 6 load shedding would continue “until further notice” due to severe capacity constraints. Since Tuesday morning, 11 Eskom generators have broken down, providing 5,084 MW of capacity. A high level of load shedding coincided with the reopening of schools in the inland provinces of Free State, Gauteng, North West, Limpopo…
Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock’n’roll legend Elvis, has died aged 54, her mother has said. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said. Lisa Marie, also a singer, was rushed to hospital earlier on Thursday. US media say she suffered cardiac arrest. She was found unresponsive at her home in Calabasas, California, sources told US outlet TMZ. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement. ” We ask for…
A few hours before the court-ordered deadline, energy regulator Nersa on Thursday made the “very difficult” decision to grant Eskom a tariff increase of 18.65% for 2023/24 and 12.74% the following year. This, however, comes with non-negotiable conditions that will become part of Eskom’s licence conditions. Whether the regulator will be able to enforce the conditions remains to be seen. Those who buy electricity directly from Eskom will pay more from 1 April next year and those who get their electricity from municipal distributors from 1 July. It is a further setback for consumers who are battling with tight budgets,…