Author: newsnote correspondent
Eskom has announced it plans to suspend load-shedding over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The utility said it would continue its current rotation of stage 3 during the day and stage 4 in the evening on Friday, 30 December 2022, and the early morning hours of Saturday, 31 December 2022. At 05:00 on Saturday, stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented until 16:00, instead of stage 3 as previously planned. Load-shedding will then be suspended until 05:00 on Monday, 2 January 2023. At that time, the power cuts will resume at stage 2 and continue until further notice. Eskom did not…
China may be reopening, allowing its 1.4 billion people to come and go largely without restrictions, but just as it is, a slew of other countries are tightening measures for travellers from the world’s second-biggest economy, concerned the tsunami of virus cases there may spawn new Covid variants. In a complete and surprising reversal of its Covid Zero policy, China did away with almost all pandemic restrictions virtually overnight. That’s seen the virus run wild and unchecked through its population, with almost 37 million people possibly having been infected on a single day last week. From January 8, China will also scrap its…
Lauded by many as the greatest player to ever play football, Pele had been battling health issues in recent years. He was pictured in a wheelchair at the 2018 World Cup and was taken into hospital after collapsing due to exhaustion a month after the tournament. He had been receiving regular treatment from doctors ever since undergoing surgery to have a tumour on his colon removed in September 2021, but had been readmitted to hospital towards the end of 2022. His condition failed to improve, with Pele remaining in hospital in Sao Paulo throughout the 2022 World Cup and then…
KFC, the country’s largest fast food chain, will close some of its stores temporarily due to power outages. The franchise announced in a tweet that ongoing scheduled power cuts had affected its operations. Some KFC restaurants will continue to operate, but menu options may be limited. The impact of power cuts has been felt by small businesses as well as KFC. Consumers can expect to find closed doors at some KFC restaurants, although no details have been provided. Social media users expressed outrage over the post, tagging Eskom on the tweet to draw the power utility’s attention to the issue.
As officials reported the death toll rising to 15, South Africa was coming to grips with the full extent of the destruction caused by the Christmas Eve tanker truck explosion near Johannesburg. Gas was being transported by the truck when it got stuck under a low-lying bridge in Boksburg, sparking flames. According to emergency services officials, the tanker exploded as firefighters tried to extinguish the flames. The explosion caused substantial damage to Tambo Memorial Hospital, located about 100 meters away. Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said three hospital staff members were killed. He said the X-ray department and emergency unit…
After three years of closed borders, this will effectively reopen the country to those with work and study visas, or seeking to visit family. But it comes as China struggles with the virus’ ferocious spread in the wake of restrictions being lifted. Reports says hospitals are overwhelmed and elderly people are dying. The true toll – daily case counts and deaths – is currently unknown because officials have stopped releasing Covid data. Beijing had reported about 4,000 new Covid infections each day last week and few deaths. On Sunday it said it would stop publishing case numbers altogether. But British…
Power cuts will be suspended for 24 hours on Christmas morning, Eskom announced on Saturday. The utility said in a series of social media posts that Stage 3 load shedding will remain in effect until 5am on Christmas morning. Thereafter, load shedding will be suspended until 5am on Monday when Stage 2 power cuts will kick in. On Tuesday morning, the country returns to Stage 3 load shedding. “The suspension of load shedding on Christmas day is only possible due to the lower demand for electricity. Eskom appeals to all electricity users to conserve as much electricity as possible during…
Pope Francis has said the world is suffering from a “famine of peace”, in his annual Christmas Day message from the Vatican. He called for a end to the “senseless war” in Ukraine, condemning what he said was the use of “food as a weapon” of war. Ukraine shipped about 30% of the world’s wheat and prices have jumped since the Russian invasion in February. It was Pope Francis’ 10th Christmas Day address since he assumed the papacy. While the war in Ukraine occupied much of his 10-minute speech, he remarked that “a grave famine of peace also in other…
“He gave proper meaning and message to our music. “He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible. It was an honour and, of course, a true pleasure to work with him. “He was a brilliant lyricist, a DJ, a Buddhist, a magnificent stage presence, car lover, endless talker, beautiful person, moral compass and genius. ‘He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible. ‘It was an honour and, of course, a true pleasure to work with him.’ The post…
Morocco may well have broken barriers for African football with the country’s historic run to the World Cup semi-finals, but the club game on the continent is still lagging well behind the standards in Europe. As such, Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe is hoping the launch of the Africa Super League next year will change that. The South African described the new competition as “one of the most exciting developments in the history of African football” when he unveiled the latest plans in Tanzania in August. Flanked by the the boss of world football’s governing body, Fifa president…