For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: Joburg wants gas explosion declared local state of disaster; Acting Public Protector one of eight candidates shortlisted for the job; And, Eskom seizes control of Ekurhuleni loadshedding

Joburg wants gas explosion declared local state of disaster

City of Johannesburg manager Floyd Brink said that the municipality has mandated its Disaster Management Centre to finalise a report to declare the recent gas explosion in the CBD a local state of disaster.

The report will be submitted to the Provincial Disaster Management Centre in the next seven days.

Brink was addressing the media on the progress of restoration efforts in the inner CoJ, where he noted that the municipality had commenced processes of compiling the report to begin with the necessary legislated processes.

He said the declaration of the disaster is critical in order to allow the municipality to assess the impact of the explosion on infrastructure and to cost the rehabilitation work required.

Today marked seven days since the explosion occurred on Lilian Ngoyi street, formerly known as Bree street, which tore through the road, and which claimed a single life and left 46 people injured and hospitalised.

Brink highlighted that the CoJ had also assigned the Group chief financial officer to oversee a team to manage and oversee any procurement to facilitate its work in response to the disaster.

Acting Public Protector one of eight candidates shortlisted for the job

Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka is among the eight candidates the ad hoc committee selecting a new Public Protector has shortlisted.

At a meeting today, the committee nominated advocates Gcaleka, Muvhango Lukhaimane, Tseliso Thipanyane, Lynne Marais, Oliver Josie, and Tommy Ntsewa, and magistrate Johannah Ledwaba, as well as Professor Boitumelo Mmusinyane.

After the shortlist was drafted, Al Jamah-ah leader Ganief Hendricks noted that the last two Public Protectors were women.

He wanted to ensure that half the number of candidates on the shortlist were men.

Economic Freedom Fighters MP Yoliswa Yako said there was one name on the list which they oarty did not agree with.

This was in reference to Gcaleka, who enraged the EFF when she cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Phala Phala investigation.

And, Eskom seizes control of Ekurhuleni loadshedding

Eskom has taken over loadshedding in the City of Ekurhuleni, saying the municipality failed to implement power cuts.

Eskom has on numerous occasions engaged the municipality regarding its failure to loadshed its customers," the utility said in a statement today.

Eskom had previously taken over some of the role, with the municipality left to loadshed substations with "critical loads". Eskom later handed over all loadshedding to the municipality after it asked to assume responsibility again.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said that city would ask Eskom to not to shed some "critical substations in areas with a high concentration of large industries, because this will not only impact the economy of the region but also threatens jobs".

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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