For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: Load-shedding escalated to Stage 4, Ramaphosa says government and agencies working to get economic activity back on track after floods and, BLSA suggests business plan for an incoming modernised electricity system

Load-shedding escalated to Stage 4

Load-shedding will be escalated to Stage 4 between 17:00 and 22:00 tonight.

Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said this is owing to a unit at Kusile power station tripping earlier today, taking 720 megawatts of generating capacity with it.

Eskom will continue to closely monitor the system, adjust and communicate any changes.

The power utility appealed to all South Africans to help limit the impact of load-shedding by reducing the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items. 

Ramaphosa says government and agencies working to get economic activity back on track after floods

President Cyril Ramaphosa said today that additional measures are urgently being put in place to provide financial support to businesses in distress, following the devastating floods in April.

Heavy flooding wreaked havoc across parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West, causing extensive loss of life and damage to property and infrastructure.

Ramaphosa said that there had been considerable progress in fixing key infrastructure supporting the Port of Durban, given its importance to the national and continental economy.

The National Disaster Management Centre has been coordinating all spheres of government in their efforts to provide humanitarian relief to the many households that have been affected by the floods.

BLSA suggests business plan for an incoming modernised electricity system

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso said businesses should see through the doom and gloom of the current electricity mess and plan for the brighter future on the horizon, while also asking whether business is ready for an electricity system that works.

She says it is easy to lose sight of the longer-term outlook for electricity generation and distribution when the current situation involves being wracked by seemingly never-ending load-shedding.

However, Mavuso believes the policy environment is undergoing the necessary fundamental changes to allow a world in which the private sector can be largely responsible for generating and selling electricity and distributing some of it too.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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