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

Making headlines: South Africa consumer inflation quickens in April; Lamola urges regional action on ‘irregular migration’, condemns vigilante violence; And, Eskom in early talks with World Bank, other funders for nuclear expansion

South Africa consumer inflation quickens in April

South Africa's headline consumer inflation accelerated to 4.0% year on year in April, sharply higher than the previous month's 3.1% reading, data from the statistics agency showed today.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected annual inflation would accelerate to 3.9%, as the impact of the US-Israel war against Iran fed through into prices.

Africa's largest economy is highly exposed to rising global energy costs as it imports most of its fuel.

South Africa's central bank targets inflation of 3%, with a 1 percentage point tolerance band either side.

Its next interest rate-setting meeting is on May 28, and many economists expect a hike after two consecutive "hold" decisions in January and March.

Lamola urges regional action on ‘irregular migration’, condemns vigilante violence

Addressing the Ministerial Session of the Sixth Session of the South Africa-Botswana Bi-National Commission in Gaborone, today, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola told delegates that “irregular migration” and an influx of undocumented migrants, rather than migration, were the significant challenges facing the country, calling for a constructive regional dialogue on the issue.

Lamola stressed that when properly managed, migration is a vital driver of regional development. However, South Africa currently faces an overwhelming wave of irregular migration that has become a flashpoint for severe xenophobic tensions, with vigilante groups in urban centres engaging in protests, property destruction, and targeted assaults against African and Asian immigrants.

Lamola said South Africa’s immigration policies remained closely tied to broader continental frameworks, highlighting that it was one of just seven out of 16 Southern African Development Community member States to have ratified the 2005 SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons.

Furthermore, he said while the country supported and aligned itself with the African Union Free Movement of Persons Protocol, the strain on South Africa's economy and society had forced the government to re-evaluate how borders and labour were regulated.

To address this, Lamola called for a comprehensive examination of underlying socioeconomic, governance, and security facets.

He emphasised that the region must fairly distribute responsibilities among countries of origin, transit, and destination and that SADC and African Union forums must be used to discuss the root causes of irregular migration.

And, Eskom in early talks with World Bank, other funders for nuclear expansion

South Africa's state-owned power utility Eskom is in exploratory talks with the World Bank to help fund a new multi-billion dollar nuclear build programme that could be launched within 12 months, a senior Eskom official said today.

Eskom, which operates Africa's only operational nuclear power station close to Cape Town, is in the process of preparing a request for information for up to 5 200 MW of new nuclear generation capacity.

South Africa wants baseload generation capacity as the country diversifies its energy mix away from coal-fired plants that supply most of the electricity.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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