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

Making headlines: SACP slams Eskom over Joburg power cut threat; Geordin Hill-Lewis says SA needs real jobs, not more investment conferences; And, coalition says Congo Ebola outbreak cases are 'top of the iceberg'

SACP slams Eskom over Joburg power cut threat

The South African Communist Party has condemned Eskom’s threat to cut the City of Johannesburg's power supply over billions in unpaid debt, calling for a more comprehensive plan that considers the country’s unequal nature.

The party argues that holding citizens collectively responsible for systemic failures and local government mismanagement will deepen austerity and worsen socioeconomic conditions for the working class, calling Eskom’s threat to cut power in Johannesburg unreasonable and irresponsible.

Eskom has issued a formal notice of intention to reduce, interrupt, or terminate the bulk electricity supply to the City of Johannesburg and City Power starting July 8 owing to an unpaid debt of R5.25-billion.

Eskom stated that this figure excludes a further current account payment of R1.58-billion.

The party lambasted the decision, noting that the root causes of the local energy crisis are poor management; poor planning and management of the energy infrastructure by local government; poor maintenance regimes for energy facilities; corruption and outsourcing; cable theft and other criminal activities; as well as “neoliberal policies” in local and national government.

Geordin Hill-Lewis says SA needs real jobs, not more investment conferences

Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis says South Africa’s deepening unemployment crisis demands a sense of urgency and structural reforms, not just investment conferences.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently defended the effectiveness of recent investment summits, stating that commitments were incrementally being translated into employment opportunities.

However, Hill-Lewis has criticised Ramaphosa’s approach, pointing to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey data, which showed that 345 000 jobs were shed in a single quarter, causing the national unemployment rate to climb to 32.7%.

He believes South Africa's unemployment crisis is not inevitable but a direct result of outdated ideological blockages and political choices.

He is urging the Government of National Unity to accelerate ongoing reforms in energy, logistics, water, and other infrastructure with far greater urgency.

He said while national government policies had historically fallen short, the current coalition was an opportunity to push the country’s growth trajectory.

He argued that while the national government frequently spoke warmly about attracting foreign and domestic investment, its actual policies and administrative failures had made investing in South Africa unnecessarily difficult.

And, coalition says Congo Ebola outbreak cases are 'top of the iceberg'

A global vaccine coalition official today said that cases so far identified in the Congo Ebola outbreak represent just the top of the iceberg and it may be hard to develop a safe, effective vaccine within a target time of three months.

The outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo encompasses 600 suspected cases and more than 130 suspected deaths so far, with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency of international concern.

Unlike with the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, there are no approved virus-specific ​therapeutics or vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, which has previously proved less lethal.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which funds development of new vaccines and is looking at potential candidates for Ebola, has set the goal of having a safe, effective vaccine for major outbreaks within 100 days.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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