April 15, 2024.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines:

ANC gunning for outright majority in election

World Bank sounds alarm on 'historical reversal' of development for poorest nations

And, Nigeria's grid collapses weeks after tariffs raised for wealthier consumers

ANC gunning for outright majority in election

The African National Congress is confident, ahead of the May 29 elections, of an outright win and has not spent time discussing a coalition strategy, nor is it concerned about its former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party.

This was according to ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri who spoke exclusively with Polity today, to unpack the party’s manifesto and policies set out within.

Recent polling has put the ANC’s electoral support at below 50% in this election, which, if proven true, would mean the party would have to enter into a coalition to form a government. However, Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC was aiming for an outright majority.

While other parties had been in coalition talks and had even expressed interest in a coalition with the ANC, she said the ruling party was focussing on its own campaign for an outright win.

World Bank sounds alarm on 'historical reversal' of development for poorest nations

Half of the world's 75 poorest countries are experiencing a widening income gap with the wealthiest economies for the first time this century in a historical reversal of development, the World Bank said in a report today.

The differential between per capita income growth in the poorest countries and the richest has widened over the past five years, according to the report.

Ayhan Kose, deputy chief economist for the World Bank and one of the report's authors, said for the first time, there is no convergence and people are getting poorer.

He said there is a very serious structural regression.

The report said the 75 countries eligible for grants and zero-interest loans from the World Bank's International Development Association risk a lost decade of development without ambitious policy shifts and significant international aid.

Nigeria's grid collapses weeks after tariffs raised for wealthier consumers

Nigeria's creaking grid collapsed for the fifth time this year in the early hours of today, highlighting the country's inability to provide reliable power after raising tariffs for wealthier consumers by 230% only two weeks ago.

Nigeria's electricity regulator on April 3 approved an increase in tariffs for the 15% of consumers who use the most power, as the government tries to reduce the $2.6-billion worth of subsidies for the sector.

The head of the Nigerian electricity regulator defended the tariff increase saying it will mean an end to grid collapses and bring investment into the sector.

National supply data showed the supply of power via the grid fell to around 50MW early on Monday from 4 020MW the previous day.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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