May 03, 2022.

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

Making headlines:

Eskom implements Stage 2 load-shedding

Ramaphosa says working class and poor are suffering

And, Petrol prices to be cut, but diesel users face another hike

Eskom implements Stage 2 load-shedding

Eskom has announced that it will implement Stage 2 load-shedding from 5pm today to 5am next Monday.

The utility attributed the load-shedding to a shortage of generation capacity owing to delays in returning generators to service, as well as breakdowns of nine generators.

Delays in returning generators to service at Arnot, Kendal and three units at Tutuka power stations have added to the capacity constraints.

It currently has 3 875 MW on planned maintenance, while another 15 067 MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.

Ramaphosa says working class and poor are suffering

In his latest weekly newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the workers at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, who heckled him off stage at a Workers' Day rally, made plain what nearly every South African knows, namely that the working class and the poor are suffering.

The president was booed off from the Congress of South African Trade Unions's Worker's Day rally after failing to calm striking workers from Sibanye Stillwater's gold operations. Ramaphosa had to make his way to a police Nyala swiftly and left the stadium, his speech undelivered.

He called on labour, business and society to work with government to implement an agreed set of measures to grow and transform the economy.

Petrol prices to be cut, but diesel users face another hike

The department of mineral resources and energy has announced that petrol prices will be lowered tomorrow, while diesel will get pricier.

The petrol price (both 93 and 95) will be cut by 12c a litre, while diesel will be hiked by 98c and 92c.

Paraffin prices will increase by 79.60c/l.

Local fuel prices are determined by international oil prices, as well as the dollar-rand value, as South Africa buys oil in dollars. Petrol and diesel prices have surged by more than a third over the past year.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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