Cape Town —
Update as at 16h30 SAST
Unions Deny It Rejected Eskom's 7% Wage Offer to Striking Workers
Striking unions at Eskom, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have denied rejecting the wage offer, as claimed in various media reports. Meanwhile, the progress in restoring the country's electricity supply remains slow, as many workers are still refusing to return to work after an unauthorised strike plunged the country into stage 6 load shedding - last experienced on December 9, 2019. The unions have not yet indicated if the offer will be accepted.
Expert Says More Cities Will Experience Water Shortages
Many cities in South Africa and around the world watched as Cape Town suffered a severe water shortage from mid-2017 to mid-2018, when water levels hovered between 15% and 30% of total dam capacity. Other coastal cities - the Eastern Cape's capital city Gqeberha is facing the threat of Day Zero – when taps run dry, while the eThekwini municipality in Durban is already making use of water shedding, according to Professor Anthony Turton from Free State University. He confirmed that coastal cities have already run out of water. Turton described drinking water as small - 2 litres per day per person, while water for living would be medium - at 200 litres per day per person, while water for food is big - 2,000 litres per day per person.
Gupta Brothers' Extradition Papers Lost In Translation
Ajay and Atul Gupta - close friends of former president Jacob Zuma - were implicated in state capture reports that brought to light the depth and breadth of corruption in the government and business. The brothers have been arrested in Dubai and are awaiting final extradition papers for them to return to South Africa for trial. However, the Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola has confirmed during questioning at parliament, that the government is still awaiting the translation of the documents to Arabic and then for it to be transported to the UAE through the diplomatic corps.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
All Young People Who Died at East London Tavern Identified
The bodies of all the Enyobeni Tavern victims have been identified by their families. Twenty-one young people died in the tragedy, their bodies found inside the tavern in the early hours of June 26, 2022.
The cause of their deaths has not yet been officially released and the police are urging the public to wait on the official post mortem report.
Shadow Over Cape Town's Township Businesses as National Stage 6 Load Shedding Takes Hold
Local business forums are reporting that small business owners in Cape Town's townships are being forced to close and retrench staff as they struggle to keep revenue coming in amid stage 6 load shedding. The Cape Town Chamber of Commerce has said that the load shedding is undermining economic growth. Meanwhile, parliamentary debates on the crisis are being called for, while Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says he cannot be held responsible.
Another Fuel Hike May Be On The Cards
The Automobile Association has announced that another petrol and diesel hike of up to R2 a litre is looming for July. This comes despite the government decreasing the fuel levy by R1,50 from March to June. According to the AA, the fuel levy will only decrease by 75 cents and when added back to the general fuel levy, will push the fuel price to over R2.
