Cape Town —
Updates as at 16h30 SAST
Load Shedding Back Again Eskom Says
Stage two power cuts will return today and tomorrow due to a shortage of generation capacity, Eskom has confirmed. The blackouts will be implemented between 4pm and midnight on both days. The power cuts return after a run of almost two weeks without it. An Eskom statement has confirmed that a delay in the return of a generation unit at Arnot, Koeberg and Kusile power stations as well as an unplanned outage of a unit each at Camden and Medupi and two units each at the Grootvlei, Hendrina and Majuba power stations had exacerbated its capacity constraints.
Things Going Swimmingly - Lara Van Niekerk Picks Up Another Gold at Commonwealth Games, Pips Schoenmaker
Lara Van Niekerk, 19, added another gold to her collection in the 100m breaststroke event in Birmingham yesterday. Tatjana Schoenmaker claimed the silver, just 1.21 seconds behind Van Niekerk's winning time of 1:05.47. South Africa's third representative in the final, Kaylene Corbett, finished in seventh. Van Niekerk picked up South Africa's first gold in the short course 50m women's breaststroke event. In the men's 200m backstroke final, Pieter Coetze claimed his third medal of the Games when he finished in third place in 1:56.77.
Western Cape Dam Levels Low - Residents Urged to Save Water
Residents in the Western Cape are being called on to save water after figures released by the national Department of Water and Sanitation show the total dam storage level in the province is at 63.57% of capacity. Cape Town has experienced a warmer than usual winter in 2022 and this has contributed to the low dam levels. Last year at this time, the level was at 76.62%, IOL reports. According to the department, the SA Weather Service and private weather-prediction modelling indicate that the Western Cape could receive the bulk of its rainfall within the second half of August to October 2022.
Cabinet Reshuffle on Cards for KwaZulu Natal Province
A cabinet reshuffle in KwaZulu-Natal may be on the cards should Premier Sihle Zikalala resign - a move that is expected after the province's policy conference elected Siboniso Duma as the ANC's KZN provincial chairperson, beating Zikalala with 930 to 665 votes.
The Provincial Executive Committee of the party is expected to meet tomorrow, August 4, for the first time since the provincial elective conference where Siboniso Duma was elected chairperson. Sources have said that while it is unclear whether a reshuffle discussion will take place, Zikalala - although not pushed - is expected to resign to avoid two centres of power emerging, the SABC reports.
Barring Foreign Nationals From Practicing Law In South Africa Not Unconstitutional
The Constitutional Court ruled yesterday that it was not unconstitutional to bar legal professionals to practice law in the country. This follows a case brought by two Lesotho citizens, who despite having successfully completed their law degrees and their articles in South Africa, could not be admitted as a result of the Legal Practice Act provisions. The High Court in Bloemfontein found in their favour, declaring the r elevant section of the act invalid. Justice Minister Ronald Lamola challenged the ruling in the Constitutional Court and welcomed the court's decision not to confirm a ruling that had declared the Legal Practice Act unconstitutional, Eye Witness News reports.
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No Warm, Fuzzy Feeling at China's Ban on South African Wool
China banned South Africa's wool exports in April 2022, following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease disease (FMD) in parts of the country. The ban is unjustifiable, say Agri SA and the National Wool Growers' Association of South Africa (NWGA) - particularly since there has been no outbreak in recognised wool-producing areas. With the first wool auction of the year on August 17, 2022, the association is calling on Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza and Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel to intervene and ensure the industry's access to the Chinese market, Eye Witness News reports.
