Cape Town — Gauteng Follows Cape Town in Water Scarcity Due to Power Cuts, Rising Temperatures

Residents of Johannesburg and Tshwane have been urged to lower the water consumption due to negative impact repeated power cuts have had on water supply infrastructure, Eyewitness News reports. This comes shortly after the City of Cape Town's appeal to residents for the same reason. The Cities of Tshwane and Johannesburg added that reservoirs for both municipalities are not filling up fast enough while rising summer temperatures have also compounded the crisis.

Tobacco Giant Eyes Hundreds of Retrenchments as Cigarette Sales Plummet

Over 200 workers may be retrenched from South Africa's biggest tobacco producer, British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) after the tobacco giant saw a drop of 40% in cigarette sales, News24 writes. The firm has already retrenched over 30% of its workforce since 2020, totalling nearly 500 positions. BATSA claimed the illicit cigarette market - which it claims accounts for 70% of sales - had a major impact on its business, particularly during South Africa's Covid-19 lockdown period.

Energy Expert Warns of Dire Winter as Eskom Battles with Load Shedding

According to energy expert Matthew Cruise, South Africa's already desperate energy crisis will worsen in winter when colder temperatures arrive, Eyewitness News reports. Increased power demands without the means to provide adequate service could be the catalyst that pushes the embattled power utility to institute Stage 10 load shedding, Cruise warns.