Power Utility Eskom Resumes Power Cuts
South Africa braces for a renewed round of power cuts, with Stage 2 biting from 5 am to 4 pm and escalating to Stage 3 until 5 am Wednesday, reports TimesLIVE. Eskom, South Africa's power utility, attributes this to ongoing maintenance challenges, with three generating units failing to come online as expected six units already offline, and rising demand. This reintroduction of power cuts follows an 18-day hiatus during the festive season, marking the longest period without load-shedding since May - June 2022.
South Africa Welcomes 411 New Year's Babies
South Africa rang in 2024 with a chorus of newborn cries as 411 babies entered the world on the first day of the year, reports EWN. Gauteng province led the way with over 110 bundles of joy, while KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape also welcomed a healthy number of new arrivals. Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla marked the occasion by visiting hospitals and encouraging parents to utilize public health facilities for vital services like vaccinations. He stressed the health services' role in safeguarding these newborns from infectious diseases. Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko also greeted newborns, stressing the importance of registering them before leaving the hospital to ensure proper identification and access to services.
Bursary-Funded Teachers Face Grim Job Market
The government's Funza Lushaka bursary scheme faced challenges in appointing newly qualified teachers, with only 621 out of 4,618 graduates placed in schools by February 2023, reports News24. Budget constraints, competing priorities, and understaffed schools are creating a perfect storm where qualified graduates end up unemployed, while classrooms may lack needed specialists in early childhood education, African languages, and special needs. While some provinces like Gauteng and Western Cape achieved moderate success, others like Eastern Cape woefully missed targets. This ongoing challenge threatens education quality and highlights the need for sustainable solutions to effectively utilize bursary-funded graduates.
