For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: Eskom reduces loadshedding to Stage 4; DA wants Ntshavheni gone; And, 7 000 killed since January in fighting in DRC, says Congo prime minister

Eskom reduces loadshedding to Stage 4

Eskom reduced the intensity of loadshedding to Stage 4 in the early hours of this morning after having shocked the country by rapidly ramping up the intensity of its rotational cuts to Stage 6 in the early hours of Sunday morning, having declared Stage 3 on Saturday afternoon.

The reduction in the loadshedding stages, Eskom said, followed the recovery of all five units at Majuba and two units at Camden, where multiple units tripped because of “control system issues in auxiliary parts of these power stations”.

The trips had a “domino effect” that also resulted in the tripping of a unit at the Medupi power station in response to under-frequency on the electricity grid.

The trips came while Eskom was continuing with summer maintenance, with 7 706 MW currently out for planned maintenance.

They also came against the backdrop of a heavy reliance on the diesel fuelled open-cycle gas turbines in the week prior to the implementation of loadshedding, which raised questions about the performance of the coal fleet.

In addition, questions are being raised as to why the failure of a transformer at the Majuba power stations, triggered trips across the entire six-unit plant, and triggered the Medupi event.

DA wants Ntshavheni gone

Following unauthorised expenditure worth R80-million forming part of the expanded fraud and corruption investigation against Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the Democratic Alliance said it will push for the urgent establishment of a Portfolio Committee to oversee the Presidency.

Over a month ago revelations emerged about Ntshavheni‘s alleged R2.5-million dealings during her time as municipal manager at the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality in Limpopo.

The DA pointed out that the Parliament’s Rules Committee decided last year on a committee to oversee the Presidency, as part of the recommendations of the Zondo Commission.

The party has again called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Ntshavheni.

And, 7 000 killed since January in fighting in DRC, says Congo prime minister

Some 7 000 people have died since January in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the prime minister of the DRC told a high-level meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva today.

Some 450 0000 people are without shelter after 90 displacement camps were destroyed, Judith Suminwa Tuluka added.

The M23's advance is the gravest escalation in more than a decade of the long-running conflict in eastern Congo.

Rwanda rejects allegations from Congo, the United Nations and Western powers that it supports M23 with arms and troops.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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