For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.    

Making headlines: Eskom implements Stage 3 loadshedding after losing Koeberg unit again; Govt proposes Presidential Johannesburg Working Group to accelerate service delivery, stabilise finances; And, Zelenskyy to hold talks with Ramaphosa

Eskom implements Stage 3 loadshedding after losing Koeberg unit again

Eskom again resorted to Stage 3 loadshedding today, after a loss of 2 700 MW in 14 hours, including Koeberg Unit 2, which was taken offline on March 2 and was meant to have been returned to service within two days.

Implementation began at 14:00 today and was scheduled to continue until 5:00 on Monday, the utility said in a statement.

It said the constrained capacity had resulted in the increased reliance on emergency diesel and pumped-hydro reserves during this week, which now had to be replenished over the weekend in preparation for the business week.

Eskom is focused on deploying extra engineering resources to expedite the repair of units currently offline.

It is anticipated that 6 200MW will be restored to service by Monday’s evening peak.

Govt proposes Presidential Johannesburg Working Group to accelerate service delivery, stabilise finances

With the City of Johannesburg hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November, President Cyril Ramaphosa today announced that government is proposing the establishment of a Presidential Johannesburg Working Group to accelerate service delivery, stabilise the city’s finances and operations, and enable economic growth and job creation.

Ramaphosa was speaking during day two of the National Executive’s visit to the CoJ, where he said special focus should be the rejuvenation of Johannesburg’s inner city.

He said efforts must be taken to make the City a liveable, thriving and safe space for all citizens.

He explained that the group must also work to ensure the inner city was primed to attract new investment and jobs.

Ramaphosa thanked CoJ mayor Dada Morero and his team for “engaging openly” and in a collaborative spirit with the Presidency on this support mechanism.

The Presidency is looking to engage on the report it will receive from the Johannesburg mayor and city leadership, ahead of the engagement with the city’s stakeholders this afternoon.

And, Zelenskyy to hold talks with Ramaphosa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to South Africa next month to discuss efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Zelenskyy will meet President Cyril Ramaphosa on April 10, presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.

Magwenya said the visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by Ramaphosa with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy on an inclusive peace process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The announcement of the meeting between Zelenskyy and Ramaphosa comes as both leaders seek to repair strained ties with the US.

The Ukrainian leader had a disastrous meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week, while South Africa’s leader has clashed with the American president over the African nation’s land-expropriation and foreign policies.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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