For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: South Africa concerned Trump election will impact climate talks; Nersa publishes Eskom’s proposed Retail Tariff Plan for public consultation; And, Calm returns to Mozambique capital after deadly day of protests

South Africa concerned Trump election will impact climate talks

South Africa is concerned by the impact Donald Trump's election as the next president of the United States may have on talks to tackle climate change, Environment Minister Dion George said today.

Trump's election and the collapse of Germany's coalition government this week have come right before COP29 talks aimed at curbing global warming, which scientists blame for destructive hurricanes, floods and heatwaves across the world this year.

International partners are concerned that the prospect of an administration led by Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, will de-motivate poor and middle-income countries who want rich nations to shoulder more of its financial burden.

South Africa, which is one of the world's top 15 greenhouse gas emitters and accounts for 30% of the continent's emissions, has accepted $11.6-billion from rich nations, mainly in loans, for a switch from coal to renewable energy.

Nersa publishes Eskom’s proposed Retail Tariff Plan for public consultation

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has published State-owned utility Eskom’s proposed Retail Tariff Plan for public consultation, detailing changes to its tariff charges and rates.

The primary goal is to ensure customers only pay for the costs they incur, Eskom says in a statement.

Currently, residential households on prepaid and post-paid pay more per unit as they buy more electricity during the month, owing to the inclining block tariff.

Eskom is proposing to remove the IBT so that low-use households pay the same price regardless of how many times electricity is bought in a single month. Eskom says this will support affordability and provide greater access to energy services.

Customers with rooftop solar PV connected to the grid who use Eskom-supplied energy as a backup, known as the “Eskom battery”, on cloudy days, at night and during the morning and evening peak, will still be required to pay for using the Eskom network.

Customers with the technology to export any own-generated excess energy onto the grid can further reduce their electricity bill through energy credits to their electricity bills, Eskom highlights.

Eskom’s Retail Tariff Plan inviting comments from members of the public can be found on the Nersa website.

And, Calm returns to Mozambique capital after deadly day of protests

Calm returned to Mozambique’s capital today after police used deadly violence to break up a wave of post-election protests that shook Maputo the day before.

Some public transport was operating and people were travelling to work, according to a live report from local television. That was a stark difference from yesterday, when billows of black smoke mixed with teargas hung over parts of the city as security forces confronted demonstrators.

At least five people died and 120 were injured as a crowd tried to advance toward the centre of Maputo, according to the Center for Democracy and Human Rights, which said protestors faced an “insurmountable barrier” of trucks and soldiers.

It had previously reported 34 deaths as security forces fired on demonstrations that erupted in the wake of the disputed October 9 elections. The official results showed the ruling party winning in a landslide, but outside observers say the vote was marred by irregularities.

The worst election unrest since the end of Mozambique’s 16-year civil war in 1992 has forced the closure of its main border with neighbouring South Africa and suspended operations at Maputo port. The nation’s bonds have plunged and fears are growing that a $20-billion natural-gas export project led by TotalEnergies SE could face further delays.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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