Following their 37-21 Currie Cup defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg at the weekend, the EP Kings have reported new injury concerns. Lock Cameron Lindsay suffered a knee injury in the defeat at Ellis Park and will see a specialist on Wednesday. Centre Ronnie Cooke picked up a toe injury and will be sent for X-rays on Monday, while the man who replaced him, JP du Plessis, also suffered an injury. Du Plessis has a soft tissue knee injury and will be monitored during the week. Lock … [Read more...] about Kings report new injuries
Lions down Kings
The Golden Lions on Saturday beat the EP Kings 37-21 in their Currie Cup clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The hosts led 27-14 at the break and with the four-try bonus point already in the bag, they appeared to take their foot off the pedal as the Kings came back strong in the second period. Trailing only 27-21 in the latter stages, the Kings sniffed victory but the Lions kept them at bay to close the game out. With the win, the Lions moved to the top of the standings ahead of the … [Read more...] about Lions down Kings
Ajax and Chiefs to play final in Port Elizabeth
The PSL has confirmed that the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth will host the 2015/16 MTN8 final. The final between Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs will be played on September 19. The PSL Organising Committee also confirmed that ticket prices will be R80 (for West Stand) and R40 (for the rest of the stadium). "We are pleased to announce that the Nelson Mandela Bay will host this year's MTN8 final," PSL CEO, Brand de Villiers said. "There were a number of factors that … [Read more...] about Ajax and Chiefs to play final in Port Elizabeth
No Lions on field sympathy for embattled Kings
The Golden Lions went about their business this week despite a possible EP Kings player strike hanging over their Currie Cup fixture in Johannesburg on Saturday. The EP Kings players and the union's management are at loggerheads over apparent delays in player payments. A threat of a player strike emerged this week but the union told Sport24 it expected the match to go ahead. "We sympathise with what is happening there, it is not easy on any rugby player but we can't read too much into … [Read more...] about No Lions on field sympathy for embattled Kings
Sharp year on year drop in SA’s power generation
Electricity generated by South Africa dropped by 3.3% for July compared to the same period last year, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday. The total volume of electricity distributed in SA for the month of July has decreased progressively from 21 119 GWh in 2013 to 19 994 GWh in 2015. Stats SA conducts a monthly survey of the electricity industry to measure the volume of electricity units distributed. The drastic implementation of load shedding since the beginning of 2015 has hit … [Read more...] about Sharp year on year drop in SA’s power generation
CEO’s not confident in SA
CEO confidence in South Africa has hit an all-time low, according to the latest Merchantec CEO confidence Index released on Wednesday. The index recorded a decrease of 7% from a score of 45.4 points in the second quarter of 2015 to 42.2 points in the third quarter of 2015, persisting at a score below the neutral score line of 50 points. This is the lowest score recorded in the index since its inception in the second quarter of 2009. The decrease in the overall confidence of CEOs in South … [Read more...] about CEO’s not confident in SA
Parliament urges Government to support NSRI
Parliament's portfolio committee on transport has called on government to provide the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) with more money. "The portfolio committee... has called on government to consider increasing the capacity of the NSRI... by availing financial resources to the entity," committee chair Dikeledi Magadzi said in a statement. "Sea rescue activities speak to what the government wants to achieve through Operation Phakisa... and the risks associated. The committee is excited … [Read more...] about Parliament urges Government to support NSRI
Eastern Cape accidents declared a provincial disaster
The Eastern Cape government has declared the two accidents that left 45 people dead at the weekend, a provincial disaster. Thirty-five people died on when the bus in which they were travelling plunged into a dry river near the Congo Bridge near Nkelekethe Village, between Butterworth and Willovale. In a separate accident, 10 people died when a Toyota Quantum overturned, seven people died at the scene and three died in hospital. Speaking on behalf of Premier Phumulo Masualle, provincial … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape accidents declared a provincial disaster
Huge death toll in 2 Eastern Cape accidents
At least 34 people have been killed in two separate accidents in the Eastern Cape, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Saturday. Twenty-five people were killed on the R408 between Butterworth and Willowvale when a bus driver lost control of the vehicle, spokesperson Simon Zwane said. "The vehicle overturned, killing passengers. The number of fatalities is expected to increase as some passengers are still trapped inside the bus," he said. In a separate accident, nine people … [Read more...] about Huge death toll in 2 Eastern Cape accidents
Sharks team to play EP Kings
Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold has named his team for their Currie Cup clash against the EP Kings in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (17:05 kick-off). The backline which did duty against the Golden Lions at Kings Park last weekend has remained intact following no injury concerns. Up front, tighthead prop Gerhard Engelbrecht trades places with Thomas du Toit and will gain his first start of the campaign after playing two games off the bench. It is the … [Read more...] about Sharks team to play EP Kings
The cost of 99 days of load shedding to SA economy
The shock of Eskom's load shedding has finally hit home, even as the China and terms-of-trade shocks are only starting to build, said Nomura analyst and emerging markets economist Peter Attard Montalto. While Eskom has not enforced load shedding for the past 17 days, the 99 days of load shedding it had implemented in 2015 has caused manufacturing and mining output to decrease, Stats SA figures show. Montalto said Africa's most industrialised country, whose GDP contracted by 1.3% in the … [Read more...] about The cost of 99 days of load shedding to SA economy
No. of Municipal employees DOWN, Municipal salaries UP by almost R7bn
The amount paid on salaries for municipal employees across the country increased by nearly R7bn between 2013 and 2014, Statistics South Africa said on Tuesday. This was despite the fact that the number of municipal employees had decreased by 1 229, from 307 216 in 2013 to 305 987 in 2014, Statistician General Pali Lehohla told reporters in Pretoria. The report also revealed that there were 44 674 vacant municipal positions country-wide in 2014. Lehohla said the drop in positions was due to … [Read more...] about No. of Municipal employees DOWN, Municipal salaries UP by almost R7bn
SARB could step in to stem rand’s fall
The South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) said late on Monday it may consider becoming involved in foreign exchange markets to ensure orderly price action. The bank said it had maintained over many years its position of not intervening in the foreign exchange market. "This position, however, does not suggest that the Sarb is completely indifferent to exchange rate movements," it said in a statement. It said threats to the "orderly functioning of markets or (developments) that may have … [Read more...] about SARB could step in to stem rand’s fall
Why the rand is battling
There's blood in the markets and emerging markets are the worst affected, say the analysts at Overberg Asset Management. Brett Birkenstock and Kirk Swart provide five reasons for the rand's weakness: Negative sentiment towards emerging markets: Global investors have taken a risk off approach with devastating effects for emerging market currencies and stocks alike. The ZAR and JSE have not been excluded. Run to safe haven assets: A return to bonds, gold and hard currencies such as the US … [Read more...] about Why the rand is battling
How long others waited for 10111
A man claims he twice apprehended criminals and restrained them with a belt while waiting for police to arrive. After calling the national 10111 number, Gavin Sher said he held them at bay with his firearm at his side, once in Durbanville, Cape Town, and again in Knysna. "After waiting several hours for the police to come, I had to eventually let them go free with a warning," he said on Thursday. His experience was one of many received in response to a News24 story on 10111 reaction … [Read more...] about How long others waited for 10111
