Trouble for top South African private school, and Eastern Cape ban on alcohol rejected

The South African rand recovered some of its losses on Wednesday, despite the country’s power utility implementing rolling blackouts.

Eskom announced on Tuesday that it would introduce power cuts during evening peak hours this week to ensure limited load shedding during the day.

The rand traded at 18.23 against the dollar, approximately 0.3% stronger than its close on Tuesday, which had been impacted by local job data.

Investors are looking for clarification on a potential meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump.

It’s been reported that South Africa’s ministers of agriculture, energy, and transport are preparing trade agreements ahead of a meeting scheduled for next week in Washington.

On Thursday, 15 May, the rand was trading at R18.27 to the dollar, R24.25 to the pound and R20.44 to the euro. Oil was trading slightly lower at $64.68 a barrel.

Here are five other important things happening in and affecting South Africa today:

Trouble at Reddam: The executive head of Reddam House Helderfontein, a private school in Johannesburg, has resigned amid an investigation into allegations of inappropriate student behaviour in the girls’ bathroom at the sports centre. Last Friday, he sent a farewell email to teachers, and the CEO of the Inspired Education Group informed parents of his resignation, effective that same day, without providing a reason. [News24]

Alcohol ban pushback: The Eastern Cape Department of Education has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol on public school premises, disrupting traditional fundraising efforts at many former Model C schools. Stakeholders argue their concerns are not about alcohol but budget shortfalls, as these events often raise essential funds to cover gaps left by the government. [Daily Maverick]

SAPS double down on new security laws: The police ministry has defended the new private security regulations, stating that they are not excessive but rather essential for regulating illegal firearms. “The proposed measures are a thoughtful and evidence-based response to serious risks identified within certain segments of the private security industry, including incidents such as the sale and false reporting of firearms by a security company in Mpumalanga.” [EWN]

Alarm bells at Eskom: Following the implementation of load shedding this week, the electricity minister said that the reasons for the regression were poor planning and setbacks in its maintenance schedule. Eskom has planned to “taper down” maintenance to less than 5,000 MW by late April, yet several big units remained in the workshop past their due dates. [Business Day]

Good news for Joburg: City Power has clarified concerns regarding Eskom’s potential threat of cut-offs due to its over R4 billion debt to the national supplier. “There is no issue between City Power and Eskom; we are working together,” stated City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena. [eNCA]