5 important things happening in South Africa today

Here’s what  happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Eskom says it is not planning to go to stage 5 or 6 load shedding. noting that comments made about its contingency plans were misinterpreted by the media. The power utility said that it was highlighting that it does have plans for if things got worse. Load shedding stage 4 continues. [Eskom]

• Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has asked for 2 weeks to get a full picture of the problems Eskom is currently facing. The power utility has burned through all the diesel it can, and needs to spend billions of rands repairing its old, and broken stations and systems. [News24]

• Two new controversial bills have been pushed through parliament which are said to undermine the rights of those living under traditional leaders. Under the bills, power is given to traditional leaders to sell of land without consent of those who will be affected by it – and leaves them no option to avoid traditional courts. [City Press]

• Despite promises from the police department to spend R2 billion on promotions, disgruntled SAPS members are marching in protest of the process, which is years behind schedule. SAPS members cannot go on strike as they are an essential service, but that has not prevented the marches. [IOL]

• South Africa’s rand steadied on Tuesday as the prospect of rolling blackouts and downbeat economic data offset expectations that a dovish tone at this week’s US Federal Reserve policy meeting could lift emerging market assets. On Wednesday the rand was at R14.51 to the dollar, R19.24 to the pound and R16.47 to the euro.