Domestic

President Cyril Ramaphosa has transferred to the Minister of Electricity all the powers and functions in Section 34(1) of the Electricity Regulation Act, which were previously entrusted to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.

Eskom and three unions engaged in wage talks have hit another stalemate after workers rejected the power utility's final 5.25% offer tabled this week.

Four people have been gunned down in the leafy suburb of Constantia in Cape Town. Police Spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut says the bodies of two men and two women were discovered with gunshot wounds.

On Thursday, the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) hiked its repo rate by another 50 basis points (bps), taking the benchmark rate to 8.25% – the steepest level since 2009.

A 45-year-old widow from the small town of Praktiseer in the Sekhukhune District in the Limpopo Province has been arrested for failing to register her deceased husband's firearms. Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba says they received a tip-off from a community member and rushed to the premises on Tuesday morning.

A 49-year-old man appeared in the Richmond District Court in the Northern Cape for allegedly kidnapping a female police officer and assaulting her.

The annual consumer inflation rate eased to an 11-month low in April, down to 6.8% from 7.1% in March.

The Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance (Osti) has recorded a steady rise in complaints related to power surges and has advised policyholders to re-evaluate their cover as insurers tighten their belts in the face of rolling blackouts. This is according to data highlighted in a joint 2022 annual report published on Tuesday.

The Hawks said two men aged 22 and 23, will appear in the Vereeniging Magistrate Court on Wednesday for allegedly operating an “illegal gold refinery” on a plot in De Deur outside Johannesburg.