Daily news update: ANC ‘more reunited’ and Malema says Ramaphosa ‘won’t finish his second term’

Here’s your morning news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way.

Daily news update – 21 December 2022

‘Our unity was tested,’ says Ramaphosa as ANC conference adjourns

President Cyril Ramaphosa is adamant that the African National Congress (ANC) emerged from the 55th elective conference more united than before.

He labelled the gathering as a “watershed” period for the governing party.

The newly re-elected president on Tuesday closed the conference of a party that doesn’t have a National Executive Committee (NEC) and still has to formally adopt policies.

Eskom ramps up load shedding to stage 6 (again)

Ailing state-owned entity Eskom ramped up load shedding stage 6 from 8pm on Tuesday until 5am on Wednesday morning.

The parastatal said stage 4 load shedding will resume at 5am tomorrow morning until further notice.

Dam levels

Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said the escalation in blackout stages is necessary to replenish dam levels.

‘Eskom requires a fixer’: Mantashe denies accusing De Ruyter of trying to overthrow government

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has denied accusing outgoing Eskom CEO André de Ruyter of trying to overthrow the government.

Earlier this month, Mantashe claimed that Eskom was attempting to “overthrow the state” by not dealing with load shedding.

He also took a dig at De Ruyter, comparing him to a “policeman” who is focused on “chasing criminals, ” without a grasp of Eskom’s challenges.

WATCH: ‘Delinquent’ Ramaphosa will not finish his second term – Malema

EFF leader Julius Malema vowed to make President Cyril Ramaphosa’s life miserable ahead of the national elections in 2024.

He called Ramaphosa a “delinquent president” and said the EFF will ensure Ramaphosa doesn’t finish his second term as ANC president.

Malema was speaking on Monday, after Ramaphosa was re-elected as leader of the ANC in Nasrec, Johannesburg.

This is what your Christmas dinner will cost this year compared to 2021

Your Christmas dinner will not cost that much more than it did in 2021, but most of us have less money than we had at Christmas last year. High inflation and the high interest rates that followed have taken a big bite out of the budgets of middle-income consumers.

The rising cost of living has taken a toll on the financial well-being of most consumers in South Africa, with the majority of consumers feeling that their financial situation has stayed the same or worsened over the past year according to Deloitte’s State of the South African Consumer report.