NewsWrap: Electricity tariffs set to increase come April  

Record breaking season recorded in Cape Town 

The Western Cape, especially Cape Town, has experienced a record-breaking summer season. Cape Town International Airport set a historic monthly record by processing 317,000 two-way international passengers in December, surpassing the previous high of 290,000 in January 2020. Other attractions in the Western Cape, such as Table Mountain National Park, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and Robben Island, reported positive year-on-year growth in December 2023, contributing to the region’s successful tourism season.

City records slight drop in liquor confiscated from beaches and public facilities 

Despite a persistently high rate, City enforcement officers confiscated 20% fewer bottles of alcohol from beaches and public facilities year-on-year, with 17,689 bottles seized between October last year and the 9th of January. This marks a decrease from the 21,907 bottles confiscated during the same period the previous year. Area West, encompassing various beaches, accounted for 40% of all confiscations, with the New Year’s long weekend being the busiest, witnessing the pound receiving over 4,000 bottles.

Electricity tariffs set to increase come April  

South Africans using prepaid electricity should expect a significant increase in their monthly bill from April this year.
This comes after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa last year approved Eskom price increases of 18-point-six-five percent for 2023/24 and a 12-point-seven-four percent increase that will start in April.

Internationally…. 

North Korea announces agreement with Russia to enhance strategic and tactical cooperation 

North Korea has announced its agreement with Russia to enhance strategic and tactical cooperation, aiming to establish a “new multi-polarised international order.” The collaboration is seen as an effort to build a united front against the United States, with North Korea emphasizing its alignment with Russia and criticizing the UN Security Council’s emergency meeting on its recent ballistic tests. The announcement follows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, where Putin expressed his willingness to visit Pyongyang.