Pontiff vows to “continue to speak strongly against war”
US President Donald Trump, facing a backlash from conservative supporters, hastily withdrew from Truth Social an AI-generated image depicting a saintly Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed. The image was posted, then deleted, hours after Trump had posted a lengthy message criticising Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”, and saying “[w]e don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon”. Pope Leo appeared unmoved, however, saying: “The message of the church, my message, the message of the gospel: blessed are the peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician.” The pontiff said he did not think the message of the gospel should “be abused, as some are doing”. “I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.” He added: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do.”
Farming organisations warn rising diesel, fertiliser costs will hike food prices
Farmer organisations AgriSA and Agbiz have warned that rising costs of diesel and fertiliser could lead to a sharp rise in food prices. The costs were likely to affect the harvesting of the summer grain crop, as well as the planting of the winter crop. The organisations say fuel, mainly diesel, accounts for 12%-18% of production costs, with farmers expecting another increase in the diesel price in May, which could push it to R40 per litre.
Hill-Lewis commits to dealing with “trust deficit” in winning over black voters
Newly elected DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis says the party must “make it clear to black South Africans that we are genuinely invested in and care about their advancement but we do not support the current model of elite enrichment”. Growing disillusionment, coupled with municipal failures, had opened a political window for the DA, with long-standing racial voting patterns beginning to shift. But he added: “For a long time, the kind of racial silos in South Africa have been very firm and kind of concrete. But they are cracking and breaking down … You can’t blame the voters for not agreeing with your message or not supporting what you’re offering. You have to … look at why that trust deficit gap still exists.”
Eskom report recommends site near St Francis Bay for new nuclear plant
Thyspunt, between St Francis Bay and Oyster Bay in the Eastern Cape, has been identified in a draft environmental scoping report commissioned by Eskom as a likelier location for a new 5 200 MW nuclear plant than Bantamsklip in the Western Cape, because the site would enable quicker access to the transmission grid. Bantamsklip is near Pearly Beach on the Overberg coast. The report was prepared by the Canadian consultancy WSP. It found the transmission grid requirements to support a Thyspunt station would “achievable”, but “unlikely” at Bantamsklip, before 2039, the date by which the Integrated Resources Plan 2025 commits to nearly doubling nuclear’s total contribution to electricity production. South Africa will need some 14,000 kilometres of new transmission lines to be built in less than a decade to meet the requirements of all new projects coming online.
Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Business Day, News24