News 16:00

BULLETIN 9 June 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Statistics South Africa reports a 0.5-percent economic growth in early 2026
# South Africa and Italy sign a memorandum of understanding strengthening agriculture market access
# And tennis: Federer will join Agassi, Roddick and McEnroe in an exhibition event before the US Open

# South Africa’s economy grew by 0.5-percent in the first quarter, according to Statistics South Africa, slightly exceeding expectations. Chief director Bokang Vumbukani-Lepolesa says growth was driven by the services and primary sectors, with finance and agriculture providing key support. However, manufacturing weighed on overall performance, with five of its ten divisions recording negative growth. Despite the gain, she cautions uneven sector performance highlights ongoing structural challenges in the economy:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Agriculture has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the Blended Finance Scheme, which combines grants and loans to support the commercialisation of black farmers. During a briefing, Members of Parliament questioned funding delays, weak post-investment support and the performance of struggling projects identified in North West. Committee chairperson Dina Pule says the focus remains on creating sustainable farming enterprises, jobs and rural economic growth. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture and Land Bank reported improvements in monitoring and farmer support.

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen and his Italian counterpart Francesco Lollobrigida have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, agro-processing, innovation and market access. The agreement was signed at the inaugural South Africa–Italy Agriculture Business Forum in Cape Town. Steenhuisen says the partnership aims to expand trade, investment and value-added agricultural partnerships between the two countries and boost food production:

# ActionSA has welcomed the South African Human Rights Commission’s invitation to conduct joint monitoring of Gauteng hospitals. The party raised concerns about disputed data sources, including a 2013 survey and a 2025 qualitative study, arguing they do not reliably reflect hospital capacity or overcrowding. Party spokesperson Mongezi Ntsebenzo says they requested a preliminary meeting with the commission to clarify discrepancies and agree on a transparent methodology before oversight visits proceed:

# Tennis: Former Swiss maestro Roger Federer’s participation in an exhibition event before the US Open had been confirmed. He will join other former greats Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and John McEnroe from America at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows on 25 August. Forty-four-year-old Federer won five of his 20 Grand Slam titles in New York. He says he missed being part of the atmosphere since retiring in 2022, and sharing the event with the other three makes it even more meaningful.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-45-cents and the euro at 19-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-678-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-339-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….