News 17:00

BULLETIN 7 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# MK party supporters disrupt the presidential imbizo in Mpumalanga
# The Western Cape allocates 192-billion-rand for various essential services
# And soccer: Man City prepares to battle for the Premiership summit at Liverpool 

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that anyone instigating election violence will be arrested. This follows threats of bloodshed by the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party in KwaZulu-Natal if barred from the 29 May polls. Earlier today supporters of the MK party attempted to disrupt the opening of the presidential imbizo in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, ahead of the president’s arrival, singing provocative chants. Ramaphosa says those inciting unrest are enemies of democracy:

# Western Cape MEC for Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, has prioritised the needs of the province’s residents by allocating 192-billion-rand to support vulnerable communities. This also includes primary health care, mental health, learner transport and school nutrition programmes. The budget also focuses on infrastructure investment, with over 32-billion-rand allocated for vital infrastructure over the 2024 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. More than 45-billion-rand has also been allocated to grow the economy and enable the creation of more jobs across the province.

# US president Joe Biden faces one of the most critical moments of his political career today with a state of the union speech aimed at convincing skeptical voters he is fit to beat Donald Trump in November’s election. Most years the annual address is a largely ceremonial affair, but this year 81-year-old Biden seeks to overcome growing doubts about his age, the US economy and wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Americans will be watching to see not just what the oldest president in US history says, but how he says it.

# Soccer: Manchester City is once again fighting for multiple trophies this season. The Champions League holders swept aside Copenhagen to reach the quarter-finals for the seventh successive season. Their focus now shifts quickly to the Premier League, with all eyes on Anfield on Sunday when Liverpool hosts Manchester City. It is a battle between the top two on the log and City striker Erling Haaland says they will have to be at their best: 

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-76-cents and the euro at 20-rand-40-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-967-dollars-14-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-161-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Print media has attributed some of its revenue losses to Google. The industry believes Google’s model has threatened its sustainability over the years. During oral submissions on day three of the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry, the Mail and Guardian revealed that its online digital footprint is under threat, diminishing much-needed advertising revenue. The publication’s CEO, Thembisa Fakude, says this is the same challenge faced by all traditional news media platforms:

Stay tuned for more news………….