News 12:00

BULLETIN 8 March 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Pravin Gordhan is reportedly set to retire from politics in the coming weeks
# Business confidence reflects ongoing concerns about the cost of doing business 
# And rugby: Gregor Townsend wants his team to secure the second place in the Six Nations

# Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan is reportedly set to retire in the coming weeks to focus on his health and family. This comes as the ANC is set to submit its electoral candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission today. In an exclusive interview with Business Day, the 74-year-old says he will no longer be available to be on the list of electoral candidates. Gordhan says despite his decision to step down from active politics, he remains a loyal member of the ANC.

# Business confidence in South Africa dropped by another point to reach 30 in the first quarter of this year. This is according to the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index, which tracks sentiment among businesses. Investec’s, Annabel Bishop, says this downward trend reflects ongoing concerns about the cost of doing business in South Africa, with little improvement expected in the near future:

# The South African National Taxi Council has confirmed it has resumed operations in Ekurhuleni, after reaching a resolution with the Gauteng government. Taxi drivers ceased their services Wednesday evening due to a bus contract dispute with the Ekurhuleni metro and the impounding of taxis. This left commuters stranded in areas including Tembisa, Germiston, Benoni, Katlehong, and Vosloorus. Santaco says they are still in talks with the provincial government to find a permanent resolution to their demands.

# America’s Republican Party has criticised president Joe Biden for his immigration, economics, crime and foreign policies. The president delivered the state of the union address in which he took a swipe at his predecessor, Donald Trump, and also covered immigration, abortion, the economy and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Alabama senator Katie Britt delivered the Republicans’ response to the address, saying Biden is an out-of-touch politician who has little awareness of what the middle class is experiencing:

# Rugby: Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has urged his team to raise their game to fresh heights as they bid for a first top-two finish in the Six Nations era. Townsend’s side is second on the log, a point above England and three clear of France. They have matches away to Italy and Grand Slam-chasing Ireland in the concluding two rounds of the championship. Even if Scotland wins in Rome tomorrow, Ireland would make sure of consecutive titles if they secure a bonus-point win over England at Twickenham later in the day.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-66-cents and the euro at 20-rand-40-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-176-dollars-27-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-166-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-55-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….