News 09:00

BULLETIN 19 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD Party says a Social Relief of Distress Grant of R370 is not enough
# President Ramaphosa will today address the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium
# And an Israeli delegation is on its way to Washington to discuss concerns about its Rafah offensive

# The GOOD Party says the 20-rand increase to the Social Relief of Distress grant, to 370-rand per month, is still not enough. In its election manifesto, the party makes a provision for a Basic Income Grant of a minimum of 999-rand a month for all unemployed South Africans. GOOD’s Secretary-General, Brett Herron, says social security is not a gift or a handout, it is an inalienable human right entrenched in the Bill of Rights:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver a keynote address at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Cape Town today. The two-day event will be hosted by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. It aims to foster partnerships between the public and private sectors, explore infrastructure investment opportunities, and discuss regulatory and policy reforms. The symposium will unveil the top 12 infrastructure project priorities, facilitate memorandum signings with key stakeholders, and provide updates on gazetted strategic integrated projects.

# The City of Tshwane says it has a zero-tolerance approach to tampering with critical infrastructure as such acts are criminal. This comes after the cross-border valve, which regulates and controls the flow of water to the Ekangala and Rethabiseng areas in Region Seven, was damaged. The city’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, says this led to a decrease in water pressure and ultimately resulted in no supply in the area:

# The White House says Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at president Joe Biden’s urging, has agreed to send a team to Washington to hear US concerns about Israel’s Rafah operation. Biden held a high-stakes phone call with Netanyahu yesterday about the direction of the war with Hamas. US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, says a military plan in Rafah cannot succeed without an integrated humanitarian and political plan:

# Soccer: Nottingham Forest has been handed a four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. The club admitted to breaching the threshold by more than 650-million-rand in 2022-2023. The deduction drops Forest into the relegation zone in 18th position, one point behind Luton, who move up to 17th, with nine games left to play. The club, which has seven days to appeal, has expressed its disappointment, saying this was unaccepted given its exceptional cooperation throughout the process.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-664-dollars-95-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-160-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….