News 15:00

BULLETIN 27 March 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Tax Justice SA’s founder says government must finally ratify the WHO’s protocol on illicit trade
# The IEC is urged to schedule voting days overseas on non-working days 
# And rugby: The Springbok Women are keen to end their tour on a high

# Tax Justice founder Yusuf Abramjee says government must finally ratify the World Health Organisation’s protocol on illicit trade, and the South African Revenue Service must be allowed to install cameras in all tobacco factories. Abramjee says police and prosecutors must be equipped to investigate the illicit trade, hunt down the kingpins and bring them to justice:

Research by the University of Cape Town academics Nicole Vellios and Corné van Walbeek has revealed the South African government has been losing billions of rand because of illegal cigarettes since 2010. In 2022, government lost 17.6-billion-rand in excise and VAT revenue. Van Walbeek says the majority of the lost revenue occurred from 2010 to 2022:

# The DA Abroad urges the Independent Electoral Commission to schedule voting days overseas on non-working days, aligning with past elections. This follows as contradictory information from diplomatic missions reportedly causes confusion about voting day timing. The IEC is advised to ensure all voting stations open on Saturday, May 18, or Friday, May 17, where applicable, from 7 am to 7 pm. Clear guidelines on ID requirements and queue management are also requested to uphold democratic principles for South African citizens abroad.

# Rugby: The Springbok Women are determined to finish their European tour on a high and deliver a commanding performance when they face the USA on Saturday. They won their season-opening Test by beating Spain last weekend. The Test in London will be the sixth between the two countries. According to Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September, it will conclude a productive three weeks on tour for the team:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-88-cents and the euro at 20-rand-46-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-77-dollars-8-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-197-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A Limpopo family has sold a tractor to help their daughter pursue a PhD in Agriculture at Stellenbosch University. With Mosima Mabitsela becoming the first in her family to qualify with a doctorate, her father Mamothatha Mabitsela, who supports his family as a subsistence farmer, says the decision to sell a valuable farm vehicle to help his daughter pursue her dream was worth it. Mabitsela’s research focuses on climate-smart agricultural production, specifically studying Bambara groundnuts in aeroponics. She aims to empower rural farmers with sustainable farming methods.

Stay tuned for more news………….