News 13:00

BULLETIN 18 April 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Thulas Nxesi defends employment initiatives and dismisses claims of electioneering
# Retail sales declined in February
# And cricket: Laura Wolvaardt is disappointed at the drawn ODI series against Sri Lanka

# Labour minister Thulas Nxesi has defended his department’s employment initiatives, dismissing claims of electioneering. Speaking at the launch of the Western Cape Labour Activation Programme in Cape Town, Nxesi emphasised the project’s aim to alleviate poverty and create job opportunities through training. The 23.8- billion-rand initiative, delayed by the pandemic, now expects employers to incorporate trainees after training them. Nxesi attributes the timing of the launch to budget cycles, coincidentally aligning with the elections:

# FNB Senior Economist, Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, says retail sales fell by 0.8-percent year-on-year in February. Although the outcome is discouraging, it was still better than the Reuters consensus of a 1.6-percent decline. Mkhwanazi says on a month-on-month basis, volumes rebounded by 0.4-percent, barely offsetting the 3.2-percent decline in January:

# The Global Wind Energy Council says the wind industry is entering a new era of accelerated growth driven by increased political ambition. The Global Wind Report 2024 reveals that the global wind industry installed a record 117 gigawatts of new capacity last year, making it the best year ever for new wind energy. China and the US remain the world’s two largest markets for onshore wind additions. Africa and the Middle East installed nearly one gigawatt of wind power capacity last year.

# Cricket: Proteas Women’s captain Laura Wolvaardt says there are lots of positives to take out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. The highest-ever ODI score by a South African woman was not enough, as Sri Lanka beat the Proteas by six wickets in the third and final game in Potchefstroom. Wolvaardt smashed an unbeaten 184 to lead her side to 301 for five. In reply, an unbeaten 195 from captain Chamari Athapaththu led Sri Lanka to victory. Wolvaardt says it’s disappointing to draw the series:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-2-cents and the euro at 20-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-456-dollars-27-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-379-dollars-86-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

# And finally: As Smile Week draws to a close at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in the Northern Cape, 25 children have had their smiles restored after undergoing reconstructive surgery. Most of the surgeries involved cleft lip and palate repair. Since its inception in 2002, the Smile Foundation has assisted more than four-thousand children from disadvantaged backgrounds get reconstructive surgery. The foundation’s CEO, Tarri Parfitt, says donations continue to be crucial for sustaining such impactful initiatives.

Stay tuned for more news………….