BULLETIN 8 May 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa celebrates collective efforts towards building a democratic South Africa
# Workers are urged to seek retirement benefit counselling before the two-pot system comes into effect
# And former South African boxer and three-time world champion Dingaan Thobela’s children will continue his legacy

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has applauded the collective efforts towards building a democratic, prosperous South Africa. Speaking to a delegation during the launch of the 30 Year Review Report in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said the report reflects on progress made since the adoption of the Constitution in 1996, honouring the vision of the Freedom Charter. He also emphasises the ongoing journey towards realising the aspirations of freedom fighters and enriching democracy for all South Africans:

# Working South Africans are urged to seek professional retirement benefit counselling before the two-pot system comes into effect. The system, set to revolutionise South Africa’s 3.27-trillion-rand private retirement industry on September 1, raises concerns about consumer understanding. NMG Benefits advisor Natasha Huggett-Henchie says professional guidance is crucial amidst confusion, as the system could ultimately benefit by preventing short-term loans and improving retirement outcomes. The system aims to preserve retirement funds while allowing partial access during employment, pending regulatory readiness.

# The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa has expressed deep concern over the cancellation of halaal certification for Clover products by the Muslim Judicial Council’s Halaal Trust. GIWUSA rejects the Zionist ownership of Clover’s parent company, Milco SA, linked to Israeli settlements in Palestine. GIWUSA’s Mametlwe Sebei calls for Clover’s nationalisation under democratic worker control, to uphold cooperative principles and resist exploitation:

# Former South African boxer and three-time world champion Dingaan Thobela’s children pledge to uphold his legacy. A memorial service held at Hill on Empire in Parktown honoured Thobela as a sporting icon and symbol of unity. The “Rose of Soweto” passed away in Mayfair, Johannesburg after battling health issues. His funeral will take place tomorrow. Thobela’s son, Elton, fondly remembers his father as a fighter and humble person:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-66-cents and the euro at 20-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-386-dollars-2-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-316-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-7-cents a barrel.

# And finally, today marks 99 years since Afrikaans was acknowledged as official language in South Africa, with plans afoot for next year’s centenary celebrations. On the eighth of May 1925, Afrikaans replaced Dutch as the country’s second official language alongside English. A committee named Afrikaans 100, consisting of organisations, companies and roleplayers from the Afrikaans community, was introduced last year to organise the centenary celebrations which will culminate in a festival at the Afrikaans Language Museum and Monument in Paarl on this day next year.

Stay tuned for more news………….