News 16:00

BULLETIN 31 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# NotInMyName calls on the Gauteng premier to take full responsibility for alleged racism at a Pretoria school
# Minister Steenhuisen says agriculture can be a driver of economic growth
# And, cricket: England is searching for a new white-ball head coach

# NotInMyName International says the history of South Africa, through apartheid and colonialism, is still deeply entrenched in systems and institutions across all sectors. The organisation’s secretary-general, Themba Masango, says the incident at the Pretoria High School for Girls should be recognized as a lack of oversight by the Gauteng local government. He says it represents a direct failure by then MEC of Education Panyaza Lesufi, who is now the premier of Gauteng:

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has emphasised the sector’s potential to drive economic growth at Agri Eastern Cape’s Annual Congress. Steenhuisen highlighted the need to resolve issues such as policy uncertainty, farm murders, rural crime, and biosecurity challenges to enhance the sector. He notes that agriculture significantly contributes to the country’s gross domestic product, and offers substantial opportunities for growth, development, and job creation:

Staying with agricultural news: The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa has reported a downward adjustment in the lemon export estimate due to smaller fruit sizes from dry weather, favorable local juicing prices, and severe weather events. The initial projection of 37.9-million 15-kilogramme cartons has been revised to 33.9-million, down from 35.6-million in 2023. The Sundays River Valley and Western Cape regions saw the most significant reductions due to strong winds and flooding. The chairperson of the association’s Lemon Focus Group, Leroux Venter, expresses concerns as oversupply and demand remains strong, particularly in Europe.

# Iran has declared three days of mourning following the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in an attack blamed on arch-foe Israel. Russia condemned the killing, warning it could trigger a fresh round of escalation in the Middle East. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called the perfidious assassination of his close ally and brother. While Hamas is viewed by the United States, the European Union and Israel as a terrorist organisation, Erdogan described it as a liberation movement.

# Cricket: Matthew Mott has stepped down from his role as England’s white-ball head coach. During his two years in the role, England failed to defend their T20 World Cup and 50-over World Cup titles. Assistant coach Marcus Trescothick will take charge on an interim basis, with three T20s, and five ODIs against Australia coming up in September. Andrew Flintoff, Kumar Sangakkara and World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan are among the contenders to replace Mott.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-23-cents and the euro at 19-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-41-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-148-dollars-75-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-418-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….