News 11:00
BULLETIN 13 September 11 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Ramaphosa describes Gordhan as a beacon of the fight against corruption
# Winde says the Western Cape is facing a 7-billion-rand budget cut over the next three years
# And, rugby: Four Boks start for the Sharks in their Currie Cup semifinal against the Bulls
# President Cyril Ramaphosa says former Cabinet minister and struggle stalwart Pravin Gordhan was a beacon of the country’s fight against corruption. The 75-year-old, who was regarded as the face of the resistance against former president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta-led project of state capture, died in hospital today. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the country is grateful for Gordhan’s life of sacrifice and service:
In its reaction, ActionSA says Gordhan’s contribution to South Africa was immense. ActionSA’s Lerato Ngobeni says during his tenure as minister of Finance, Gordhan was known for his firm stance on fiscal discipline and his fight against corruption. She says as Public Enterprises minister, he worked hard to stabilise state-owned enterprises:
# Western Cape premier Alan Winde is warning that the province expects a projected seven-billion-rand budget cut over the next three years. This is partly due to last year’s national wage agreement that led to a one-billion-rand reduction, resulting in provinces being forced to absorb budget shortfalls. The provincial Education Department will cut over two-thousand teaching posts next year as it faces a 3.8-billion-rand shortfall. Winde told News24 that among the other key services that will be hardest hit by this cash crunch will be the Health Department.
# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, is currently in the US on a working visit, to deepen and strengthen the political and economic ties between the two countries. South Africa enjoys strategic relations with the US, which is also the country’s leading source of foreign direct investment. The ministry’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, says the US is making a significant contribution to supporting government efforts to reduce poverty, unemployment, and inequality:
# Rugby: The Sharks will face the Bulls with four Springboks in Saturday’s Currie Cup semifinal at Loftus. André Esterhuizen and Francois Venter are the centres, Jordan Hendrikse starts at fullback and Phepsi Buthelezi is number eighth. Former South Africa A player, Lionel Cronjé, is on the bench. Coach John Plumtree made six changes and a rotational switch to the group that beat the Bulls in last week’s final group match in Durban. Captain Vincent Tshituka expects a huge encounter, saying being the underdog just motivates them.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 19-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-26-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-860-dollars-53-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-565-dollars-92-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-28-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….