News 12:00

BULLETIN 24 January 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus will challenge the new Expropriation Act at the Constitutional Court
# The Cape Independence Advocacy Group calls for the preservation of private property rights
# And tennis: Alexander Zverev is through to his first Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic retires due to injury

# The Freedom Front Plus says it will do everything in its power as a member of the government of national unity, to have an amendment bill issued to address the Expropriation Act’s unconstitutionality. The law sets out how organs of the state may expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons. FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald says the act is prejudicial to property owners in favour of the expropriating authority. He adds they will approach the Constitutional Court:

Meanwhile, the Cape Independence Advocacy Group says the Expropriation Act represents a direct assault on the fundamental rights to property that are essential for a thriving, free market economy. The group’s Joan Swart says enabling the state to seize assets without just compensation, erodes the trust investors have in South Africa’s economic stability:

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme says it has engaged with the Private Student Housing Association regarding outstanding accommodation payments. The association, which members provide accommodation to more than 80-thousand students nationwide, revealed that NSFAS owes 44-million-rand to its members. NSFAS’s spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, says they have called on the association to provide a list of affected accommodation providers and students, for the problem to be resolved immediately:

Meanwhile, the University of the Witwatersrand has dismissed claims of refusing to assist financially distressed students. This follows accusations from some Student Representative Council members. Wits spokesperson Sharona Patel says the SRC members are unhappy over the criteria they use to assist students. She says they administer over one-billion-rand in financial aid scholarships and bursaries every year. These include the university’s own funds, as well as external sources, financial aid institutions, and individual and corporate donors.

# Tennis: World number two Alexander Zverev is through to his first Australian Open final after ten-time champion Novak Djokovic was forced to retire due to injury in their semifinal clash. The German, who is seeking his maiden Grand Slam title, won the first set 7-6 when the Serb could not overcome the upper-leg injury he sustained in the quarterfinals.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-34-cents and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-254-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-771-dollars-3-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-51-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….