News 06:00

BULLETIN 6 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Steenhuisen warns of an economic blow if AGOA expires
# Minister Mchunu says he will not release the Phala Phala report
# And cricket: It will be New Zealand vs India in the Champions Trophy final

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has warned that South Africa’s citrus industry could suffer severe losses if the US does not renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act. In 2024, South Africa exported 102-thousand tonnes of citrus tariff-free to the US, valued at 1.7-billion-rand. Steenhuisen says that without Agoa, exports will face a 1.53-percent tariff, impacting farmers and 250-thousand industry jobs. He urges stakeholders to push for Agoa’s renewal while diversifying export markets.

# Police minister Senzo Mchunu says the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s report into the Phala Phala saga has been classified as top secret and cannot be released. This is regarding the theft of US dollars from president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in 2020. The Public Protector and the Reserve Bank released their findings in 2023. In a written reply to a parliamentary question from the ATM, Mchunu says he is not violating the executive ethics code by not sharing the findings of the IPID investigation. 

Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement has condemned Mchunu’s nondisclosure of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate report on the Phala Phala saga. ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona argues that this move shields president Cyril Ramaphosa from scrutiny, undermines transparency, and raises concerns about the misuse of state resources. He calls for Mchunu to declassify the report immediately to ensure accountability and justice:

# The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has arrested six officers from the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department drug unit for robbery and defeating the ends of justice. The officers allegedly stopped a foreign national for a traffic offence, and confiscated his money. IPID’s Lizzy Suping says the officers are detained at Boksburg police station and will appear in court soon:

# The Trump administration has rejected a long-awaited plan for the reconstruction of Gaza endorsed by Arab leaders, saying the president stands by his vision which includes expelling the territory’s Palestinian residents and transforming it into a “riviera” owned by the United States. The Arab plan calls for Hamas to cede power and would allow its roughly two-million Palestinians to remain, in contrast to Trump’s proposal. The proposal calls for rebuilding Gaza by 2030. During the first phase, unexploded ordnance and more than 50-million tons of rubble will be cleared.

# Cricket: New Zealand is through to the Champions Trophy final after defeating South Africa by 50 runs in Lahore. Centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson helped the Black Caps, who won the tournament in 2000, post a mammoth 362 for six. Lungi Ngidi took three wickets. In reply, the Proteas could not manage the fourth-highest successful ODI run-chase, as they fell short finishing on 312 for nine. David Miller was unbeaten on 100 from 64 balls. New Zealand will face India in Sunday’s final in Dubai.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-29-cents and the euro at 19-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-59-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-672-dollar-30-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-916-dollars-92-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….