News 06:00

BULLETIN 11 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa answers questions in the National Assembly today
# The MK Party says the government does not need to rely on a VAT hike
# And today, five years ago, the World Health Organisation  announced Covid-19 as a pandemic

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to appear before the National Assembly today to answer six key questions related to national and international issues. These include the government’s efforts to strengthen ties with the United States, address inequality, and update on the ceasefire process in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, the National Council of Provinces will hold a ministerial briefing on school infrastructure and equipment to discuss improving facilities for quality education.

# The MK Party says it is strongly against any value-added tax hike and that the government must exercise political will and be pro-poor. Last month, Finance minister Enoch Godongwana cancelled his budget speech at the eleventh hour after the cabinet disagreed on a proposed two percentage point increase in VAT. He is set to table the budget on Wednesday. MK Party’s parliamentary whip, Mzwanele Manyi, says there are other avenues that the government could use to raise money:

Meanwhile, the GOOD Party says attempts to table this year’s budget have turned into a political farce, with the ANC and DA failing to address poverty and inequality effectively. The party argues that the ANC’s push for social spending is undermined by a VAT hike that harms the poor, while the DA’s focus on cutting waste offers no immediate relief. GOOD secretary general Brett Herron calls for a comprehensive budget overhaul and an annual budget lekgotla to ensure better financial planning.

# The Gauteng Health Department has acknowledged the joint report by the Health Ombud and Health Standards Compliance Office on Helen Joseph Hospital. The investigation, initiated after allegations by patient Thomas Holmes in September 2024, highlighted governance, staffing, and infrastructure issues. The department’s spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba says it has begun province-wide interventions, including structural reviews and infrastructure upgrades. He assured the public of improved healthcare services:

# Today five years ago, the World Health Organisation announced Covid-19 had become a pandemic and the world finally woke up to the unfolding disaster. At a news conference on 11 March 2020, the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the worsening outbreak could be characterised as a pandemic. Only then did many countries grasp the severity of the situation and jolt into action. The pandemic, the likes of which had not been seen in a century, killed millions, shredded economies and crippled health systems.

# Cricket: The Warriors have been disqualified from the 1-Day Cup playoffs for failing to meet Cricket South Africa’s quota requirements. They failed to field three black African players in a game last month and did not inform the authorities. As a result, the Dolphins will take their place in the playoffs. The Warriors were set to play the Titans for a spot in the Division One final. CSA’s Eddie Khoza said other teams received leeway for similar issues when communicated, but the Warriors failed to reach out.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-59-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-210-dollar-8-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-888-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….