News 14:00

BULLETIN 27 March 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet slams Solidarity and AfriForum’s misinformation on farm murders
# An FNB economist says the amount of work currently under way is not enough to address the deep infrastructure backlog
# And motorsport: Red Bull confirms that Yuki Tsunoda replaces Liam Lawson in Formula One

# The cabinet has strongly condemned ongoing misinformation campaigns by Solidarity and AfriForum. Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, told the media the accusations are misleading, harmful, and distort the facts, undermining efforts to fight crime and ensure justice for all South Africans:

# FNB senior economist, Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, says the amount of work currently under way is not enough to address South Africa’s deep infrastructure backlog while order books are consistent with only a lukewarm improvement going forward. Mkhwanazi says data from Statistics South Africa show that the real value of construction works contracted by 3.4-percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2024, from a 3.6-percent annual decline in the third quarter:

# Union Giwusa says it supports the immediate nationalisation of auto manufacturing and smelting industries to save jobs. Specific industries within manufacturing, such as automotive and non-metallic minerals, have seen dramatic job losses in recent years. Giwusa president, Mametlwe Sebei, says for instance, the transport equipment sector alone reported a 20-percent decline in employment, equating to over 20-thousand job cuts:

# Motorsport: Red Bull has confirmed speculation that Yuki Tsunoda is replacing Liam Lawson as the Formula One team’s number two driver with immediate effect. This follows after the New Zealander didn’t impress in the first two Grands Prix of the season. Twenty-four-year-old Tsunoda will partner reigning world champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands from the next race in his home country of Japan in the first weekend of April. Lawson returns to Red Bull’s second team, Racing Bulls, where he will partner French debutant Isack Hadjar.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-24-cents and the euro at 19-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-56-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-473-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-46-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-88-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Scientists are studying Cape Town lakes Princessvlei and Eilandvlei to understand climate change tipping points. Led by palaeo-ecologist Jemma Finch, the research explores the lakes’ ecological history, using micro-algae and environmental DNA to track changes. Princessvlei faces drying and pollution, while Eilandvlei is at risk of rising sea levels. The findings will help conservation efforts adapt restoration strategies. Finch and other experts will discuss their research in the Let’s Get Sedimental webinar hosted by Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation today.

Stay tuned for more news………….