News 09:00

BULLETIN 14 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Dawie Roodt warns about the country’s spending pattern
# Denosa says the tender system in the healthcare sector must be overhauled
# And the Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa is re-elected

# Economist Dawie Roodt says South Africa is entrenching a culture of state dependency rather than fostering economic self-reliance and growth. In the 2025/2026 budget tabled by Finance minister Enoch Godongwana last month, consolidated government expenditure is expected to hit 2.59-trillion-rand. Around 65-percent of government spending is consumed by salaries, debt-service costs, and the social grant ecosystem. Roodt says rebalancing the budget through reduced current expenditure, a lower tax burden, and improved state efficiency is necessary.

# The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa is calling on the Health Department to root out corruption in procurement by overhauling the tender system and ensuring transparent processes. This is as the department plans to procure more hospital beds, mattresses, and linen, items that are crucial to patient care and dignity. Denosa’s spokesperson, Sonia Mabunda-Kaziboni, says they are concerned that these procurements if managed through the existing tendering system, will fall victim to the same corrupt practices that have plagued other public health initiatives:

# ActionSA Women’s Forum will be picketing outside the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng today, as a man accused of sexual assault is set to make his first court appearance. The man, a former facilitator of the literacy organisation Nal’ibali allegedly sexually assaulted a Grade 3 pupil at Braamfischerville Primary School in Soweto last month. ActionSA’s, Zwelithini Mtshali, says the Gauteng Education Department must intensify its process of vetting teachers and facilitators:

# Ecuador’s right-wing president, Daniel Noboa, has been re-elected, defeating leftist candidate Luisa González. Preliminary data shows that with 92.61-percent of the ballots counted, Noboa has secured 55.85-percent of the vote, compared to 44.15-percent for González. Noboa called his election win historic. González says she would not recognise the election result, accusing Noboa of abusing his power by not stepping down from office to run, as required by law. She adds that this is a dictatorship, and the biggest electoral fraud Ecuadorians have witnessed.

# Soccer: Defending champions Orlando Pirates will face Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final next month, the first Soweto derby final in the competition for almost 20 years. The Buccaneers saw off Marumo Gallants 1-0, thanks to Kabelo Dlamini’s first-half strike at the Orlando Stadium, to make their third consecutive final. Chiefs came from behind to beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Pirates coach, Jose Riveiro, says they executed their plan very well:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-5-cents and the euro at 21-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-522-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-232-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….