News 11:00

BULLETIN 17 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Tau says South Africa does not have global trade officials
# OUTA wants ministerial benefits that are not transparent to be declared unlawful
# And Ukraine detains nine people who allegedly planned sabotage attacks for Russia

# Trade, Industry and Competition minister, Parks Tau, has revealed that since December 2023, South Africa has not had trade officials to facilitate foreign direct investment into the country. The department manages 45 trade offices, mostly housed in South African missions abroad, including in countries like the US, China, France, and Asian countries. In a reply to a Parliamentary question, Tau says his department has been conducting a review of the approach to the trade officials and the footprint of the markets they will be deployed to.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse urges Parliament to tighten control over benefits given to government ministers. They want all changes to executive perks to be reviewed, costed, and made public. This follows a submission backing the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Amendment Bill to stop perks being granted without proper oversight. OUTA’s Stefanie Fick says the current system allows ministers to receive benefits like free water and electricity without public or parliamentary scrutiny:

# The N3 Toll Concession has warned motorists to expect congested traffic conditions and slower travel times from today as the Easter Weekend starts. Traversing four provinces – Gauteng, the Free State, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal – the toll route is an important transport and trade route. The concession’s spokesperson, Thania Dhoogra, says southbound traffic volumes towards KwaZulu-Natal are expected to increase from midday today:

# The Security Service of Ukraine says it has detained nine people, including five teenagers, on suspicion of preparing sabotage attacks on behalf of Russian security services. Some of the suspects were allegedly planning to plant explosives near residential buildings or railway lines. The service says the suspects were recruited on Telegram with the promise of cash rewards. Kyiv says it has prevented a growing number of sabotage plots planned by Ukrainian children on the orders of Moscow.

# Rugby: Captain Nolusindiso Booi will make history on Saturday, as she becomes the first Springbok Women’s player to reach 50 Test caps. South Africa will face Spain in Elche, their first Test of the season. Booi will reach the historic milestone 15 years after her debut in 2010. Performance coach Swys de Bruin says Booi is a real example to all involved in the women’s game:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-84-cents and the euro at 19-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-740-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-329-dollars-63-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….