News 12:00

BULLETIN 24 April 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# COPE says the VAT hike reversal exposes government’s policy incoherence and weak leadership
# An agricultural body warns against impractical race-based employment targets
# And tennis: Monfils and Raducanu advance to the second round of the Madrid Open

# The Congress of the People has applauded the withdrawal of the proposed VAT increase, saying this is a victory for South Africans. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has reversed the 0.5 percentage point VAT hike following consultations with various political parties and recommendations from parliamentary committees. COPE’s Pakes Dikgesti says the reversal lays bare serious flaws in the government’s decision-making process:

Meanwhile, the Student Forum acknowledges the efforts of the DA and the EFF in opposing the VAT hike. The forum’s leader, Nhongo Solo, says the country’s leaders must remain accountable to the public, particularly in matters that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups like the poor and students:

# Agricultural organisation TLU SA is concerned about government’s newly implemented employment equity regulations, which introduce race-based deployment targets. The rules, which came into effect this month, aim to improve workplace diversity by increasing the number of black people, women, and people with disabilities in various jobs. However, the organisation’s Bennie van Zyl says the targets don’t suit the realities of the farming sector and are based more on politics than on practical needs:

# A former policeman from Montagu in the Western Cape was sentenced to 25-years in jail for raping a teenager in the trauma room in 2016. The girl was 15-years-old when her mother took her to the police station following an altercation at home, requesting police to calm the child down. Frederick Soldaat, now 64, raped the girl, who told her mother about the incident the next day. The state told the court Soldaat changed an area where victims are supposed to be safe, into his own personal crime scene.

# Tennis: France’s Gael Monfils defeated Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo in three sets to earn his first Madrid Open victory since 2022. The 38-year-old, who is the oldest match winner in the tournament’s history, will face Andrey Rublev of Russia in the second round. In the women’s draw, British number two Emma Raducanu earned a hard-fought victory over the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens. Two-time Wimbledon champion, Czech Petra Kvitova, suffered her fourth straight defeat, losing to American Katie Volynets.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-61-cents and the euro at 21-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-135-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-332-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….