News 12:00

BULLETIN 25 April 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Enoch Godongwana gazettes a bill to reverse the contentious VAT hike
# Table Mountain National Park’s safety is strengthened
# And soccer: SuperSport acquires the broadcast rights for the Club World Cup

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has officially gazetted the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill. The amended legislation, which reverses the 0.5-percent VAT hike introduced in the budget in March, will still face Parliamentary review. The scrapping of the hike leaves a 75-billion-rand expenditure hole in the fiscus. Godongwana told the SABC in making the decision, he followed Parliament’s request to engage political parties:

Meanwhile, many South African businesses are reportedly scrambling to reverse costly VAT system changes. The reversal followed political backlash and coalition disputes, leaving firms that had invested heavily in compliance upgrades facing wasted expenses. News24 reports that small businesses, in particular, are hardest hit by the administrative burden of reverting pricing structures and accounting systems, while larger corporations with sophisticated tools can adapt more easily. ​

# ​SANParks has enhanced safety at Table Mountain National Park by deploying a helicopter from Kruger National Park. This aerial support is part of SANParks’ safety and security strategy, which includes the sea, air, and mountain teams. SANParks’ JP Louw says the helicopter serves as a visible deterrent and ensures a rapid response to potential threats. He adds that aerial operations have proven successful during high visitor periods, such as Easter, Christmas, and New Year:

# Soccer: SuperSport announced it acquired the broadcast rights for the Club World Cup for Sub-Saharan Africa. The broadcaster will air all 63 matches live. The tournament will take place in the United States from the 14th of June to the 13th of July, and will feature the world’s 32 best clubs. South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns will be among four teams from Africa competing. They were drawn in Group F alongside Fluminense FC from Brazil, Borussia Dortmund from Germany, and Ulsan HD from South Korea.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-79-cents and the euro at 21-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-697-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-294-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-55-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe has been named as Leeds United’s first global ambassador. The 56-year-old captained the English soccer side from 1994 to 2005, making 262 appearances. The global ambassador role recognises both Radebe’s iconic contribution to the club and his community leadership. Leeds will be a part of the English Premier League from the 2025/26 season after winning automatic promotion from the Championship. Radebe says to be recognised for contributing towards the betterment of the community, is a real achievement.

Stay tuned for more news………….