News 09:00

BULLETIN 30 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The AA says collaborative action turned the tide on road fatalities during Easter
# The CEO of Eskom says the municipal debt relief plan has failed
# And Donald Trump says he is using his presidency to deliver profound change

# The Automobile Association has welcomed the significant reduction in vehicle collisions and fatalities recorded over the Easter period. Crashes were reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 in 2025, which is a 32.5-percent overall decrease. Fatalities were reduced from 307 in 2024 to 167 in 2025, which is a 45.6-percent decrease. All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities except Mpumalanga. The association’s spokesperson, Eleanor Mavimbela, says these positive outcomes underscore the effectiveness of early planning and consistent law enforcement:

# Eskom CEO Dan Marokane says they have now accepted that Treasury’s municipal debt relief plan, which offered a debt write-off to municipalities over three years, provided they comply with strict conditions, has failed. Of the municipalities that were approved for participation in the programme, 14 achieved the first debt write-off, which totalled 3.5-billion-rand, while 60 were served with letters of non-compliance. Municipal debt arrears to Eskom have risen to almost 100-billion-rand. Marokane says the Treasury must compel municipalities in arrears to let Eskom take over their electricity services.

# The DA in the Western Cape is reiterating its call for a wide-ranging investigation into the broader pattern of suspected wildfire arson in the province. Between November 2024 and February 2025, there were eleven-thousand-149 wildfires reported across the province. Of these, 68 are currently still being investigated as suspected arson. Over the last few days, firefighters have been battling a blaze in Tokai. The DA’s, Dave Bryant, says communities deserve clarity, accountability, and action to prevent future devastation:

# US president Donald Trump says what the world has witnessed in the past 14 weeks is a revolution of common sense. He celebrated his 100th day in office with a campaign-style rally in Michigan on Wednesday. According to Gallup, Trump is the only post-World War Two president to have less than half the public’s support after 100 days in office, with an approval rating of 44-percent. Trump says he is just getting started as he is using his presidency to deliver profound change:

# Soccer: Paris Saint-Germain secured a 1-0 victory against Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at the Emirates in London. Ousmane Dembele’s first-half goal proved to be the difference between the two sides. PSG have won five of their last seven away knockout stage games in the competition. Arsenal travel to France for the return leg against PSG next Wednesday at the Parc des Princes. Today, five-time champions Barcelona take on Inter Milan in their semifinal first leg.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-53-cents and the euro at 21-rand-8-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-83-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-304-dollars a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….