News 15:00

BULLETIN 12 June 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Multiple fatalities are reported after an Air India flight to London crashed after take-off
# The death toll in the Eastern Cape floods rises to 57
# And rugby: Ticket sales open for the Boks’ home Tests tomorrow

# An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick Airport has crashed just minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad in western India today. The plane carried 242 people, including 11 children. The airline says passengers include 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. It crashed into a doctors’ hostel near the airport, with many people confirmed dead. The pilots issued a May Day call, but lost contact shortly after. UK prime minister Keir Starmer calls the scenes devastating.

Back home: 

# The death toll following the Eastern Cape flooding has risen to 57. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa, says the authorities are expecting the casualty numbers to rise further. He described the situation in areas like Mthatha as devastating, and urged South Africans to stop building on flat plains, as climate change will intensify disasters. Hlabisa calls for stricter measures to relocate at-risk communities:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says Africa must take charge of shaping its own green hydrogen agenda to ensure the continent benefits from the global energy transition. Speaking at the inaugural Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town, he urged African countries to lead in setting standards, building certification systems, and creating hydrogen corridors to boost investment and trade. Ramaphosa warned that while opportunities are abundant, high capital costs and skewed investment patterns are major barriers: 

# Rugby: Fans can buy tickets for the Springboks’ home Rugby Championship Tests from 9 am tomorrow. The defending champion and Australia will do battle at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on the 16th of August, and in Cape Town a week later. On the 27th of September, South Africa will play Argentina in Durban. Ticket prices for the Tests against the Wallabies start at 525-rand each, and for the Pumas’ clash 250-rand. SA Rugby says tickets are only available from Ticketmaster, and warns against buying tickets from unreliable sources.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-81-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-136-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-384-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Free-Market Foundation and Solidarity Research Institute claim Black Economic Empowerment compliance has cost South Africa over five-trillion-rand in lost economic growth. In a new report, they argue BEE compliance is costing up to 290-billion-rand a year and has led to the loss of nearly four-million jobs. The study claims the system mainly benefits a small elite while hindering overall growth and employment. The foundation is calling for a shift from race-based policies to broader economic freedom and opportunity.

Stay tuned for more news………….