News 09:00

BULLETIN 4 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The deputy Finance minister says infrastructure remains a catalyst for economic growth
# Cosatu says government action is needed to reduce electricity prices
# And tennis: It will be Sinner vs Auger-Aliassime and Osaka against Anisimova in the US Open semifinals

# Deputy Finance minister David Masondo says infrastructure remains a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Government will spend more than 940-billion-rand on infrastructure over the next three years, which includes 375-billion-rand in spending by state-owned entities. This funding will revitalise roads and bridges, build dams and waterways, modernise ports and airports, and power the economy. Masondo says the persisting infrastructure gap, coupled with the limited fiscal space, must be addressed:

# The Congress of South African Trade Unions is urging immediate action by the government to reduce the increasingly unaffordable price of electricity to stop a jobs bloodbath. The union federation says that since load-shedding started in 2006, electricity prices have increased by more than 450-percent. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says what the economy cannot afford is to allow the massive financial leakages undermining Eskom’s ability to provide affordable electricity to continue:

# The DA has welcomed Stellenbosch Municipality mayor, Jeremy Fasser’s decision to call a special Council meeting to handle the matter of human resources manager, Alexander Kannemeyer. This follows a leaked video from 2023 of Kannemeyer suggesting that white employees should be made uncomfortable until they resign. An investigation against Kannemeyer has been launched. The DA’s Willie Aucamp says race-based bullying, or bullying of any kind, has no place in any workplace:

# The United Arab Emirates has warned Israel that annexing the occupied West Bank would cross a red line and end the pursuit of regional integration. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a cabinet meeting today to discuss annexation. This is in response to the plans of several major Western countries to recognise a Palestinian state. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry says annexation in the West Bank would alter the consensus on what the trajectory of this conflict should be: two states living side by side in peace.

# Tennis: Defending champion Jannik Sinner will face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the US Open semifinals. The Italian defeated compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Auger-Aliassime battled past Australian Alex de Minaur in over four hours to reach the last four at a major for the first time since 2021. In the women’s draw, two-time champion Naomi Osaka of Japan defeated Czech Karolina Muchova, 6-4, 7-6. She will face Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals, after the American knocked out in-form Iga Swiatek of Poland, 6-4, 6-3.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-70-cents and the euro at 20-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-196-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-531-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-1-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….