News 06:00

BULLETIN 11 September 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The deputy Finance minister says the government is continuing to pursue economic and fiscal reforms
# Minister de Lille says the tourism sector is ripe for investment
# And rugby: Duane Vermeulen has faith in the young backline announced for the Wellington Test

# Deputy minister of Finance, David Masondo, says that to place South Africa’s economy on a sustainable footing, government continues to pursue economic and fiscal reforms, such as debt sustainability. In 2025/2026, government debt is projected to stabilise at 77.4-percent of gross domestic product. Masondo says that as debt-service costs decline, some of the savings may be used to build fiscal buffers and to invest in productive infrastructure. He adds that infrastructure improvements have the potential to reduce the cost of doing business and are thus positive for economic growth.

# Tourism minister Patricia de Lille says South Africa is ready for infrastructure projects. Speaking at the launch of the Tourism Investment Summit in Cape Town, she noted that local startups attracted over 682-million-rand in venture capital between 2019 and 2024, over half of Africa’s total in tourism solutions. De Lille pledged commitment to the progress of eight announced projects:

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola has called for a united front against gang violence in Western Cape hotspots. The province has been plagued by a series of shootings, including incidents at court premises. Speaking in Kraaifontein, Masemola warned that police will not tolerate criminal activity and will continue to uphold the authority of the state. He urged communities to keep working with police to root out crime and restore safety:

# The high-profile case of deputy president Paul Mashatile’s eight VIP protection officers today returns to the Randburg Regional Court in Gauteng. The officers dubbed the Blue Light Mafia face assault and damage to property charges after a 2023 video showed them attacking motorists on the N1 highway. The defence will argue a Section 174 application to have charges dropped due to insufficient evidence. Action Society’s Juanita du Preez condemned the move as a delaying tactic:

# Ursula von der Leyen says she will seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over its war in Gaza. The European Union Commission president said in the European Parliament, what is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. She plans to freeze support to Israel given by the EU’s executive branch, which doesn’t need the approval of member countries. The 27-nation bloc is divided over the Gaza conflict and it is unclear if a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures.

# Rugby: Springbok assistant coach Duane Vermeulen believes in the young backline announced for Saturday’s second Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks in Wellington. He says he’s looking forward to seeing what the exciting young players could do after last weekend’s loss in Auckland. Vermeulen believes the match is the perfect opportunity for the coaches to watch the inexperienced players under pressure as they build towards the World Cup in 2027. He believes the pack will give the backs plenty of good ball to launch attacks.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 20-rand-46-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 113-thousand-937-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-641-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….