News 18:00

BULLETIN 17 December 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Standard Bank says soft price pressures in November give hope for South Africa’s economy
# The Council for the Built Environment recommends measures to prevent building collapses
# And, domestic travel remains strong as Cape Town launches a global tourism campaign

# Standard Bank says South Africa’s inflation outcome for November is encouraging for the South African Reserve Bank. Headline inflation eased to 3.5-percent from 3.6-percent in October, below forecasts, with food prices remaining steady. The bank’s Elna Moolman says the softer price pressures and a drop in inflation expectations point to a more stable economic outlook ahead of the Monetary Policy Committee’s next meeting:

# The Council for the Built Environment has recommended three precautionary steps following the Redcliffe temple collapse in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal. Measures include identifying illegal construction nationwide, requiring ready-mix concrete suppliers to alert municipalities of large deliveries, and launching public campaigns on building approvals and compliance. Public Works minister Dean Macpherson says president Cyril Ramaphosa fully supports these actions, stressing the importance of coordinated oversight, and systemic reforms to prevent structural failures:

# Cape Town Tourism’s domestic travel agent, Briony Brookes, reports that an estimated 54-percent of South Africans plan getaways this month. The Western Cape attracts 48-percent of travellers, with 80-percent choosing Cape Town for sunshine, sights, and summer experiences. Brookes says budget-friendly options like self-catering, staying with family, and road trips are popular. She says the city has also launched the global This Is Cape Town campaign to attract international visitors:

# The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, partially reopened today, despite staff unanimously voting to extend a strike that started on Monday over pay and working conditions. The partial reopening means visitors will be able to see the masterpieces. This followed a spectacular jewel heist in October, as well as recent infrastructure problems, including a water leak that damaged ancient books. The incidents exposed glaring security gaps and revealed the 18th-century complex’s deteriorating state. Nearly nine-million people visited the museum in 2023 – roughly 30-thousand per day.

# Soccer: Legendary Marks Maponyane believes the Bafana Bafana squad is well prepared for the Africa Cup of Nations as the team departs for Morocco today. He told SABC News coach Hugo Broos has selected quality players. South Africa faces Angola, Egypt and Zimbabwe in Group B. Maponyane urges South Africans to back the chosen squad as Bafana plays its first match against Angola on Monday:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-70-cents and the euro at 19-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-621-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-344-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 59-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….