News 16:00

BULLETIN 27 February 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AgriSA calls for urgent biosecurity funding to protect agricultural growth
# A Table Mountain cableway disruption leaves 200 tourists stranded overnight
# And soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo acquires a 25-percent stake in the Spanish second-tier side Almeria

# AgriSA warns insufficient strategic investent in biosecurity in Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s national budget threatens the future growth and competitiveness of the agricultural sector. The organisation says recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have exposed major weaknesses in animal health systems, putting exports, rural jobs and food security at risk. AgriSA’s CEO, Johann Kotzé, says stronger funding and better veterinary systems are needed to prevent outbreaks and protect agriculture’s future. 

# Operations at the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway in Cape Town have resumed after a cable car malfunction left nearly 200 visitors stranded overnight in cold and windy conditions. Technicians worked through the night to fix the fault, while staff provided blankets and warm drinks to keep visitors comfortable. By morning, the system was fully operational again, and all stranded passengers were safely transported down without injuries.

# Still in the Mother City: The GOOD Party says the City of Cape Town’s sale of the Good Hope Centre does not represent value for money. The iconic centre was sold at a public auction for 135-million-rand. GOOD’s Suzette Little says this translates to an effective 129.3-million-rand once the 4.7-million-rand in recent upgrades, funded by the public, is taken into account. She says value for money cannot be reduced to a line item on a spreadsheet, but must consider long-term public benefit, opportunity cost, and social impact:

# Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired a 25-percent stake in Spanish second-tier side Almeria. The Portuguese forward, who spent nine years at Spanish giants Real Madrid and is the club’s all-time top goalscorer, invested in Almeria through his company, CR7 Sports. Almeria was relegated from LaLiga two years ago and taken over by Saudi-based SMC Group last year. It did not disclose the financial terms. Ronaldo says the club has a strong foundation and clear growth potential and he wants to support its new phase of growth.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-90-cents and the euro at 18-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-949-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-188-dollars-78-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

# And finally: One of South Africa’s best-know publications, City Press, is officially closing its doors, with Media24 launching a consultation process for existing staff. Media24’s CEO, Minette Ferreira, says consultations staff has started this morning, with the intention of closing the newsroom. The publication, dating back to 1982, was founded by Jim Bailey and the South African Associated Newspapers to serve black readers. It was a key anti-apartheid voice and was acquired by Naspers in 1984.

Stay tuned for more news………….