News 08:00

BULLETIN 12 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Lamola urges South African citizens in the Middle East to contact their embassies
# AfriForum urges the private sector to step in and save municipal water services
# And tennis: Alcaraz and Swiatek are through to the Indian Wells quarterfinals

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, says South Africa reiterates its condemnation of the violation of the United Nations Charter by the US and Israel and the subsequent action of the Iranian government. More than one-thousand-300 civilians have been killed in Iran, and nearly ten-thousand civilian sites have been hit since the conflict began on February 28. Lamola has urged all South African citizens in the Middle East to contact their embassies to ensure their whereabouts are known:

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Ministry of Oil says the targeting of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf represents a worrying indicator of escalating tensions. This comes after two foreign oil tankers owned by companies in the US and Greece were attacked by Iranian drones in Iraq’s territorial waters. At least one person died, and 38 others were rescued. Iraq’s Ministry of Oil says security and safety of navigation in international maritime routes and energy supply lines must remain free from regional conflicts and rivalries.

# AfriForum has called on Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, to allow private sector involvement to rescue failing municipal water services. The organisation says the crisis, caused by decaying infrastructure and poor maintenance, cannot be solved by government budgets or committees alone. AfriForum’s Lambert de Klerk urges clear standards, accountability, and transparency in repairs and management to ensure residents have reliable access to water:

# The South African National Defence Force was deployed in crime-ridden areas in Johannesburg on Wednesday, where they patrolled and raided homes in Westbury, Eldorado Park and Riverlea. This is part of a national intervention announced by president Cyril Ramaphosa to support the police in combating organised crime and illegal mining syndicates in several provinces. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says the SANDF members underwent mission readiness training:

# Tennis: World number one Carlos Alcaraz is through to the Indian Wells quarterfinals for a fifth straight year. The Spaniard defeated Norwegian 13th seed Casper Ruud, 6-1, 7-6, to set up a clash with Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who beat Australian qualifier Rinki Hijikata, 6-4, 6-2. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev recorded a 6-2, 6-4 win over American Alex Michelsen to reach the quarterfinals. In the women’s draw, Poland’s Iga Swiatek defeated Czech Karolina Muchova, 6-2, 6-0, to set up a quarterfinal clash with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-61-cents and the euro at 19-rand-16-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-20-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-389-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-150-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 97-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….