News 09:00

BULLETIN 14 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ronald Lamola says South African-German cooperation is being strengthened
# South African canegrowers welcome phase two of the sugar industry masterplan
# And, Donald Trump deletes the picture depicting him as Jesus

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, and German Foreign Affairs minister, Johann Wadephul, have underscored that stable partnerships between middle powers and democratic nations are essential in the current volatile international environment, in particular. The ministers participated in the 12th Meeting of the German-South African Bi-National Commission in Berlin, where topics including bilateral cooperation, multilateralism and peace and security were discussed. Lamola says the South African-German cooperation is founded on a shared commitment to the principles of a rules-based international order based:

# SA Canegrowers says the sugar industry needs stronger protection from unfair import competition, calling on retailers and manufacturers to prioritise locally produced sugar. The organisation welcomes the signing of the second phase of the sugar industry masterplan, which brings together government and industry stakeholders to support the sector. SA Canegrowers chairperson Higgins Mdluli says the industry must diversify into areas such as biofuels and sustainable aviation fuels to ensure long-term sustainability and protect more than one-million livelihoods.

# The Gauteng government says the recent statement by DA leader Solly Msimanga, calling on premier Panyaza Lesufi to release the signed performance agreements of all MECs, is factually incorrect and misleading. Provincial spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, says signed performance agreements for all Gauteng MECs were made public on 16 October 2025. He says this is another misguided attempt by the DA to create controversy where none exists:

# US president Donald Trump has deleted a post that depicted him as Jesus following criticism from some of his most high-profile and loyal Christian supporters. He posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday, depicting him as a Jesus-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands, as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background. Trump says he thought the picture was showing him as a doctor:

# Swimming: Russian and Belarusian athletes will now be permitted to compete in World Aquatics events without restrictions under their own flag and anthem. Competitors from both countries were banned from international sports events following Russia’s invasion ‌of Ukraine in February 2022. Athletes from the two countries will only be permitted to compete once they have passed four successive anti-doping controls and completed background checks. World Aquatics says that over the past three years, work has been done to ensure that conflict can be kept outside the sporting ​competition venues.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-16-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-502-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-771-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….