News 07:00

BULLETIN 16 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF rejects the appointment of Roelf Meyer as ambassador in the US
# The South African residential property market is at a turning point as global risks rise
# And, nine are killed in Turkey’s second school shooting in two days

# The EFF has rejected Roelf Meyer’s appointment as South Africa’s ambassador to the US, labelling it politically tone-deaf and a deliberate insult to the country’s democratic struggle. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Meyer as the new ambassador, following a vacancy of over a year, following the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool in March last year. Rasool was declared persona non grata by president Donald Trump’s administration, following comments he made regarding US white supremacist movements and land reform in South Africa. The EFF says Meyer’s appointment is deeply offensive.

# The Solidarity Law Network says judicial appointments should be based on merit, fairness and professional competence rather than racial criteria. The network criticised the Judicial Service Commission for an excessive focus on race during the interview of Judge Evette Dippenaar for the Competition Appeal Court. Solidarity’s Emil Glas warns that too much emphasis on transformation could harm confidence in the courts and risk weakening the integrity of the judicial selection process:

# The Reside Summit says South Africa’s residential property market is undergoing major change, driven by global uncertainty, rising costs and shifting buyer behaviour. Industry leaders state the sector is moving away from speculative investment towards more professional, institutionalised rental housing, including multifamily developments and student accommodation. The summit’s chairperson Debbie Tagg warns geopolitical tensions and high energy prices could delay interest rate relief and add further pressure on developers and buyers.

# ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has announced leadership changes in KwaZulu-Natal, with Mike Mabuyakhulu taking over as Convenor of the party’s provincial task team. This follows the lapse of the previous PTT’s term, which was appointed in February last year, with a mandate to build organisational structures in line with the ANC’s national conference resolutions. Mabuyakhulu replaces Jeff Radebe, while James Nxumalo has been appointed provincial coordinator. Mbalula says changes follow a review of the outgoing structure’s performance:

# Nine people were killed and 13 others injured after a student opened fire at Ayser Calik Secondary School in Turkey on Wednesday. The 14-year-old student, who was armed with five guns and seven magazines in his backpack, entered two classrooms and started shooting randomly. He shot himself after the incident. The guns are said to belong to the teenager’s father, who was detained by police. This follows Tuesday’s shooting, where a former student opened fire on his old school, injuring 16 people before killing himself.

# Golf: South Africa’s Casandra Alexander leads a star-studded field featuring no fewer than five previous champions in the Joburg Ladies Open, which tees off at the Randpark Golf Club today. Alexander, who was the last local champion of the tournament in 2021 and the runner-up last year, is joined by compatriots including Danielle du Toit, Gabrielle Venter, and Nadia van der Westhuizen. Germany’s Celina Sattelkau is aiming for a third victory on the Tour this season, with France’s Lois Lau also considered one of the favourites to win the title.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-34-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-681-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-826-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….