News 07:00

BULLETIN 21 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# BLSA says tourism offers an opportunity amid global uncertainty
# The DA says over 150-thousand vaccine doses are unaccounted for in Gauteng
# And motorsport: F1 makes several changes to the regulations

# Business Leadership South Africa says the tourism sector is a strength in the country’s efforts to grow the economy and create jobs. The sector recorded 10.5-million visitors last year, contributing nine-percent of gross domestic product and nearly one-million jobs. BLSA CEO Busiswe Mavuso says that with the Middle East conflict, South Africa is well-positioned to capture demand from destinations such as Dubai and Qatar. This is owing to a shared time zone, comparable infrastructure, and political stability. Mavuso says constraints, including airport capacity bottlenecks, are not insurmountable but require sustained focus.

# The ANC says Social Development minister Sisisi Tolashe could be removed from her position if she is found to have breached the Cabinet’s code of ethics over undeclared car gifts. Tolashe is accused of failing to declare two vehicles allegedly donated by Chinese officials for the party’s women’s league and reportedly registered in her children’s names. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told the media the party is still awaiting a full report on the matter:

# The DA says the slow rollout of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines in Gauteng is putting livestock at risk and creating uncertainty for farmers. According to the party, only 133-thousand of the more than 284-thousand allocated doses had been administered, while over 150-thousand remain unaccounted for, and more than 240 active cases have been recorded. The DA’s Bronwynn Engelbrecht warns that unvaccinated animals face infection and possible euthanasia:

# UK prime minister Keir Starmer says he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US, had he known he had failed vetting checks. The 72-year-old is alleged to have passed on market-sensitive government information to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, while he was the Business Secretary from 2008 to 2010. Starmer told the House of Commons his judgment in deciding to appoint Mandelson was wrong:

# Motorsport: Formula One governing body, the FIA, says several tweaks to the regulations have been agreed to ahead of the Miami Grand Prix next month. This is to appease driver concerns over their safety and certain elements of competition. Some of the changes include energy harvesting and deployment limits for qualifying, power deployment limits in corners to improve safety, and changes to the start procedure. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says the changes are to ensure that both safety and competitive fairness are maintained.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-63-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-813-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

# And finally: President Cyril Ramaphosa says legendary actress, model and fashion icon, Cynthia Shange’s life has been a personal triumph and a source of national inspiration and admiration. She passed away at the age of 76 in the early hours of yesterday morning at a KwaZulu-Natal hospital. Shange was the first black woman to represent South Africa at the Miss World pageant, and she was also the lead star in the country’s first black feature film Udeliwe in 1975. Ramaphosa says Shange will be sorely missed.

Stay tuned for more news………….