News 09:00
BULLETIN 14 March 9 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Three out of four women feel unsafe in South Africa
# The African Transformation Movement slams Eskom’s proposed 15.9% tariff hike
# And, more than 200 children were rescued from a farm in Zimbabwe where they were used as cheap labour
# New research by 1st For Women Insurance has revealed 76-percent of South African women feel unsafe, with many considering emigration due to safety concerns. The survey also identified the United Kingdom as the most sought-after destination for emigration among SA women, followed by Canada and Australia. Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the North West were ranked as the safest provinces based on crime data and safety perceptions. The Western Cape is ranked the least safe, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
# The African Transformation Movement strongly condemns Eskom’s plan to increase electricity tariffs by an average of 15.9-percent per year for the next three years. The party asserts this move directly threatens the economic stability and welfare of citizens. Despite recognising Eskom’s need for financial viability, ATM’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshona, argues this hike will be imposed on struggling households and businesses. Ntshona rejects the proposed increase, urging Eskom to engage with stakeholders for a more equitable and sustainable funding solution:
# The eThekwini Municipality has instituted disciplinary action, including dismissals, for almost two-thousand staff members affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers Union, who participated in the illegal strike. The workers were striking over salary increases. Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says to date, 81 employees are on precautionary suspension for misconduct committed during the illegal strike, while one-thousand-781 employees have been given notices of misconduct:
# More than 250 children have been rescued from a farm north-west of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, where 16 unregistered graves were also found. Authorities say all the children of school-going age did not attend formal education and were subjected to abuse as cheap labour. Among the graves discovered were those of seven infants whose burials were not registered with authorities. One person, who called himself the Prophet Ishmael, was arrested together with seven of his aides for criminal activities which included the abuse of minors.
# Tennis: Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev is through to the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. The Russian defeated Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4, 6-4. Norway’s Casper Ruud ended Frenchman Gael Monfils’ run with a marathon, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, victory in two-hours-27-minutes. In the women’s draw, American Emma Navarro secured the biggest win of her career, defeating world number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals. Navarro says beating the reigning Australian Open champion feels surreal:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-60-cents and the euro at 20-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-79-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-547-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-171-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-15-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….