News 06:00

BULLETIN 10 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says violent criminals have no regard for the lives of South Africans
# Golf: Scotland’s Calum Hill wins the Joburg Open
# And playwright Athol Fugard passes away aged 92

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says violent criminals have no regard for the lives of South Africans, including selfless and caring citizens who become known publicly for their contributions to uplifting citizens. The president expressed his sadness at the brutal deaths of renowned medical doctor and author Gomolemo Mokae, whistleblower and gender activist Pamela Mabini, and Imam Muhsin Hendricks. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says all citizens are looking forward to law enforcement agencies playing their role in bringing violent criminals to book:

# The South African Oil and Gas Alliance has called for action on Eskom’s aging coal-fired power plants, which continue to cause load-shedding. Eskom implemented Stage 3 load-shedding over the weekend due to a loss in Kusile units. Eskom confirmed efforts in addressing challenges to improve grid performance and replenish reserves. The Alliance chairperson, Craig Morkel, warned that extending the life of these old plants will not prevent future outages, which could hinder the growth of the economy.

# KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has welcomed the National Disaster Management Centre’s declaration of a national state of disaster. This follows severe weather causing 3.1-billion-rand in damages leaving 22 people dead. KZN Cogta spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila says the declaration enables coordinated relief efforts and infrastructure rebuilding. He urged vigilance as more rainfall is expected in this week:

# Johannesburg has welcomed the establishment of the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group, following president Cyril Ramaphosa’s two-day oversight visit to Gauteng. The initiative, prompted by mayor Dada Morero, aims to tackle infrastructure, service delivery, and financial challenges. The group will focus on governance, energy, safety, urban renewal, water, infrastructure, and housing over two years. Ramaphosa emphasised that Johannesburg’s revival is key to South Africa’s future.

# Golf: Scotland’s Calum Hill shot an eight-under-par final round of 62 and emerged victorious after a three-way play-off to win the Joburg Open at the Houghton Golf Club. Hill and South Africa’s Jacques Kruyswijk and Shaun Norris recorded par on the first play-off hole. Norris dumped his second shot into the water, Hill tapped in for a par, while Kruyswijk made a bogey to gift the Scot the victory. Hill, who has now won two DP World Tour titles, says the play-off was intense:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 80-thousand-560-dollar-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-915-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Acclaimed South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director Athol Fugard passed away at 92. His works, which challenged apartheid and exposed injustice, included Master Harold, Blood Knot, Hello and Goodbye, and The Road to Mecca. Fugard’s novel Tsotsi was adapted into a film that won an Oscar in 2006 for best foreign language film. In 2011, he received the ultimate recognition from the world’s most prestigious theatre community, a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre.

Stay tuned for more news………….