News 06:00

BULLETIN 17 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says the Middle East conflict has placed a spotlight on South African ports
# Eskom implements the Nersa-approved 8.76-percent tariff increase from next month
# And athletics: Luvo Manyonga aims to compete in the 2028 Olympics after serving two doping bans

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the current conflict in the Middle East has placed a spotlight on South Africa’s ports and their strategic value. The conflict has drastically disrupted trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane not just for oil and gas but also for fertiliser. African countries rank among the most reliant on fertiliser imports by sea from the Middle East. Ramaphosa says when major shipping routes are disrupted, South Africa has an opportunity to position itself as an alternative hub:

# Eskom says it will implement the tariff increases approved by the energy regulator, Nersa, for the 2026/2027 financial year. Direct customers will face an average increase of 8.76-percent from the first of next month, while municipal bulk tariffs will rise by nine-percent from 1 July. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says the adjustment supports a stable electricity supply, infrastructure investment, and improved financial management. Mokwena added subsidised tariffs for low-income and rural households will remain in place.

# SAPS Gauteng organised crime unit officer Fannie Nkosi told the Madlanga commission that suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya did not object to receiving 20 impalas from alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala in March 2024. Three months later, Matlala was awarded a 360‑million-rand police tender. Sibiya has since denied influencing the contract. Nkosi testified that he provided a delivery location for the gifts:

# ActionSA says recent claims about water tanker spending in Tshwane are misleading. The party argues most of the 777-million-rand contracts relate to unpaid invoices from the previous DA-led administration. The city has already saved 12-million-rand a month by procuring its own tankers while increasing access to tap water. ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont welcomes the Special Investigating Unit investigation into the water tanker mafia. Beaumont urges the coalition government to continue fixing Tshwane without distraction:

# Kenya’s foreign minister says Russia has agreed to stop deploying Kenyan nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine. Musalia Mudavadi announced talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. A Kenyan intelligence report earlier warned more than one-thousand citizens had been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence assessment estimates more than one-thousand-700 people from 36 countries in Africa have been recruited to fight for Russia. South Africa recently repatriated 17 citizens who said they were trapped in Ukraine after being deceived into fighting for Russia.

# Athletics: South African long jumper Luvo Manyonga says he remains determined to put himself in the frame for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The 35-year-old, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, will return to the international stage after a seven-year hiatus. He has been selected in the South African delegation to compete in the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland this weekend. Manyonga, who has served two doping bans, says he is ready to compete internationally again.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-65-cents and the euro at 19-rand-15-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-783-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 97-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….