News 06:00

BULLETIN 14 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gordhan is convinced that SAA can sustain itself for the next year
# The City of Ekurhuleni warns of a strain on water supply
# And, six charges in the election case against Trump and his co-accused are dismissed

# Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan says the government is convinced that South African Airways can sustain itself for the next year to 18 months. This follows as the proposed deal to sell 51-percent of government shares of the airline to Takatso Consortium is off. He said that in part, this is because SAA’s assets are now worth far more than they were during the Covid-19 pandemic when Takatso was selected as the preferred bidder. Gordhan says there are other ways immediate financing can be obtained for SAA:

Meanwhile, Takatso Consortium says protracted negotiations for a revised transaction structure with the government introduced unacceptable levels of risk and uncertainty. After almost three years of negotiations, the government’s talks with Takatso as a private equity partner for the airline have been called off in a mutual agreement. Takatso Consortium chairperson, Tshepo Mahloele, says through this transaction, they were determined to build a robust African airline that could compete globally, be financially sustainable, and commercially viable:

# Parliament’s proceedings were overshadowed by a dispute over whether EFF MP Busisiwe Mkhwebane should recuse herself from interviewing candidates for the next deputy Public Protector. The DA cited conflicts of interest due to her connections with two candidates. However, Mkhwebane insisted her views wouldn’t influence the committee’s decision. The interviewing process stalled as legal advice was sought on Mkhwebane’s participation, with concerns raised by members of parliament about her possible impartiality.

# The City of Ekurhuleni has called on its residents to use water sparingly after technicians identified a strain on the water supply system due to high demand. City spokesman Zweli Dlamini says technical interventions are underway, including pressure management and water supply curtailment. Dlamini says that communities, especially those in high-lying areas, may experience low water pressure or no water. The city assures continuous water supply and will provide water tankers to affected areas.

# The judge overseeing the election interference case against Donald Trump in Georgia has thrown out some of the charges against the former president and his co-defendants. Judge Scott McAfee found six counts in the 41-count indictment lacked detail. These include some of the accused allegedly soliciting officials in Georgia to violate their oath of office. The ruling affects three of the 13 charges against Trump, meaning he now faces 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, and Florida.

# Golf: Kylie Henry is the early frontrunner at the start of the second round of the Ladies Open at Royal Cape in Cape Town. She is one of only nine players who completed the first round under par after the infamous Cape winds played havoc with the field. The Scottish player ended on five under par 69 followed by South Africans Shawnelle de Lange and Lora Assad on three under and two under, respectively. Henry says she is happy with her overall game:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-58-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-78-cents and Bitcoin trades at 72-thousand-838-dollar-43-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-173-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….