News 07:00

BULLETIN 27 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA’s proactive solution to the fiscal crisis is blocked in Parliament
# Vladimir Putin still seeks a link between Ukraine and the deadly Moscow massacre
# And rugby: A huge battle in the scrums is expected when the Irish team Ulster meets the Stormers

# The DA claims the ANC is set to lose its majority in the upcoming elections on 29 May. The party states despite support from the National Treasury and stakeholders, the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters jointly opposed the desirability of its Responsible Spending Bill during Parliament’s standing committee on Finance session. The DA’s Dion George says if the bill is passed, it would normalise wage disparities and provide relief for lower-income workers, limiting unsustainable public debt and deficit spending:

# AfriForum says Eskom’s decision to appeal against last week’s court ruling on its coal and diesel contracts is another delay tactic. Last week Friday, the Northern Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ordered the power utility to disclose to the civil rights organisation all information about its existing coal and diesel contracts within ten days. AfriForum’s, Louis Boshoff, says it seems Eskom is throwing everything into the fight to avoid having to disclose information regarding the contracts, which could reveal corruption:

# Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda says a robust water security strategy is essential. He launched the City’s Water Security Strategy yesterday, which is envisioned to guide the transition into a water-secure sensitive metro. In recent weeks Johannesburg residents have faced challenges of water shortages. Gwamanda says this has been a reminder that water security is not merely a luxury but an imperative that demands urgent attention and concerted action. He adds that systemic issues that contribute to water insecurity must be addressed.

# Russian president Vladimir Putin has acknowledged radical Islamists were responsible for Friday’s deadly attack on concert-goers in Moscow, but still maintains they had some link to Ukraine and the West. A total of 139 people were killed and scores more injured when four attackers went on the rampage with automatic weapons and incendiary devices. Islamic State later took responsibility and released footage of the attack. The United States announced it had shared intelligence with Moscow beforehand, warning of an imminent terror attack by I-S, which Putin disregarded.   

# Rugby: A huge battle is expected in the scrums when Irish team Ulster visits Cape Town to take on the Stormers in a United Rugby Championship match on Saturday. It will be the first time that Springbok loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff will play against his former team, and he will face his national teammate, Frans Malherbe. Kitshoff led the Stormers to the URC title in 2023 before moving overseas. Stormers assistant coach Labeeb Levy says they will welcome their former captain back home – until the game starts.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-99-cents and the euro at 20-rand-56-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-403-dollar-98-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-176-dollar-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollar-84-cents -cents a barrel.

# And finally: Today is World Theatre Day, observed to raise awareness about the important role theatres play in entertainment. This day was initiated in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute, as a day to pay respect to and celebrate the beauty, creativity, hard work, and artistry that goes into all of the aspects of theatre production. The institute says theatre continues to be used as a way to not only tell stories and see things, but to make an impact on culture and society at large.

Stay tuned for more news………….