News 07:00

BULLETIN 8 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Nxesi vows a thorough probe into the George building collapse
# The families of the Gaza hostages want Israel to strike a deal
# And FlySafair celebrates 10 years with a R10 flight sale

# Labour and Employment minister Thulas Nxesi says his department will thoroughly investigate the George building collapse in the Western Cape. The five-storey construction site collapse has claimed the lives of seven workers so far, while 41 are still missing. This is shaping to be one of the worst engineering disasters in South African history. Nxesi told Newzroom Afrika that once the rescue operation is completed, the department will begin its investigation:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says although there is a broadly positive attitude towards South Africa among investors, more work needs to be done to ensure that foreign direct investment is heightened. In his weekly newsletter, he has highlighted the growth of South Africa’s automotive sector. Last year, foreign direct investment inflows into the country amounted to 96.5-billion-rand. Ramaphosa says government will continue to build on the gains made towards creating an enabling business and investment climate, that promotes economic growth and creates jobs.

# The City of Tshwane says its goal is to generate about one-thousand megawatts of energy from a mix of independent sources by 2026. The metro is preparing to host the Tshwane Energy Summit next month. Mayor Cilliers Brink says a reliable supply of energy is an essential precondition for sustained economic growth and development:

# Families of hostages held in Gaza have urged the United States and other governments with citizens among the captives to pressure Israel to strike a deal with Hamas for their return. Following indications of progress in talks towards a truce in the seven-month war, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it had appealed to a number of countries to push for an agreement. During the October 7 attack, Palestinian militants seized around 250 hostages. Israel estimates 128 hostages remain in Gaza, including 35 the military says are dead.

# Cycling: Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard hopes to be fit in time for the Tour de France. The Dane sustained serious injuries in a crash during last month’s Tour of the Basque Country in Spain. He says he was finally able to ride outside again. The gruelling race will start in Florence, Italy, on the 29th of June and ends in Nice on the French Riviera on 21 July – the first time it won’t finish in the French capital of Paris, due to the Olympic Games.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-54-cents and the euro at 19-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-16-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-789-dollars-33-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-308-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

# And finally: FlySafair is today marking its tenth anniversary with a special sale, offering 50-thousand seats on selected domestic flights for just ten-rand, including airport taxes. The sale, available exclusively on their website, is expected to draw heavy traffic, with over a million visitors anticipated. The airline has implemented an online waiting room to manage the influx. Customers will have a ten-minute window to book their flights once they gain access to the site. The FlySafair app will still be available for regular bookings.

Stay tuned for more news………….