News 07:00

BULLETIN 26 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says South Africa must become more self-reliant
# Cosatu calls for the scrapping of the proposed VAT hike in the budget
# And Ukraine and Russia agree to a ceasefire in the Black Sea

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the decision by US president Donald Trump’s administration to terminate USAID foreign funding is a wake-up call for South Africa to be self-reliant. The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, among those hit by the funding cuts, supported numerous programmes focusing on prevention, counselling, and monitoring, and amounted to 17-percent of South Africa’s overall HIV response. Ramaphosa says the country must rely on its own resources even within the fiscal constraints and challenges:

# UNAIDS has warned that cuts in US foreign aid could cause a drastic rise in AIDS-related deaths and infections, reversing 25 years of progress. UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima urged immediate restoration of aid, warning of 6.3-million additional deaths and 8.7-million new infections in four years. She warns that the cuts threaten low-income countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, potentially bringing back crisis levels seen in the ‘90s and 2000s.

# The Congress of South African Trade Unions has called on Parliament to exercise its legislative authority and amend the 2025/2026 budget to scrap the value-added tax hike. In his budget speech earlier this month, Finance minister Enoch Godongwana proposed a 0.5 percentage point VAT hike in 2025/2026 and again in 2026/2027. Cosatu’s, Matthew Parks on Tuesday presented the union federation’s submission to Parliament, emphasising that they cannot support tax hikes upon the working class:

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya, are today expected to attend the memorial service of six community patrollers who died in the Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve. The patrollers were attacked by unidentified men in the early hours of Saturday morning. Lesufi and Moya will also host a community imbizo after the memorial service, as the government’s commitment to improving safety and addressing service delivery issues. The event underscores the provincial focus on combating crime and enhancing community safety.

# The White House says Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a ceasefire in the Black Sea, ensuring the safe passage for commercial shipping. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the deal is a step in the right direction, but any movement of Russian naval vessels would be a violation of the agreement. Meanwhile, Russia says certain sanctions on banks, insurers, and food exporters must be lifted before the ceasefire comes into force. The White House says the US will continue facilitating negotiations between both countries to achieve lasting peace.

# Horseracing: Racehorses in Britain will in future be tested for gene doping as part of an anti-doping programme. The British Horseracing Authority made the announcement after investing almost 50-million-rand in extensive research into detection methods. It says there is no evidence of the use of gene doping in racing, but it wants to protect the sport against future corruption risks. BBC Sports reports gene doping includes the use of genetic or cellular manipulation of DNA in an attempt to enhance athletic performance or aid recovery following exercise.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-71-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-743-dollar-70-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-18-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….