News 07:00

BULLETIN 9 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa is strengthening bilateral relations with Brazil
# Donald Trump speaks with Keir Starmer about the situation in the Middle East
# And, a heatwave alert is issued for parts of the Western Cape

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is on a two-day state visit to Brazil, where he will engage with president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached 32.5-billion-rand in 2025, with South African exports amounting to 5.2-billion-rand and imports from Brazil totalling approximately 27.3-billion-rand. The Presidency says during the visit, Ramaphosa will address a South Africa–Brazil Business Forum. He will also engage with pioneering Brazilian business leaders to accelerate investments and opportunities that South Africa offers. 

# The minister of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, is leading South Africa’s delegation to the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from today. Chikunga says CSW70 arrives at a pivotal moment in the global fight for gender equality, as nations reflect on progress made in promoting the rights of women and girls while confronting persistent structural barriers that hinder their access to justice:

# National Student Financial Aid Scheme board chairperson, Mugwena Maluleke says delays in documentation submission may impact the outcome and disbursement of funding. He says the scheme has handled a total of 101-thousand-201 appeals, including 22-thousand-654 approved, nine-thousand-73 awaiting documents, 18-thousand-108 rejected and 44-thousand-411 closed, deleted and withdrawn. Maluleke says the appeals process is designed to be fair, accessible, and responsive:

# US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Keir Starmer held a telephone call on Sunday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and military cooperation between the two countries. The call came a day after Trump criticised the UK for the lack of immediate support for the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Four US bombers landed at a Royal Air Force base in Britain yesterday to carry out specific defensive operations to stop Iran from firing missiles into the Middle East.

# Cricket: India thrashed New Zealand by 96 runs in Ahmedabad to become the first men’s team to win back-to-back T20 World Cup titles. Sanju Samson top-scored with 89 from 46 deliveries while Ishan Kishan scored 54, as tournament co-hosts India posted 255 for five. In reply, Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets as the Black Caps were bowled out for 159. India is also the first team to triumph at a home championship and the first to win three T20 World Cup titles.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-85-cents and the euro at 19-rand-40-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-39-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-562-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-77-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for parts of the Western Cape this week, especially the Cape Town metro. Temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees Celsius. According to SAWS, the heatwave conditions are anticipated due to the presence of a strong, slow-moving high-pressure system in the upper levels of the atmosphere. The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Sonica Lategan, says residents should be mindful of the potential impacts of prolonged heat:

Stay tuned for more news………….