News 07:00

BULLETIN 12 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Zane Dangor says ambassador Bozell regrets his recent remarks
# Fikile Mbalula says South Africa won’t be dictated to by the US on its policy decisions
# And, the UK prime minister is warned of a risk to his reputation over Mandelson

# The Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Zane Dangor, says US ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell has expressed regret and apologised for his recent remarks. Speaking at a Biznews conference, he claimed that America was running out of patience with South Africa’s stance on key issues, including foreign policy alignment and land expropriation. Dangor says Bozell has stated that he wants to continue working with the government on building a mutually beneficial relationship between the two nations:

Meanwhile, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula says South Africa’s international relations policy will not be dictated to by anyone else but its citizens and government. Bozell is facing a backlash for his utterances on the country’s foreign policy and domestic laws. He said the US was running out of patience with the government’s failure to heed its demands that it change its domestic and foreign policy on five points. Mbalula says South Africa believes in a multipolar world that respects international law.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says state-owned enterprises have received over 520-billion-rand in government bailouts between 2008 and 2023, yet board pay remains weakly linked to performance. The organisation’s new report finds non-executive board remuneration at Eskom, Transnet, and South African Airways is inconsistently transparent, exposed to political influence, and rarely tied to results. OUTA’s Robyn Pasensie warns taxpayers continue to carry the cost while boards face few consequences for poor performance:

# Former deputy National Police commissioner for Support Services, Francinah Vuma, says National Police commissioner Fannie Masemola raided her office shortly after suspending her in July 2022. Testifying before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee probing allegations of criminal infiltration and corruption in the justice system, Vuma said Masemola seized documents from her office. She added that she remained on suspension for more than three years without a disciplinary hearing until retiring in February 2026.

# British prime minister Keir Starmer was warned of a reputational risk over hiring Peter Mandelson as US ambassador due to his links with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The first set of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment was released yesterday. The documents show that after Epstein was first convicted of procuring an underage girl in 2008, his relationship with Mandelson continued. Starmer’s chief secretary, Darren Jones, told the House of Commons that Mandelson’s severance payout request was unacceptable:

# Cricket: Cricket’s governing body on Wednesday rejected suggestions of unequal treatment after the West Indies and South Africa squads were stranded in India for more than a week following the T20 World Cup. The ICC said travel decisions have been driven by safety, feasibility and welfare. Airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights because of the war in the Middle East, throwing international travel into chaos. England departed 36 hours after their semifinal exit last week while the West Indies and South Africa remained in Kolkata more than a week after being knocked out of the tournament.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-55-cents and the euro at 19-rand-12-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-96-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-158-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-93-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….