News 07:00

BULLETIN 15 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa is going to appoint Roelf Meyer as the country’s next ambassador to the US
# Absa warns of significant increases in food prices amid the Middle East conflict
# And, China says the US blockade is dangerous and irresponsible

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is reportedly set to name veteran politician Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s ambassador to the US. The 78-year-old was a member of Parliament from 1979 to 1997 and was the chief negotiator for the National Party government during the negotiations to end apartheid. He also worked on the drafting of South Africa’s democratic constitution. Meyer will replace Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared persona non grata in 2025 by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over his criticism of president Donald Trump’s administration and its policies.

# Demand for South African produce in the Middle East remains firm; however, exporters should prepare for a volatile trading environment if the conflict persists. This is according to the Absa AgriTrends report. Absa AgriBusiness’s Loffie Brandt warns that with petrol and diesel prices respectively climbing by around 15-percent and 40-percent per litre month-on-month in April, producers entering planting or harvesting season will face cost pressures. He says logistical disruptions will increase the cost and risk profile for exporters who face higher freight costs, driven by elevated bunker fuel surcharges.

# The Special Investigating Unit has secured preservation orders for assets belonging to Nako Mang Trading Enterprise. The company allegedly submitted 19-million-rand worth of fraudulent claims to the Unemployment Insurance Fund under the Covid-19Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme between 2020 and 2023. The preservation order includes two residential properties in Turffontein, Gauteng, an agricultural holding in Union Forests Plantation Agricultural Holdings, and a Mercedes-Benz W205. SIU spokesperson, Selby Makgotho, says the company also misrepresented employment relationships:

# The Gauteng legislature’s portfolio committee on Community Safety has renewed its call for a gun-free province following a surge in violent shootings. This comes after the killing of a municipal employee in Vanderbijlpark, and a businessman and his security guard were fatally shot in Ormonde. The committee’s chairperson, Bandile Masuku, welcomed the involvement of the police. Masuku urges stronger police action and better efforts to remove illegal guns from communities:

# China’s Foreign Ministry says the United States ramped up military deployment and targeted blockade of Iran-linked ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz is dangerous and irresponsible. Six merchant ships were turned around and returned to Iranian ports yesterday after encountering the US naval blockade that limits traffic through the Strait. The Ministry says the current ceasefire is highly fragile and the regional situation has come to a critical stage. It adds that only a complete ceasefire can fundamentally create the conditions to ease the situation. 

# Cricket: Experienced Proteas Women duo Dané van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp will miss the five-match T20 series against India, but hope to be ready for the World Cup, starting in England on 12 June. Van Niekerk is still recovering from injury, and Kapp is recuperating from illness, and both missed the recent series against New Zealand’s White Ferns. The series against India starts in Durban on Friday and will be followed by another encounter in the coastal city, two in Johannesburg, and the final one in Benoni, Gauteng.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-32-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-712-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-848-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….