News 09:00

BULLETIN 23 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Saftu accuses Amplats of wanting to retrench workers to maximise profits
# The London Marathon announces equal prize money for wheelchair and able-bodied races
# And, Odysseus becomes the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years 

# The South African Federations of Trade Unions says it strongly opposes the anticipated job losses at Anglo American Platinum. Amplats has initiated a section 189A process that is likely to result in the retrenchment of three-thousand-700 employees, as it seeks to reduce five-billion-rand in costs. Saftu’s spokesperson, Trevor Shaku, says Amplats plans to retrench workers simply because it wants to maximise its profits, and this is unacceptable:

# The South African Rainbow Alliance rejects the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, denouncing it as the most problematic ANC education legislation since the end of apartheid. It criticises the focus on sex education for five-year-olds instead of addressing foundational issues. SARA’s Colleen Makhubele says the proposed changes include making Grade R the new compulsory school starting age, diminishing school governing bodies’ power, and introducing a corporal punishment ban. She says the bill will negatively impact children, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas.

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has condemned a 540-million-rand cut in national funding to the city over the next two years. This forms part of nationwide cuts announced by Finance minister Enoch Godongwana in the national budget speech on Wednesday. Hill-Lewis says Cape Town will further receive 52-million-rand less than forecast in last year’s national budget for infrastructure grants for housing, basic services, and informal settlement upgrading:

# Roadrunning: The organisers of the London Marathon have announced it will become the first in the world to offer the same prize money for wheelchair and able-bodied races. The winners of the elite races for able-bodied men and women, and wheelchair men and women, will all receive 1.04-million-rand. Prize money for second place is just under 568-thousand-rand, and for third prize 425-thousand. Eight-time wheelchair champion David Weir of Britain says he hopes other events will make the same decision.  The marathon takes place on 21 April.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-15-cents and the euro at 20-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 51-thousand-176-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-26-dollars-28-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the privately-built spacecraft Odysseus has made history, by becoming the first American spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years. The Odysseus lander’s mission is designed to assess the lunar environment of the moon’s south pole, ahead of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s plan to return a crewed mission there in 2026. The spacecraft belongs to Houston-based Intuitive Machines. NASA’s administrator, Bill Nelson, called the mission a triumph:

Stay tuned for more news………….