BULLETIN 5 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Business Leadership SA is calling on the government to avert a natural gas crisis
# AfriForum is threatening to take Rand Water to court
# And the US Supreme Court rules that Trump cannot be removed from the presidential ballot

# Business Leadership South Africa says once again policy inaction and the government’s inability to commit to large-scale investment will lead to a new blow to energy availability. From 2026, Sasol will stop supplying natural gas from Mozambique, as it plans to use the remaining gas to displace coal at its operations. The business organisation’s CEO, Busi Mavuso, says 70-thousand jobs in gas-reliant industries and their 500-billion-rand contribution to the economy every year are at risk, as the government has not found an alternative to avoid a natural gas cliff from mid-2026.

# The Competition Commission kicks off month-long public hearings into the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry. Chaired by chief economist James Hodge, with panel member Paula Fray, the hearings will feature over 40 stakeholders from various sectors presenting their views. Scheduled to end on 25 March, the hearings aim to investigate the distribution of media content on digital platforms and the Adtech markets, fostering direct engagement between the inquiry panel and stakeholders.

# AfriForum is threatening to take Rand Water to court over its decision to reduce water supply to several defaulting municipalities in a bid to recover funds owed to it. Affected municipalities include Emfuleni, Sedibeng and West Rand. Gauteng municipalities alone, owe the water utility two-billion-rand. AfriForum’s, Petrus Coetzee, says its legal team has sent an urgent letter of demand to Rand Water to stop this malpractice and see to it that the communities receive the necessary water:

# The US Supreme Court has struck down efforts by some states to disqualify Donald Trump from running for president. In December, the Colorado Supreme Court determined that Trump was ineligible for the presidency due to his conduct surrounding the January sixth attack on the US Capitol. He was also excluded from the ballot in Maine and Illinois. Colorado’s Democratic Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, says she is disappointed with the ruling, as any state should have the right to bar oath-breaking insurrectionists from the ballots.

# Soccer: Arsenal defeated Sheffield United six-nil at Bramall Lane to record a seventh successive Premier League win. The Gunners were five ahead at halftime with goals from captain Martin Odegaard, Jayden Bogle’s own goal, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, and Declan Rice. In the second half, Ben White got in on the act as well scoring the sixth goal. The win ensures Arsenal move two points behind leaders Liverpool. Odegaard says they are excited to be in the race for the Premier League title:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-5-cents and the euro at 20-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-799-dollars-48-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-114-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….