News 09:00

BULLETIN 17 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says government’s pro-poor policies continue to support learners
# The GOOD party leader condemns violence committed against civilians in Gaza
# And, rugby: The South African game gets a high-performance manager

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says government’s pro-poor policies continue to support learners on their education journey. Ramaphosa was speaking at the 110th commemoration of King Dinuzulu in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal. The president says this includes millions of learners getting a nutritious meal at school each day, Early Childhood Development, no-fee schools, free school transport and child care grants:

# GOOD party leader, Patricia de Lille, has condemned violence committed against civilians by the State of Israel and Hamas. She adds the party is very clear on the rights of Palestinians to struggle against Israeli apartheid because, as South Africans, they recognise their suffering. De Lille was speaking during the launch of GOOD’s 2024 Election Manifesto in Johannesburg:

# The BetterBond Property Brief contributing economist, Roelof Botha, says new home loan activity has started the first quarter of this year on an improved note, with a quarter-on-quarter increase of 7.8-percent in the number of home loan applications submitted. Botha says unfortunately, high interest rates continue to impact the residential property market negatively, with the year-on-year increase still down by eight-percent:

# Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink says a delay in submitting financial statements is not a routine event, which is why communication with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange was not on the city’s checklist. Tshwane has accepted a rebuke from the JSE, and committed to be far more diligent with price-sensitive information. Brink says the metro aspires to the Cape Town standard of improving services by investing in infrastructure, which necessitates improving it’s credit rating to access much-needed financial support and loans.

# And, rugby: The new role of general manager for High Performance Rugby will be filled by Dave Wessels. The 41-year-old former coach of the Super Rugby teams, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels, is currently the head of rugby at the Stormers/Western Province. SA Rugby says the role of general manager: Rugby has been discontinued and the incumbent, Charles Wessels, will focus on Springbok affairs. CEO of SA Rugby, Rian Oberholzer, says the aim is to meet the needs of the national teams.

Stay tuned for more news………….