News 09:00

BULLETIN 4 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF says South Africans must not celebrate jobless growth
# Cape Town welcomes the visa reforms
# And Russia’s missile strike in Ukraine is condemned

# The EFF says the 0.4-percent growth in the economy in the second quarter of this year is nothing to celebrate, as this must correctly be seen as jobless growth. Statistics South Africa credited this growth to the financial sector, trade, and real estate. The EFF says areas where jobs are created including agriculture and mining all declined. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries decreased by 2.1-percent. The party says South Africans must not be misled by a narrative of economic growth, while they remain unemployed and gripped by poverty.

Meanwhile, RISE Mzansi says while the economy has seen minuscule growth of 0.4-percent, structural reforms are still needed. The party’s, Mabine Seabe, says this growth is a far cry from the five-to-six-percent required for meaningful job creation. He says the priority of the government of national unity must be about building an inclusive and resilient economy that creates jobs:

# The City of Cape Town has welcomed Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber’s announcement of the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, as a vital step toward reforming the country’s visa system. The scheme aims to remove some of the key obstacles standing in the way of South Africa becoming a favoured tourism destination for China and India. Mayoral committee member for Economic Growth, James Vos, says this aligns perfectly with Cape Town’s long-standing call for visa reforms:

# Countries have condemned Russia’s missile strike on Poltava, in central Ukraine, which left 51 people dead and over 200 others injured. A military educational institute and a nearby hospital were hit. US National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, described the attack as another horrific reminder of Russian president Vladamir Putin’s brutality towards the people in Ukraine. UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the sickening act of aggression in Putin’s abhorrent and illegal war in Kyiv. Germany’s Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock says Putin knows no limits to brutality.

# Tennis: American Frances Tiafoe is back in the US Open semifinals for the second time in three years. Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire due to an injury with Tiafoe leading, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 4-1. Tiafoe will face countryman Taylor Fritz, who is through to his first Grand Slam semifinal after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev. In the women’s draw, world number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus eased past China’s Zheng Qinwen, 6-1, 6-2, to set up a semifinal clash with American Emma Navarro.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-97-cents and the euro at 19-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 56-thousand-603-dollars-26-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-494-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-31-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….