News 09:00

BULLETIN 24 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Activists and Citizens Forum wants Lindiwe Sisulu as ambassador to the US
# The wage negotiations between Transnet and the unions will resume this week
# And Gaza is inching closer to a hunger crisis

# The Activists and Citizens Forum is urging president Cyril Ramaphosa to consider appointing former Tourism minster, Lindiwe Sisulu, as South Africa’s ambassador to the US. This comes after Ebrahim Rasool, who became the country’s ambassador to Washington in December, was expelled from the US last week and declared persona non grata over his criticism of president Donald Trump’s administration. The forum’s spokesperson, Dennis Bloem, says Sisulu has the necessary qualities to represent the country well:

# Transnet’s wage negotiations for 2025/2026 with organised labour will resume this week following a two-week cooling-off period. The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and the United National Transport Union have rejected Transnet’s offer of an above-inflation increase, that will represent 16-percent over the next three years, with a 5.5-percent wage increase for the 2025/2026 financial year. Satawu has proposed an overall wage increase of 17.5-percent for three years, while UNTU wants a ten-percent single-year wage increase for workers across the board.

# The ANC in Tshwane says it is disappointed at the walkout of DA and Freedom Front Plus councillors serving on the Finance committee, on claims that reports were not served to committee members on time, which is false. The ANC’s, Joel Masilela, says during DA Jacqui Uys’ tenure as the mayoral committee member for Finance, the metro lost around 800-million-rand. Masilela says the walkout is intended to frustrate the work of the council in unearthing the ills that have plunged the metro’s finances to an all-time low:

# The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, says the tight Israeli blockade of humanitarian supplies is pushing Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis. More than 50-thousand Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza last week, ending a ceasefire that lasted almost two months. UNRWA’s, Sam Rose, says every day that passes without the entry of aid means more children go to bed hungry, diseases spread and deprivation deepens:

# Cricket: Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Chennai Super Kings are off to a winning start in the Indian Premier League. Ishan Kishan smashed an unbeaten 106 as the Sunrisers began their campaign with a 44-run victory over Rajasthan Royals. The Sunrisers lost last year’s final to the Kolkata Knight Riders. In Sunday’s second match, New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra struck an unbeaten 65 to guide the Chennai Super Kings to a four-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians. Today the Delhi Capitals take on the Lucknow Super Giants.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-23-cents and the euro at 19-rand-73-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-719-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-18-dollars-65-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….