News 09:00

BULLETIN 26 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus says the government of national unity must be consulted on Ebrahim Rasool’s replacement
# Parliament is concerned by the possible closure of ArcelorMittal’s operations
# And a major drug trafficking operation is thwarted during an interprovincial operation

# The Freedom Front Plus says president Cyril Ramaphosa has resorted to the letter of the Constitution in a bid to appoint a new ambassador to the US, in the process turning his back on the spirit of cooperation in the government of national unity. This is as the president has stated that there’s no need to consult partners in government on Ebrahim Rasool’s replacement. FF Plus leader, Corne Mulder, says Ramaphosa is free to appoint whomever he wants within the agreed framework of the government of national unity:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Trade, Industry, and Competition says it is concerned about the closure of ArcelorMittal South Africa’s long steel business. The committee had a closed meeting with the management of the steelmaker. The company is planning to close its loss-making long steel operations in Newcastle and Vereeniging, however government is hoping to this week finalise a deal that could save three-thousand-500 jobs. The committee says the maintenance of domestic steel production capacity is critical to cushion the economy against global supply shocks.

# A coordinated operation involving police from the Free State, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape, resulted in the seizing of crystal meth valued at 50-million-rand and the arrest of a 35-year-old man. On Tuesday, members of the Aliwal North Detectives and Crime Intelligence received information about a truck travelling from Smithfield to Aliwal North, suspected of transporting drugs. Police spokesperson, Loraine Earle, says the vehicle was intercepted and a thorough search was conducted:

# The ANC has welcomed the appointment of former president Kgalema Motlanthe to the panel of facilitators for peace talks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The panel also includes former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Catherine Samba Panza of the Central African Republic, and Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia. The ANC’s spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, says they continue to urge all parties to the conflict to commit to a sustainable ceasefire and a negotiated settlement that prioritises peace and stability:

# Tennis: Six-time champion Novak Djokovic is through to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open for the eighth time. The Serb defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti, 6-2, 6-2, to set up a clash with American Sebastian Korda, who battled past Frenchman Gael Monfils, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Italian Matteo Berrettini and American Taylor Fritz are also through to the last eight. In the women’s draw, Italian Jasmine Paolini defeated Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a semifinal clash with world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-27-cents and the euro at 19-rand-71-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-63-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-248-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-16-dollars-37-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….