News 09:00

BULLETIN 11 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Department says there is no immediate risk of fuel shortages in South Africa
# The US strikes 16 mine-laying Iranian ships near the Strait of Hormuz
# And soccer: Big victories for Bayern and Atletico in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16

# The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources says South Africa currently faces no immediate risk of fuel shortages in the midst of the Middle East conflict. South Africa has two operational crude oil refineries, Natref and Astron Energy, as well as Sasol’s Secunda coal-to-liquids plant, which continues to play a key role in domestic fuel production. The department’s spokesperson, Lerato Ntsoko, says persistent geopolitical tensions could place pressure on international oil prices, but the country’s fuel supply remains stable for now:

# Union federation Cosatu says it is unimpressed with the latest gross domestic product growth figures. South Africa’s economy recorded modest growth in the final quarter of 2025, with GDP increasing by 0.4-percent between October and December. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says whilst appreciating that the economy has posted its fifth straight gain, it is still far from enough to see the economy growing at two-percent:

# The Nkabinde inquiry has rejected the National Prosecuting Authority’s bid to lead its own case against suspended Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Andrew Chauke. The panel said the NPA’s concerns were mostly hypothetical, and allowing it to act independently could prejudice Chauke and delay the inquiry. The inquiry’s chairperson, Justice Bess Nkabinde, says the process is meant to find the truth, and the NPA’s interests are already represented through the evidence-led process:

# The US military says it has destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying ships near the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, which carries one-fifth of the oil consumed globally, has been severely disrupted amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. Before the war, around 20-percent of global production flowed through the waterway. Iran controls its northern side. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says they are eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, wiping them out with ruthless precision. He adds that they will not allow terrorists to hold the strait hostage.

# Soccer: Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid have one foot in the Champions League quarterfinals, after securing big wins in the first leg of their last-16 tie. Bayern thrashed Atalanta 6-1, extending their unbeaten run away from home to nine games, while Atletico defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5-2. Mario Lemina’s seventh-minute header was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Galatasaray over Liverpool. Lamine Yamal converted a last-gasp penalty to earn five-time champions Barcelona a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. The second-leg ties will be played next Tuesday and Wednesday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-22-cents and the euro at 18-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-82-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-621-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-204-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….