News 11:00

BULLETIN 10 March 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says Athol Fugard’s life has left an indelible footprint
# Deputy minister Godlimpi wants a broader budget debate
# And, the US is added to an international watchlist over declining civic freedoms

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has described South African playwright, actor, and director Athol Fugard as an extraordinary storyteller and the moral conscience of a generation. The 92-year-old passed away at his home in Stellenbosch over the weekend. His best-known works include Blood Knot, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Tsotsi and The Road to Mecca. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town stands as a fitting tribute to a man whose life and works have left an indelible footprint:

# Deputy minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Zuko Godlimpi, says there needs to be a far richer economic debate that stretches beyond the national budget. The cabinet is set to give its final approval on the reworked budget today, paving the way for its presentation in Parliament on Wednesday. In an opinion piece for Business Day, Godlimpi, who is also the ANC’s new economic transformation committee chairperson, says the goal must be employment-generating growth that diversifies South Africa’s economic profile through public sector expenditure in critical infrastructure.

# The Gauteng legislature’s Community Safety Committee has called for stricter regulations on armed private security following the shooting at the Solo restaurant in Sandton. Chairperson Bandile Masuku warns of escalating risks and stresses the need for continued efforts to improve public safety across Gauteng. He also confirmed that the committee has welcomed a 6.5-percent decrease in crime for the October to December period:

# The US has been added to this year’s Civicus Monitor Watchlist alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan, and Serbia. The watchlist tracks developments in civic freedoms across 198 countries. The international non-profit organisation says the decision to add the US to the list is due to president Donald Trump’s administration’s assault on democratic norms and global cooperation. Co-secretary general Mandeep Tiwana describes Trump’s actions since taking office as an attack on the rule of law.

# Soccer: Arsenal dropped points again as they played to a one-all draw against Manchester United, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side 15 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. United captain Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick was cancelled out by Declan Rice’s strike in the 74th minute. Liverpool needs a maximum of 16 points from their final nine games to win the title. Arteta, who took charge of his 200th Premier League game as Arsenal’s manager, says they failed to capitalise on their chances:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-29-cents and the euro at 19-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-63-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-642-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-914-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-7-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….