News 11:00

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An energy expert says minister Gordhan should have been fired a long time ago
# The Hawks have made another breakthrough in the murder of activist Loyiso Nkohla
# And, Namibia secures meat export deal to the Middle East

# Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan should have been fired or stepped down long ago as all the state-owned entities under his watch are failing. This is according to energy expert Mthunzi Luthuli. His comments echo that of the DA, which said that in the past five years, Gordhan has triggered unprecedented governance chaos at executive and board levels in SOEs. Luthuli says Gordhan keeps giving excuses for the poor performances of SOES including state capture and geopolitical forces, however, what is clear is that he has been an ineffective minister.

# Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo has welcomed the news that the country may escape the worst impacts of El Niño due to forecasted good rains. The latest data from the South African Weather Service indicates above-normal rainfall from November through March in the northeast, while below-normal rainfall is expected in the central and south-western parts of the country. Sihlobo notes these rains are anticipated to cover critical pollination stages of the summer crop, providing much-needed moisture and potentially leading to better yields.

# The Hawks have made another breakthrough in the murder of former politician and activist Loyiso Nkohla. He was gunned down at the Philippi train station in Cape Town in April, after attending a community meeting. Hawks spokesperson, Siyabulela Vukubi, says a second suspect, A 38-year-old man, was arrested in Katlehong, Gauteng, yesterday and he will appear in the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court later today:

Play sound: ENG VukubiOnSuspect

# The Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has achieved a significant breakthrough in securing market access for meat and meat products to the Middle East. Spokesperson Jona Musheko says export-approved abattoirs can now export beef to Qatar, while those south of the Red Line have gained approval to export both beef and lamb to the United Arab Emirates. He says trade negotiation meetings focused on import requirements, animal health and veterinary public health, essential for the exportation of meat:

Play sound: ENG-MushekoOnMeat

# Motorsport: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says they have a better understanding of the mistakes that led to their poor performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and George Russell had to retire the car due to overheating. Wolff says they have been hard at work to identify the wrong turn they took with the set-up in Sao Paulo, following promising performances in the US and Mexico. He adds that they will need to be better in Las Vegas this weekend, as they look to secure second position in the Constructors’ Championship.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-70-cents and the euro at 20-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 36-thousand-691-dollars-8-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-945-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….