News 11:00

BULLETIN 31 March 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says government is focused on achieving a secure and reliable water supply
# Trump is threatening Russia with more sanctions 
# And soccer: Manchester City, Notthingham Forest, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are through to the FA Cup semifinals

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government of national unity has prioritised achieving a secure and reliable water supply to sustain communities and support economic growth. Last week government convened the National Water and Sanitation indaba. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says the recommendations emanating from the indaba give cause for great optimism. He says the crackdown on corruption and organised crime in the sector is being intensified, which includes the setting up of the National Water and Sanitation Anti-Corruption Forum in collaboration with the Special Investigating Unit. 

# The MK Youth League says South Africa’s justice system must prevail and be decisive in dealing with both gender-based violence and rape cases. GBV in the country continues to devastate families and communities, which requires serious intervention. MK Youth League spokesperson, Nkateko Mkhabela, says they are appalled and devastated by the brutal rape of a seven-year-old child at Bergview College in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape:

# The GOOD Party is calling on government not to abandoned non-profit organisations and health workers that are affected by the cutoff of US-AID funding. Health workers and NGO staff that provided critical services, like HIV retroviral distribution, have been left to find new work as clinics shut their doors. GOOD’s Peter Chokoe says these organisations and staff have established community presence, trust, structure and data that are vital for addressing the health crisis in the most underprivileged areas:

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump has threatened to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil if his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, does not cooperate in ongoing negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Secondary tariffs could constitute up to 50-percent on goods entering the US from countries still buying oil from Russia. Trump maintains that he still has a very good relationship with Putin and that his anger would dissipate quickly if he does the right thing and end this war:

# Soccer: Manchester City have set up an FA Cup semifinal clash against Nottingham Forest at Wembley Stadium. City, who last won the trophy in 2023, booked their spot in the last four for the seventh consecutive year, after coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1. Forest reached their first FA Cup semi-final since 1991 by overcoming Brighton in a penalty shootout. The other semifinal will see Crystal Palace, who beat Fulham 3-0, take on Aston Villa, who saw off Championship side Preston North End 3-0.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-236-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-124-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-47-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….