News 11:00

BULLETIN 19 April 11am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA is urging a swift filling of vacant global trade officer posts
# Parliament’s Higher Education committee demands action after the WSU student shooting
# And, Ukraine sanctions three Chinese companies

# The DA has expressed concern that 30 trade officers posts at South African embassies and missions abroad have remained vacant since December 2023. The trade officers are responsible for facilitating foreign direct investment into the country. The DA is calling on Trade, Industry and Competition minister, Parks Tau, to finalise the review process and urgently appoint qualified officials. It adds that these roles must be filled by individuals who understand South Africa’s economic landscape, can identify opportunities, and have proven experience in attracting investment.

# Eskom says the power system remains stable with sufficient capacity to meet the long weekend’s demand. Ongoing planned maintenance continues at 15.41-percent of generation capacity, marking a 3.8-percent increase compared to the same period last year. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says a total of three-thousand-948-megawatts will be returned to service before the evening peak on Tuesday, to further stabilise the grid:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Higher Education is demanding consequence management at Walter Sisulu University following the fatal shooting of a student, Sisonke Mbolekwa. He was allegedly shot by a residence manager during a student protest on Tuesday. A suspect has been arrested. Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, told Newzroom Afrika that it is unacceptable that the university falsely claimed Mbolekwa was not a registered student:

# Ukraine has imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies, claiming they were involved in the production of advanced Russian Iskander missiles. Moscow is widely using the nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missile system in its war with Kyiv. On Friday, Iskander missiles struck Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring more than 100. The three companies will not be able to do business with Ukraine, and any assets they have in the country will be frozen. China has repeatedly denied sending fighters or weapons to Russia.

# Motorsport: McLaren remains the team to beat in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, as Lando Norris set the pace in Friday’s practice. The Briton was faster than his teammate, Oscar Piastri, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz. Norris leads the Drivers’ Championship by three points over Piastri, with Verstappen eight points back, while George Russell is 14 points behind.

Stay tuned for more news………….