News 11:00

BULLETIN 8 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Bureau for Economic Research says political instability is affecting economic growth
# The MK Party rejects the Constitutional Court’s judgment on dual citizenship
# And the FF Plus says the Afrikaans language must be protected

# The Bureau for Economic Research says South Africa’s economy will likely expand at a significantly slower pace than previously anticipated. This is a result of domestic political instability and US president Donald Trump’s tariff war. The bureau has cut its economic growth outlook for the country to only 1.5-percent, from two-percent expected previously. The bureau’s chief economist, Lisette IJssel de Schepper, says with tensions within the government of national unity, they are concerned whether it will hold and function effectively.

# The MK Party says it unequivocally rejects the Constitutional Court judgment upholding dual citizenship. The ruling confirms the Supreme Court of Appeal’s orders declaring a provision of the Citizenship Act unlawful. The ConCourt declared legislation that strips South Africans of their citizenship after acquiring citizenship of another country as unconstitutional. MK Party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, says this decision exposes how South Africa’s current legal framework is increasingly being used to undermine the sovereignty of the majority:

# European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has ruled out the possibility of resuming purchases of Russian fossil fuels after the war in Ukraine. This comes amid US president Trump’s push to strike a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. For decades, the European Union was Russia’s largest client, but the relationship collapsed in early 2022 after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in Kyiv. Von der Leyen says doing business with Russia again would represent a mistake of historic dimensions:

# Cricket: South African batter Lhuan-dré Pretorius has joined Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for injured Nitish Rana for the remainder of the Indian Premier League campaign. The 19-year-old, who is yet to make his international debut, finished as the leading run-scorer at this year’s SA20, with 397 runs in 12 matches. Rajasthan is out of contention for the playoffs, but still has two matches to go, against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai and Punjab Kings at home in Jaipur.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-31-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 99-thousand-165-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-337-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-20-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the Freedom Front Plus says Afrikaans is a cultural and intellectual language that must be protected. Today marks the centennial of the recognition of Afrikaans as an official language in South Africa. The FF Plus’s Corné Mulder says a cultural, political and social struggle spanning decades, and rooted in the pursuit of Afrikaner identity and self-determination, led up to the recognition of Afrikaans as an official language in 1925:

Stay tuned for more news………….