News 11:00

BULLETIN 21 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An American foundation urges Trump to demand the reversal of South African policies
# Economist André Roux says the budget must focus on growth
# And tennis: Djokovic is in no rush to find a new coach after his split with Murray

# The US non-profit think tank, Foundation for Defence of Democracies, is calling on president Donald Trump to increase pressure on South Africa to reverse its harmful policies. Trump is set to meet with president Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House today. The foundation says if South Africa seeks to repair and restore its partnership with the US, Trump should demand the reversal of key policies. These include the country withdrawing its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and publicly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, has meanwhile appointed a 12-member working group to assess the impact and implications of the recent withdrawal of funding by the US government. The withdrawal has affected crucial HIV-related services in South Africa. The group will be chaired by former Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University vice-chancellor, Derrick Swartz. Nzimande told eNCA the working group will also assess geopolitical risks and recommend strategies to safeguard the country:

# Stellenbosch Business School economist André Roux says Budget 3.0 must prioritise economic growth and job creation over simply balancing the books. He believes the coalition’s recent unity could reassure investors and help pass the budget. Roux warns against raising personal or corporate taxes, saying it could harm growth:

# The Business Chamber of Nedlac has approved the Nedlac report on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, but flagged serious reservations. This includes the inclusion of international non-governmental organisations in the government chamber and the unilateral removal of its documented objections. The final report also includes new positions never discussed during consultations. Business urges Parliament to consider these issues, warning that the bill appears shaped by external agendas rather than South African realities.

# Tennis: Former world number one Novak Djokovic is in no rush to get a new coach ahead of the French Open. The Serb parted ways with another former number one, Andy Murray, earlier this month after six months working together. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has taken a wildcard into the Geneva Open, where he will begin the pursuit of his 100th tour-level title against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics today. Djokovic says he couldn’t get more out of his partnership with Murray:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-94-cents and the euro at 20-rand-32-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-809-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-314-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….