News 11:00

BULLETIN 20 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa calls on citizens to recommit to defending and strengthening the country’s democracy
# Iran reportedly rejects the second round of peace talks with the US
# And rugby: The Bok Women’s Sevens coach says there are big lessons to be learnt from Hong Kong

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South African society remains grounded in a culture of human rights, the rule of law and the expression of people’s will through regular elections. He participated in the fourth meeting of the ‘In Defence of Democracy’ initiative in Spain over the weekend. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says in many places, democracy is under threat, and the principles of solidarity, cooperation and friendship are being challenged. He says as South Africa marks Freedom Day next week, citizens must recommit to defending and strengthening the country’s democracy. 

# Minister of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, is calling for intensified and coordinated efforts across all sectors to tackle the persistent challenge of youth unemployment. According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2025, the youth unemployment rate declined to 43.8-percent. The department’s spokesperson, Cassius Selala, says stronger partnerships between government, the private sector and civil society are needed:

# The DA in Gauteng is calling on Ekurhuleni mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, to act immediately and suspend city manager Kagiso Lerutla. This follows his arrest yesterday on charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. Lerutla will appear in court today alongside suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department acting chief commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi. The DA’s Khathutshelo Rasilingwane says Lerutla’s arrest clearly shows how rotten Ekurhuleni’s multi-party coalition is:

Moving abroad:

# Iran has reportedly rejected a second round of peace talks with the US in Islamabad, Pakistan, today, citing Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire. The White House earlier confirmed US vice-president JD Vance would lead another delegation for a second round of talks. Iran says America’s threatening rhetoric has so far hindered the progress of the negotiations. A two-week ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran is due to expire on Wednesday.

# Rugby: Springbok Women’s Sevens coach, Cecil Afrika, says there are good lessons to be learned from their performances in Hong Kong, the first of three World Championship events. South Africa suffered defeats to Australia and Canada, followed by a famous victory over Great Britain in their final pool match. They then lost to Great Britain in the ninth-place semifinal before going down against Argentina to finish 12th. Afrika says they have a lot of work to do ahead of the tournaments in Spain and France in May and June, respectively.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-34-cents and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-803-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-795-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-6-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….