News 12:00

BULLETIN 20 Augsut 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An economist warns against focusing solely on workplace-ready generation amid rising unemployment
# Santam revisits farm insurance ahead of potential La Niña hailstorms
# And, rugby: The Springboks start their preparation for their All Black clashes on Thursday

# Investec economist Setlogane Manchidi has cautioned against nurturing a generation solely prepared for traditional workplaces. Recent statistics indicate a rise in South Africa’s unemployment rate. Speaking to eNCA, Manchidi emphasised the importance of upskilling the youth and promoting self-employment through entrepreneurship. He believes that fostering entrepreneurial skills can help create jobs, reduce unemployment, and strengthen the economy:

# The South African National Christian Forum is calling for the regulation of the religious sector to restore trust and integrity. They advocate for an independent oversight body to hold religious leaders accountable and enforce ethical standards. The forum believes self-regulation, rather than government-imposed rules, would effectively address abuse and misconduct of religious leaders. The forum’s leader, Marothi Mashashane, urges the government to to introduce laws that ensure self-regulation within the religious sector to enhance accountability and compliance:

# Santam is reassessing its farm insurance ratings due to the increased risk of hail, frost, and fire ahead of the La Niña season. The insurer, which has observed a rise in crop damage since 2014, conducts extensive hail simulation trials across the country. Agriculture crop insurance head Daniel Stevens emphasised that understanding the impact of weather patterns on different cultivars is crucial to accurately compensating farmers. He says that Santam aims to ensure farmers receive fair compensation while navigating climate-related risks.

# Former American president Donald Trump has infuriated Taylor Swift supporters after posting a series of images on his Truth Social account that appeared to show Swift endorsing him in the 2024 election. Several of the images display typical AI markers, including one of Swift dressed as Uncle Sam featuring the text “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump” as well as images showing fans in “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts. Swift has not endorsed either presidential candidate, but previously supported the Biden-Harris campaign. Swifties now say she should let her legal team respond.

# Rugby: The Springboks returned home following their victorious visit to Australia, and will reassemble in Johannesburg on Thursday to start preparing for the two Rugby Championship encounters with the All Blacks. The two old foes do battle at Ellis Park on the 31st and in Cape Town a week later. South Africa is currently on top of the log with 10 points after their two bonus point victories over the Wallabies, who haven’t scored any points yet. New Zealand is second on five points, and Argentina third with four.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-77-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-12-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-811-dollars-68-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-517-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….