News 12:00

BULLETIN 29 August 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa’s digital economy could add 91-billion-rand by 2035
# Transnet tackles rampant theft and vandalism on its rail network
# And rugby: The All Blacks captain Scott Barrett returns for the Springbok clash

# A new report by Naspers and the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection has revealed that South Africa’s digital platform economy could contribute 91.4-billion-rand to the economy by 2035. Naspers CEO Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa highlights the transformative potential of digital platforms, predicting a gross domestic product growth from 0.02-percent in 2022 to 1.38-percent by 2035. She says this is a significant economic growth prospect:

# Transnet is implementing a novel outcomes-based security approach to address rampant theft and vandalism on its rail network. In December last year, the state-owned entity revealed that it had spent 290-million-rand to replace and fix stolen and vandalised cables in 18 months. Transnet’s Ashwin Govind says they will shift the focus from generic security measures to achieving specific, actionable results. He adds that they are also aiming to reduce repair costs and incorporate technology and manpower for comprehensive protection.

# Cosatu has congratulated the National Youth Development Agency on successfully hosting the United Nations Youth Imbizo on the Summit of the Future with the UN South Africa office. The imbizo was aimed at empowering young people to drive sustainable development and shape the nation’s future. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela says the future belongs to the youth, and they must be provided with the tools, opportunities, and platforms to lead:

# Rugby: New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson has made two changes to his starting lineup for their Rugby Championship Test against South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday. Captain Scott Barrett, who has been out with a finger injury, is back and replaces Sam Darry, with former captain Sam Cane coming in for Dalton Papali’i. This will be Cane’s 97th Test. Robertson says to play the Springboks at Ellis Park is one of the greatest tests they can prepare for, and they will embrace the occasion.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-73-cents and the euro at 19-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-39-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-506-dollars-28-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-518-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-36-cents a barrel. 

# And finally, an Israeli museum invited a toddler and his family back after the child accidentally smashed a centuries-old artefact. The four-year-old visited the Hecht museum in Haifa together with his father, just known as Alex. The boy was reportedly curious of what was inside the three-thousand-500-year-old jar, used to store and transport olive oil and wine. It is characteristic of the ancient Canaan region and predates the Biblical kings David and Solomon. The museum says the family is welcome to return to see the restored jar.

Stay tuned for more news………….