News 12:00

BULLETIN 26 February 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the G20 must address imbalances in the global economy
# BOSA is requesting a full audit of all Eskom contractors
# And rugby: Hooker Dewi Lake returns to Wales’ squad for the Six Nations

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the G20 must show leadership in addressing the imbalances that persist in the global economy. He opened the first meeting of G20 Finance ministers and central bank governors under South Africa’s presidency in Cape Town today. Ramaphosa says the G20 needs to coordinate efforts to focus on inclusive growth, based on responsive trade and investment, to grow the incomes of poor nations and the poorest in society:

# Build One South Africa is calling for an immediate and independent audit of all contractors currently billing Eskom and municipalities. In the first three months of the 2024/’25 financial year alone, the power utility pursued 639 deviations, amounting to approximately 23-billion-rand in public funds, an 18.6-billion-rand increase. BOSA’s spokesperson, Roger Solomons, says these deviations allow Eskom to bypass standard procurement processes, enabling contractors to overcharge both the power utility and municipalities and further deepening the financial crisis within the energy sector:

# A delegation from AfriForum and Solidarity met with representatives from the Trump administration at the White House in Washington. The organisations urged the US to put pressure on the South African government regarding farm murders, the Expropriation Act, and the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act. Solidarity’s Jaco Kleynhans says government’s lack of urgency to restore diplomatic relations with America is creating a growing crisis for South Africa:

# Rugby: Hooker Dewi Lake was called into Wales’ squad ahead of their remaining Six Nations games against Scotland and England after recovering from a biceps injury. Lake, who captained Wales on tour to Australia last year, underwent surgery in December. His initial prognosis was up to 12 weeks on the sidelines, but the 25-year-old, who has won 18 caps, is ahead of schedule in his recovery. Wales had lost all three of their matches in this year’s competition so far.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-29-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-253-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-913-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-68-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Sydney-based Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters in Australia has been crowned the best coffee shop in the world. South Africa’s Espresso Lab Microroasters in Cape Town is ranked 11th and The Whippet in Gauteng 89th. According to the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, cafés worldwide were judged on a variety of factors, ranging from quality of coffee and food, sustainability practices, and customer service. Onyx Coffee Lab of Arkansas in the US is second with Gota Coffee Experts of Vienna, Austria, in third.

Stay tuned for more news………….