News 12:00

BULLETIN 10 March 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says transformation remains a challenge in agriculture
# GIWUSA calls for minister Gayton McKenzie’s dismissal over alleged racism
# And soccer: Arsenal drops points again as Liverpool tightens its grip on the Premier League title

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the economy, as the goods and services produced across the value chain underpin the country’s food security. According to data from Agbiz, South Africa’s agricultural exports reached over 250-billion-rand last year. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says transformation remains a challenge in agriculture, with black farmers currently accounting for around ten-percent of the commercial output in agriculture. He adds that the country must have an agricultural sector that is representative and inclusive.

# Union Giwusa has called for the immediate dismissal of Sport, Arts and Culture minister, Gayton McKenzie, over a job advertisement by his department. The advertisement allegedly excludes African candidates, prioritising white, coloured, and Indian. Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei condemned it as discriminatory and a violation of employment equity laws. He threatens legal action if not addressed within seven days:

# The Freedom Front Plus in Gauteng says the fact that the province contributes roughly 26.5-percent to South Africa’s national crime figures is a major concern. Between October and December 2024, there has been a marginal reduction in the reported crime figures for, among other things, contact crimes by 4.7-percent, and rape by 5.8-percent. The FF Plus’ Jaco Mulder says it is unfortunate that the public does not report all crimes, seeing as many police stations are unable to open and register case dossiers:

# Soccer: Arsenal dropped points again as they played to a one-all draw against Manchester United, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side 15 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. United captain Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick was cancelled out by Declan Rice’s strike in the 74th minute. Liverpool needs a maximum of 16 points from their final nine games to win the title. Arteta, who took charge of his 200th Premier League game as Arsenal manager, says they failed to capitalise on their chances.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-31-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-59-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-973-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-906-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

# And finally: President Ramaphosa has described South African playwright, actor, and director Athol Fugard as an extraordinary storyteller and the moral conscience of a generation. The 92-year-old passed away at his home in Stellenbosch over the weekend. His best-known works include Blood Knot, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Tsotsi and The Road to Mecca. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town stands as a fitting tribute to a man whose life and works have left an indelible footprint:

Stay tuned for more news………….