News 12:00

BULLETIN 21 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Steenhuisen emphasises fair land compensation amid the US talks
# Minister Ramokgopa says coal will remain the backbone of South Africa’s energy system
# And enjoy a cup of tea on this International Tea Day

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has reiterated that land compensation must be fair and equitable, aligning with Section 25 of the Constitution. Speaking ahead of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with US president Donald Trump today, Steenhuisen stressed the need to address land ownership imbalances responsibly, ensuring food security and upholding property rights. He affirmed the government’s commitment to just compensation in land reform initiatives:

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, has meanwhile appointed a 12-member working group to assess the impact and implications of the recent withdrawal of funding by the US government. The withdrawal has affected crucial HIV-related services in South Africa. The group will be chaired by former Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University vice-chancellor, Derrick Swartz. Nzimande told eNCA the working group will also assess geopolitical risks and recommend strategies to safeguard the country:

# Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa will continue to use coal in its energy mix for the foreseeable future. Coal-fired power stations produce 85-percent of the country’s electricity, making South Africa the biggest producer of harmful greenhouse gas emissions in Africa. Ramokgopa says coal will remain the backbone of the energy system – not out of disregard for the country’s climate obligations, but due to economic and infrastructural realities. He adds technology is being used to reduce emissions from coal-fired power stations.

# Tennis: Former world number one Novak Djokovic is in no rush to get a new coach ahead of the French Open. The Serb parted ways with another former number one, Andy Murray, earlier this month after six months working together. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has taken a wildcard into the Geneva Open, where he will begin the pursuit of his 100th tour-level title against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics today. Djokovic says he couldn’t get more out of his partnership with Murray:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-87-cents and the euro at 20-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-436-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-308-dollars-860-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-65-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Today is International Tea Day, recognised by the United Nations in 2019 to honour the cultural, economic, and social significance of tea worldwide. Tea is one of the world’s oldest beverages and is the most consumed drink in the world, after water. It is estimated that three-billion cups of tea are consumed globally per day. Sri Lanka, long known for producing some of the world’s finest tea, leads the countries drinking the most tea in the world, followed by Argentina and Turkey.

Stay tuned for more news………….