News 13:00

BULLETIN 4 March 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An Afrikaans lobby group calls for unity amongst South Africans amid US-SA tensions
# Cycling: It’s all systems go for the 47th Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday
# And Dolly Parton’s husband dies at age 82

# Afrikaans lobby group, Betereinders, has launched the Not USA, But YOU SA campaign, urging for unity amongst South Africans as US-SA tensions continue. This follows president Cyril Ramaphosa’s criticism of AfriForum and Solidarity for allegedly spreading divisive narratives to the US government, advocating for Afrikaner interests. Betereinders co-founder Johan Erasmus emphasised to Newzroom Afrika that Afrikaners are not victims and should embrace their identity locally:

# The Board of Healthcare Funders is today challenging the National Health Insurance Act in the High Court in Pretoria, accusing the government of using stalling tactics to delay the case. They argue the act is vague, unconstitutional, and unaffordable, warning that it could harm healthcare services and lead to a mass exodus of professionals. The organisation’s Katlego Mothudi insists president Cyril Ramaphosa ignored legal obligations when signing the bill into law:

# Agricultural experts are calling for the commercialisation of South Africa’s goat industry to drive economic growth. The Agricultural Research Council and industry stakeholders highlight that most goats are sold live in informal markets, with only 0.5-percent processed through formal abattoirs. Experts argue that improved breeding, better supply chains, and government intervention could create jobs, enhance food security, and reduce reliance on imports. The council recommends breeding centres, formal aggregation hubs, and increased promotion of goat meat and dairy.

# Cycling: The City of Cape Town says it is ready to host the 47th Cape Town Cycle Tour, the world’s largest timed cycle race, on Sunday. Approximately 30-thousand cyclists will tackle three routes, including the traditional 109-kilometre route from the Grand Parade circling the Cape Peninsula. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the 78-kilometre invitational women’s race and the under-17 boys race will take off from Fish Hoek and finish in Green Point:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-58-cents and the euro at 19-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-62-cents and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-857-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-915-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-41-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Country music icon Dolly Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, has passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 82. The couple met outside a laundromat the day Parton moved to Nashville at 18. They were married in a small ceremony in Ringhold, Georgia, two years later, in 1966. Dean, who was a businessman, having owned an asphalt-paving business, was rarely seen in public with the singer. In a statement, Parton says words can’t do justice to the love they shared for over 60 years.

Stay tuned for more news………….