News 13:00

BULLETIN 6 March 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Free State is now the epicentre of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
# Volkswagen recalls over 25-thousand Polo Vivo vehicles
# And cricket: Brendon McCullum wants to stay on as England’s coach

# The Free State has overtaken KwaZulu-Natal as the epicentre of foot-and-mouth disease, with 277 active outbreaks compared with 202 in KwaZulu-Natal. The Department of Agriculture commenced its vaccination drive this week with more than 119-thousand cattle vaccinated in the Free State. Parliament’s portfolio committee on Agriculture plans an oversight visit to the province to assess containment efforts. Nationwide, 935 outbreaks have been recorded. Authorities are urging farmers to remain vigilant and avoid purchasing unverified vaccines.

Staying with agricultural news:

# The South African Poultry Association says the poultry industry is looking to expand into export markets as their next phase of growth. A study by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy ranks South Africa as the world’s second-most competitive poultry producer after Brazil. The association says local production has increased enough to meet domestic demand. It argues that accessing global markets and introducing bird flu vaccinations will be key to boosting growth, creating jobs and strengthening the sector.

# The National Consumer Commission has announced the recall of 25-thousand-729 Volkswagen Polo Vivo vehicles sold between February 2025 and last month. Volkswagen says a defect in the handbrake lever rivet height may prevent the handbrake from engaging properly, or in rare cases, cause it to disengage unexpectedly. Owners are urged to take affected vehicles to authorised dealerships for free inspections and repairs. Motorists are advised to avoid parking on slopes and secure vehicles using gears or park mode.

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme says it is committed to ensuring that all eligible students secure safe and suitable accommodation for this academic year. To date, the scheme has received 224-thousand-983 accommodation applications from students across the country. NSFAS board chairperson, Mugwena Maluleke, says 148-thousand-825 students and accommodation providers have submitted signed leases, confirming their accommodation arrangements for the year:

# Cricket: Brendon McCullum wants to stay on as England’s coach, but admits hard conversations need to be had. This follows England’s exit from the T20 World Cup after they lost by just seven runs to defending champions India in the semifinal. McCullum, who is contracted until the 2027 home Ashes and the 50-over World Cup, says he still wants to achieve lots of things with the team across all formats:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-64-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-392-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-97-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….