News 13:00

BULLETIN 21 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Trump extends AGOA, restoring a key trade pathway for African economies
# The IEC warns against misinformation ahead of the local government elections
# And rugby: The Junior Bok team is overhauled for the clash with Chile in Cape Town

# US president Donald Trump has extended the African Growth and Opportunity Act through December this year, thereby restoring duty-free trade privileges for some African countries. The extension follows a brief lapse in the programme late last year, which had caused uncertainty for African exports, including those of South Africa, that depend on US market access. Gabon has been reinstated as a beneficiary of AGOA after making sufficient progress on governance and eligibility, reversing its 2023 removal.

# Forum for South Africa has expressed concern at public transport operator Putco’s latest fare increase. Putco will increase bus fares by an average of ten-percent from the first of June, fuelled by record-high diesel costs. FOSA leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says every increase in fares pushes thousands of commuters closer to economic exclusion:

# The Electoral Commission has raised concerns over growing misinformation on social media about the management of elections, ahead of the local government elections on 4 November. The IEC has warned political parties against making false claims that could undermine the credibility of the electoral process. Electoral official Ntombifuthi Masinga has encouraged the public and party agents to verify information on the IEC’s website to help combat disinformation and build public trust in the election process.

Moving abroad:

# NATO’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, says US troop reductions in Europe will be structured and not harm defences. His comments come after US president Donald Trump’s most recent attack on the alliance, sparked by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism of the US-Israeli war in Iran. Rutte says Trump’s proposed withdrawal of four to five-thousand troops is a rotational force that would not have an impact on NATO’s defence plans:

# Rugby: Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote overhauled his team completely for this afternoon’s SA Rugby Under 20 Championship match against Chile at Rondebosch Boys’ High in Cape Town. Only eight players remain from the squad that faced New Zealand in the final round of the Under-20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha earlier this month. Flanker Risima Khosa will captain the Baby Boks. Foote says the rotation is aimed at building squad depth. Fiji and Georgia will face off in today’s earlier match.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-16-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-875-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-538-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 101-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….