News 14:00

BULLETIN 19 March 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC stresses lawfulness for free and fair elections
# President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasises infrastructure investment for economic growth 
# And tennis: Emma Raducanu withdraws from Miami with a back injury

# The ANC says it doesn’t dispute the existence of the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, its logo, and markings, but it opposes the registration procedure. Former president Jacob Zuma’s backed party is facing off against the ANC in Bloemfontein’s Electoral Court, contesting its legitimacy. Zuma and former Finance minister Des van Rooyen are present, as well as founder Jabulani Khumalo. The ANC’s legal counsel, Sesi Baloyi, emphasises lawfulness in elections, urging clarity from the court on the Independent Electoral Commission’s handling of supplemented party applications for future electoral certainty:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has underscored the significance of infrastructure investment for South Africa’s economic growth. Speaking at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Cape Town, Ramaphosa stressed the need for public-private partnerships to explore infrastructure investment opportunities. Hosted by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ramaphosa says the symposium aims to shape conversations on regulatory reforms and innovative funding models:

# Johannesburg Water says it continues to implement interventions to boost water supply and balance the systems to ensure equitable distribution. The prolonged heatwave and lack of rain over the previous few weeks has increased demand significantly, causing reservoir levels to decline and the system remains low. In the Commando System, there is slight improvement but the system remains under strain. The Central System is also improving. In the Soweto System, the heavy demand and hot weather are putting pressure on the system.

# Tennis: The 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu, has picked up a lower back injury that will keep her out of the Miami Open. The British player had been plagued by a slew of injuries after winning at Flushing Meadows at the age of 18, keeping her from reaching the potential many saw in her then. She underwent operations to her wrists and ankles last year before returning in Australia early this year. Raducano reached the third round in Indian Wells last week.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-175-dollars-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-153-dollars-18-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Wealth management company Citadel has spearheaded a campaign to raise over 2.2-million-rand to help support disadvantaged children across South Africa. This philanthropic initiative, now in its sixth year, has a profound impact on beneficiaries such as the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital’s Oncology Unit and the Blair Atholl Pre-Primary School. This year, the campaign partnered with music legend Ronan Keating and retired golfer Gary Player. CEO Andrew Möller has thanked South Africans for the overwhelming response and contributions.

Stay tuned for more news………….