News 14:00

BULLETIN 15 April 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Foreign investors disinvested more than one-trillion-rand over the past decade
# Elections 2024: ActionSA challenges the leaders of the 0four largest parties to undergo lifestyle audits 
# And Olympics: Flame starts its journey to Paris from Olympia in Greece today 

# Over one-trillion-rand has been disinvested from South African equities and bonds in the past decade. Old Mutual chair and ex-finance minister Trevor Manuel attributes this to declining confidence amid governmental crises. Manuel says that investors seek regulatory stability. He emphasises policy clarity and collaboration across sectors for investment trust revival. Manuel says despite effort to restore the institutions and rebuild the economy, more work is necessary to eradicate corruption and regain institutional strength. He called for the balancing of fiscal needs with clear, long-term regulations.

# ActionSA says it has asked the leaders of the four largest political parties represented in the National Assembly – the ANC, DA, EFF and IFP – to agree to undergo voluntary lifestyle audits within 14 days. The party’s leader, Herman Mashaba, says an independent forensics expert, Paul O’Sullivan, has already agreed to conduct the audits at an approximate cost of five-thousand to ten-thousand-rand, which ActionSA has offered to pay:

# The DA in Gauteng says the provincial Department of Health is spending 14-million-rand per year on eleven Cuban doctors despite the large number of unemployed South African doctors. This is revealed by the MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, in a written reply to the party’s questions in the provincial legislature. The DA’s Jack Bloom says their annual pay packages range from 1.2- to 1.6-million-rand:

# The Olympic flame is being lit in Greece today before the start of its journey to France for this year’s Games in Paris. The flame will be lit at the birthplace of the ancient Games, Olympia, and carried to several tourist destinations in Greece. It will be handed to the organisers of the Games at the site of the first modern Games in Athens in 1896 next Friday, and then taken on board a 19th Century vessel for the journey to France.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-98-cents and the euro at 20-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-515-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-350-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-69-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Mail and Guardian director, Thembisa Fakude, has extended support to Daily Maverick’s 24-hour shutdown, echoing concerns over journalism and its financial crisis. Fakude highlights the vital role of media in a healthy democracy, and endorses calls for public, business, and policymaker support. Both publications emphasise that a robust media sector is essential for societal well-being. Fakude says the solidarity aims to spotlight the urgent need for sustainable journalism.

Stay tuned for more news………….