News 14:00

BULLETIN 14 April 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mcebisi Jonas is to spearhead South Africa’s diplomatic and trade ties with the US
# The Defence Force’s budget cuts threaten investor confidence in South Africa
# And tennis: Carlos Alcaraz rises back up to second in the ATP rankings after winning the Monte-Carlo title

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed former deputy Finance minister Mcebisi Jonas as his special envoy to the US. He will represent South Africa’s diplomatic and economic interests, engaging with US government officials and business leaders to strengthen bilateral ties. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Jonas previously served as one of the president’s investment envoys and will continue in his role as MTN group chairperson while taking on this new position:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Defence and Military Veterans says investor confidence is at risk due to weakened security. Chairperson Dakota Legoete highlighted a 50-billion-rand funding loss to the South African Defence Force over 15-years, calling it a constitutional concern. Legoete told Newzroom Afrika a strong Defence Force is key to safety and economic growth. He warns against rising irregular expenditure within the department amid ongoing budget cuts:

# The Western Cape provincial Parliament’s standing committee on Infrastructure has invited Human Settlements minister, Thembi Simelane, to appear before it and present the George building collapse report. Last week, the minister revealed the findings of the National Home Builders Regulatory Council’s investigation report into the building collapse, which resulted in the deaths of 34 people in May last year. The DA’s Dirk Wessels says the collapse of the building was a structural, governance, and human tragedy:

# SANParks is urging Easter weekend visitors to the Kruger National Park to book online in advance due to expected high volumes. Spokesperson JP Louw says gate quotas and time slots will be enforced, and extra officials will monitor speeding and conduct. Louw stresses that vehicles without number plates will be denied entry. He urges cooperation, safety, and respect for park rules to ensure a smooth, enjoyable visit for all this Easter season.

# Tennis: Four-time Grand Slam champion, Carlos Alcaraz, has reclaimed the world number two ranking by winning the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Spaniard defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-love to capture his sixth ATP Masters One Thousand title. Italian Jannik Sinner still leads the ATP rankings with Germany’s Alexander Zverev dropping to third. Australia’s Alex de Minaur climbed three spots to seventh, while Russia’s Andrey Rublev moved up to eighth ahead of his compatriot Daniil Medvedev, who makes his return to the top ten in ninth place.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-90-cents and the euro at 21-rand-50-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-418-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-218-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….