News 14:00

BULLETIN 19 April 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu says government dare not rest whilst South Africa has a 41-percent unemployment rate
# The remains of 42 of the Easter weekend bus crash victims in Limpopo have been identified 
# And rugby: The Sharks and Glasgow kick off the weekend’s URC action in Scotland tonight 

# Cosatu says Volkswagen’s four-billion-rand investment in its Kariega assembly plant in the Eastern Cape is a sign that government efforts with industry and labour through the Automotive Masterplan, are bearing fruit. Whilst the federation welcomes these positive developments, it believes the country has much more to do. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says government dare not rest while South Africa has a 41-percent unemployment rate and an economy in need of active support and facing many headwinds:

# The remains of 42 victims involved in the bus accident in Limpopo over the Easter Weekend have been identified. The provincial Health Department says DNA sampling has helped identify the human remains of the Botswana nationals. The department’s spokesperson, Thilivhali Muavha, says the 42 includes the six people that were previously identified. Muavha says a team comprising members of the police’s victim identification unit and Forensic Pathology Services will meet at Mokopane hospital on Monday to finalise repatriation arrangements of the remains.

# Copenhagen’s mayor plans to look at France’s response to the fire in the Notre-Dame cathedral when handling the blaze in the Danish capital’s Old Stock Exchange building. The 400-year-old complex sustained extensive damage when a fire broke out on Tuesday, with its spire toppling and a large roof section collapsing. The owners of the building, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, has vowed to rebuild the landmark. Mayor Sophie Haestorp Anderson says she will travel to Paris next month to learn about the restoration of the Notre-Dame.

# Rugby: The Sharks and Glasgow Warriors kick off the weekend’s United Rugby Championship action in Scotland tonight. Tomorrow, the Lions will welcome Jacques Nienaber’s Leinster side to Ellis Park, and the Bulls will face Munster at Loftus. Then the Stormers will host Ospreys in Cape Town. Leinster is currently on top of the log with eleven victories out of 13 matches, followed by Glasgow and the Bulls. The Stormers are fifth, the Lions eleventh and the Sharks 13th out of the 16 teams.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-21-cents and the euro at 20-rand-46-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-851-dollars-31-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-381-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The City of Cape Town’s Department of Health recorded a 16-percent decline year-on-year in follow-up immunisations of children younger than 12 months. During the first year, children build up immunity against a number of infectious diseases through active vaccination against these. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, says when not fully vaccinated, children are at risk of severe complications should they become infected:

Stay tuned for more news………….