News 14:00

BULLETIN 7 August 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa and Trump commit to ongoing bilateral trade engagements
# The Forum for South Africa says the country deserves a mining industry that is legal and safe
# And rugby: Bok Women player Lusanda Dumke takes a break over health concerns

# President Cyril Ramaphosa and US counterpart Donald Trump have committed to ongoing bilateral trade engagements. This follows a telephone conversation where the two leaders discussed key economic matters, including the new 30-percent US tariffs on certain South African exports, effective from today. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says government is working to protect South Africa’s trade interests as global economic pressures increase:

Meanwhile Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on more than 90 countries have come into effect. He posted on his Truth Social platform that billions of dollars were now flowing into the US. Earlier, Trump hit India with a 50-percent tariff, which will take effect on 27 August unless the country stops buying Russian oil. He also threatened a 100-percent tariff on foreign-made computer chips. Apple announced a new 1.7-trillion-rand US investment after coming under pressure from the White House to move more production to America.

# Forum for South Africa says the country deserves a mining industry that is legal, safe, and beneficial to its citizens. At least 550 suspected illegal miners, including foreign nationals and minors, have been arrested at the Sheba Gold Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga, in the past few days. Most of the suspects are from Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Forum leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says illegal mining is not only a security threat but also a humanitarian crisis:

# Rugby: Springbok Women flanker Lusanda Dumke is stepping away from the game due to health concerns. The 28-year-old has earned 33 Test caps and captained the team on three occasions. She also led the Bulls Daisies to their third consecutive Women’s Premier Division title this year. Springbok Women performance coach, Swys de Bruin, says Dumke’s absence will have an impact, but at the same time, the players going to the World Cup will know that playing for the country while fit and strong is a privilege.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-74-cents and the euro at 20-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 115-thousand-631-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-378-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: Applications are open for the curated programme of the 52nd National Arts Festival in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape next year. The programme assembles some of the country’s most exciting award-winning talent alongside global works and edgy genre-bending experiences. This year’s curated programme included Cape Ballet Africa’s triple bill SALT, the UK’s Action Hero’s theatre work The Talent, and Rehane Abrahams’ new work The Fugue of Tjebolang. Artists, producers, and creative practitioners are encouraged to apply by the third of October.

Stay tuned for more news………….