News 14:00

BULLETIN 12 August 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Unemployment increases from 32.9-percent to 33.2-percent in the second quarter
# Minister Park Tau says government is deploying dedicated infrastructure for market expansion
# And rugby: The All Blacks’ Wallace Sititi is ruled out of the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina

# Statistics SA has announced 140-thousand people lost their jobs in the second quarter of this year. According to the Labour Force Survey there was also an increase of 19-thousand in the number of employed people. The changes in employment and unemployment resulted in the official unemployment rate increasing by 0.3 of a percentage point to 33.2-percent. Jobs were lost in Community and Social Services, Agriculture, Finance, Transport, Utilities and Manufacturing. Employment increased in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, while decreases occurred in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape.

# Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau says government is deploying dedicated infrastructure for market expansion. This includes trade and agricultural attachés, increased export certification capacity and a concerted effort to align biosecurity standards with the requirements of these new markets. During a media briefing on US tariffs, Tau said a high-level negotiation team has been identified and is ready to engage the US towards a mutually beneficial agreement:

Agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, is meanwhile warning it would be a loss for both South Africa and the United States if access to the US market were reduced. He says the unilateral tariffs imposed do not only apply to South Africa, they also affect over 130 trading partners with whom American consumers and producers interact:

# AfriForum has lodged an internal appeal with the Gauteng Department of Transport after its application to obtain information on the province’s proposed new number plates was ignored. The new high-tech number plates are equipped with anti-fraud and tampering measures. AfriForum’s Louis Boshoff says premier Panyaza Lesufi wants to have around seven-million new number plates manufactured, but has not disclosed how much this will cost:

# Rugby: New Zealand loose forward Wallace Sititi has been ruled out of the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Cordoba on Sunday. He is still recovering from ankle surgery that saw him miss last month’s series against France. This opens the door for a potential recall for Peter Lakai or a debut for Simon Parker. The All Blacks have lost three out of their last ten matches to the Pumas, including last year’s Rugby Championship clash in Wellington.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-70-cents and the euro at 20-rand-55-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-582-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-349-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….