News 15:00

BULLETIN 4 June 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fuel prices will drop significantly from midnight       

# South Africa’s economy contracted in the first quarter of 2024            

# And cricket: The New York pitch is criticised after a slow-scoring encounter in the T20 World Cup

# Motorists will get major relief as fuel prices drop at midnight. Mineral Resources and Energy minister, Gwede Mantashe, announced the adjustments based on current local and international factors. Both grades of petrol will decrease by one-rand-24-cents-per-litre, while diesel will decrease by one-rand-9-cents and one rand-19-cents-per-litre. Wholesale illuminating paraffin drops 80-cents-per-litre while illuminating paraffin drops by 107-cents-per-litre. The maximum LP Gas retail price will see a decrease of one-rand-50-cents-per-kilogram. The monthly adjustments are due to factors in international prices and import costs for crude oil.

# South Africa’s economy contracted by a marginal 0.1-percent in the first quarter of 2024. This followed a revised 0.3-percent increase in the fourth quarter of 2023. Weaker manufacturing, mining and construction drove much of the downward momentum on the supply side of the economy, while the demand side witnessed a decline across all components. Six of the ten industries on the production side of the economy performed poorly in the first quarter with manufacturing the largest negative contributor. Agriculture was the largest positive contributor in the first quarter.

# Rise Mzansi says urgent action is needed to address the deadly floods in KwaZulu-Natal, which have resulted in seven fatalities and displaced one-thousand-200 people. The party calls for a comprehensive review of the region’s drainage systems to prevent future disasters. Rise Mzansi’s Mabine Seabe advocates for the effective use of the climate change response fund to support sustainable development and economic growth:

# A man has appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court facing charges of murder and attempted murder after allegedly fatally attacking a pro-Palestine family on Sunday. Grayson Beare allegedly stormed into Halima Hoosen-Preston’s Glenwood home, stabbing her to death. NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara confimed that her husband Shaun and her son have been hospitalised with stab wounds:

# Cricket: New York made its debut as T20 World Cup host yesterday with an unusually slow-scoring encounter between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was bowled out for just 77 and the Proteas eased to a six-wicket victory. Experts say a low-scoring game dominated by the bowlers is not necessarily the best way to launch a tournament which hopes to attract the US market. But Anrich Nortjé, who claimed four wickets for the Proteas, says slow-scoring games can also be exciting:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-64 and the euro at 20-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-79-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-886-dollars-35-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-327-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-11-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….