News 15:00

BULLETIN 12 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Solidarity Movement, AfriForum and Solidarity quit the National Dialogue
# Unemployment increases to 33.2-percent in the second quarter
# And golf: The Sunshine Tour increases the prize money for the Fortress Invitational to 2.5-million-rand

# The Solidarity Movement, AfriForum, and Solidarity have withdrawn from Friday’s National Dialogue. AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel says while they support genuine dialogue, the current format has become a government-driven monologue serving the ANC’s agenda. Kriel insists the ANC cannot be trusted to solve crises it created itself, hence the groups will instead hold community-led talks with civil society and cultural organisations:

# Higher Education and Training minister, Buti Manamela, says government will embark on a bold reform plan for the post-school education and training sector. The plan focuses on six main goals and five key areas, starting with projects like Skills to Work Transitions, Career Choices, and Literacy for Empowerment. Manamela told the media the next four years will focus on curriculum innovation, digital learning, research, and building a strong system that meets economic and social needs:

# 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 were observed in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape.

And abroad, Britain’s unemployment rate remained at a four-year high, as job vacancies shrank during a period that included a United Kingdom tax hike and US tariffs kicking in. The Office for National Statistics says unemployment was at 4.7-percent in the three months to the end of June, unchanged from the March to May period. A business tax hike took effect in April, with analysts warning it would lead companies to scale back hiring. April also saw the beginning of US president Donald Trump’s new tariffs on imports.

# Golf: The Sunshine Tour and Fortress Real Estate Investments have significantly increased the prize money for the Fortress Invitational, set to be played at the Glendower Golf Club in Gauteng in October. The purse has increased to 2.5-million-rand, which represents an overall increase of one-million-rand in prize money since the tournament first teed off in 2022. Meanwhile, the end-of-season bonus for the Fortress Rookie of the Year award has also increased, with this year’s winner walking off with 400-thousand-rand, which is double the previous season.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-385-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-340-dollars-1-cent a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-20-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….