News 15:00

BULLETIN 21 May 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Institute for Global Dialogue views the meeting between Ramaphosa and Trump as an opportunity to enhance bilateral relations
# Trump and China wage a war of words about the Golden Dome missile shield system
# And soccer: A pact between the European Union and CAF will boost the game in African schools

# A senior researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue, Mikatekiso Kubayi, says today’s meeting between president Cyril Ramaphosa and US president Donald Trump is a pivotal opportunity to assess and enhance bilateral relations. Kubayi emphasised to Newzroom Afrika the need to identify effective aspects of the partnership and re-evaluate trade and economic cooperation. He highlights the importance of this dialogue in fostering mutual understanding and advancing shared interests between the two countries:

The African Transformation Movement has meanwhile strongly condemned reports that Ramaphosa and his administration are planning to roll out the red carpet for Elon Musk’s Starlink and Tesla by sidestepping laws. The ATM’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshona says no-one, not Musk or any other billionaire, should get a free pass to trample over the country’s laws. He says they are not against investment, but any deal must respect South Africa’s sovereignty:

Trump has meanwhile announced new details and initial funding for his Golden Dome missile shield system, with geopolitical rival China accusing Washington of undermining global stability. Trump announced 447-billion-rand earmarked for the project, which he says could eventually cost a total of around three-trillion-rand and would be operational in about three years. Beijing hit back, denouncing Golden Dome as a threat to international security and accusing the United States of fueling an arms race.

# Soccer: European Union commissioner Jozef Sikela and CAF president Patrice Motsepe have sealed a multimillion-euro agreement to enhance the CAF African Schools Championship. This initiative aims to develop youth soccer across Africa, with the Motsepe Foundation contributing 179-million-rand in prize money. Motsepe says the partnership is set to improve infrastructure and provide educational opportunities for young athletes, fostering talent and unity across the continent:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-87-cents and the euro at 20-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-550-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-309-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Johannesburg has overtaken Cape Town as South Africa’s top start-up hub. According to StartupBlink’s 2025 Global Start-up Ecosystem Index, Johannesburg climbed 17 spots globally to rank 122nd, with a growth rate of over 42-percent, while Cape Town fell to 138th place with 13-percent growth. South Africa remains 52nd globally and leads Africa’s start-up scene. The country’s start-up ecosystem received approximately 8.2-billion-rand in funding in 2024. South Africa’s best industry is edtech, where it ranks 35th worldwide.

Stay tuned for more news………….