News 15:00

BULLETIN 25 May 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Treasury ends the fuel levy relief
# TLU SA welcomes the arrival of 3.5-million FMD vaccine doses
# And rugby: Cheslin Kolbe’s return to Cape Town is confirmed

# National Treasury has ended its temporary fuel levy relief, removing a measure that had helped cushion motorists against high fuel prices. The decision means consumers are likely to face increased fuel costs as the tax adjustment takes effect. Treasury says the relief was always intended as a short-term intervention. The move is expected to impact transport costs and inflation pressures, with stakeholders warning of knock-on effects across the economy, particularly for households and businesses dependent on fuel-intensive logistics and commuting.

# The agriculture organisation TLU SA has welcomed the arrival of the first batch of a 3.5 million-dose consignment of Argentina’s foot and mouth disease vaccines. This is the largest single consignment of FMD vaccines ever imported into South Africa. TLU SA’s Bennie van Zyl says the Department of Agriculture must establish an allocation distribution committee for the vaccines, which should include farmers and agriculture organisations:

# ActionSA will approach the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation to request a criminal probe into Gauteng officials linked to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital fire repair project. The party’s Matthew George cites a Public Protector report alleging maladministration, irregular spending, poor financial controls, and possible breaches of the Public Finance Management Act. He calls for a parallel investigation by the auditor-general and stronger parliamentary oversight:

# Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, has dismissed misinformation regarding the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s online claims process. More than 4.5-million claims were processed and paid by last month, surpassing figures recorded under the legacy uFiling system. Meth says the platform simplifies claims through direct submissions, real-time tracking, and automated communication. She has given the assurance that no applications were lost following the closure of the old claims portal.

# Rugby: Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe’s return to Cape Town had been confirmed. The 32-year-old versatile back player left the Stormers for French outfit Toulouse in 2017 and moved to Japan in 2023. The native from Kraaifontein in the Mother City made his debut for South Africa in 2018 and played 49 Tests since, scoring 136 points. Kolbe thanked his team, Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath, for making his time in Japan special. He will join the Stormers at the start of July.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-31-cents and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-2-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-360-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-573-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….