News 17:00

BULLETIN 7 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu supports a call to fund the President’s Emergency Plan for the AIDS Relief shortfall
# Johannesburg’s mayor assures the city’s readiness for the G20 summit amid Ramaphosa’s criticism
# And cricket: The Black Caps hope to have Matt Henry fit to face India in Sunday’s final of the Champions Trophy

# Union federation Cosatu has welcomed Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s call for government to cover the funding shortfall left by the US’s decision to end the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief support. With 500-thousand HIV/Aids patients relying on the programme, Cosatu’s Matthew Parks urges Finance minister Enoch Godongwana to allocate funds in the budget:

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has given the assurance that the city is ready to host the G20 summit in November. The mayor’s remarks came during a two-day visit by the national executive to the Gauteng provincial executive council. This follows president Cyril Ramaphosa’s criticism of the city’s poor condition, describing it as an unpleasant environment. Morero reassured Ramaphosa that Johannesburg would not disappoint:

# The Vaal Dam has reached full capacity for the first time since 2023 following consistent rainfall. Water levels surged from 97.73-persent on Wednesday to 100-percent by this morning. Despite the milestone, authorities stress the need for ongoing water conservation due to unpredictable weather patterns. The dam, designed to release excess water through sluice gates, poses no overflow risk. Officials plan to increase outflow to manage levels and prevent flooding.

# Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and some 84-thousand households were left in the dark as a rare tropical cyclone approaches Australia’s eastern coast. Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall as a category two system tomorrow morning, with wind speeds of up to 130-kilometres per hour. It has already caused flooding which authorities fear could worsen over the weekend. Four million people across Queensland and northern New South Wales could be impacted as up to 800 millimetres of rain are expected.

# Cricket: New Zealand are hopeful pace bowler Matt Henry will recover from a shoulder injury in time for their Champions Trophy final against India on Sunday. Henry is racing to be fit for the title clash in Dubai after injuring his right shoulder while taking a catch in the semi-final win over South Africa on Wednesday. Henry has been key to New Zealand’s hopes in the 50-over tournament and returned figures of 5 for 42 against India in a dead-rubber group match that the Black Caps lost.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-18-cents and the euro at 19-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-390-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-913-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….