News 17:00

BULLETIN 5 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Numsa condemns the secrecy in minister Pravin Gordhan’s SAA-Takatso deal 
# Gauteng commits to resolving the e-toll issue by 31 March
# And tennis: The unseeded Rafael Nadal is still seen as a threat in Indian Wells

# Metalworkers union Numsa is urging Parliament’s portfolio committee on Public Enterprises to reveal and share documents submitted by Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan regarding the controversial 51-percent sale of South African Airways to the Takatso Consortium. The committee is set to convene tomorrow, with calls for openness and accountability. The union criticises Gordhan’s attempt to enforce non-disclosure agreements and secrecy surrounding the deal, calling it outrageous. Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola demands public disclosure of all relevant documents:

# Gauteng’s MEC for Finance, Jacob Mamabolo, has declared a firm commitment to resolving the e-tolls issue by the end of this month. This follows a policy pronouncement in 2022, with the province agreeing to contribute 30-percent to settle the South African National Roads Agency’s debt, while the national government covers the remaining 70-percent. In his provincial budget address, Mamabolo says gantry lights and cameras will remain for law enforcement, and road users can continue using eTags at other toll plazas:

# FNB analyst Ester Ochse has advised consumers to tighten spending amid fuel cost hikes. The bank fears stretched budgets will worsen with increased fuel expenses, impacting vehicle and public transport costs. This will likely lead to higher product prices, exacerbating consumer inflation and reducing purchasing power. Despite challenges, FNB expects the rand to improve post-election, potentially lowering inflation, interest rates, and boosting real disposable income in the latter half of the year:

# Human rights groups say Iran executed a total of at least 834 people last year, the highest number since 2015, as capital punishment surged in the Islamic republic. The number of executions, which are carried out by hanging, was up some 43-percent on 2022. It marked only the second time in two decades that over 800 executions were recorded in a year, after 972 executions in 2015.

# Tennis: Former world number one Rafael Nadal is unseeded for the Indian Wells tournament starting in the US tomorrow, but is still seen as a threat to the stronger players. The Spaniard has slumped to 652 in the world rankings after a year hugely disrupted by injuries, but has shown signs of his former greatness in Sunday’s exhibition game in Las Vegas against compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who is seeded second in Indian Wells. Novak Djokovic is the top seed, and Jannik Sinner the third seed.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-94-cents and the euro at 20-rand-55-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-2-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-689-dollars-66-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-137-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….