News 18:00

BULLETIN 18 April 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum urges president Cyril Ramaphosa to reconsider the Expropriation Bill
# ActionSA accuses the DA of exploiting the Westen Cape’s municipal resources for electioneering
# And motorsport: Charles Leclerc says Ferrari will be closer to Red Bull in China 

# AfriForum’s legal team has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to reconsider the Expropriation Bill’s constitutionality by sending it back to Parliament. This follows its approval by the National Council of Provinces. AfriForum’s head of Public Relations, Ernst van Zyl, emphasises the need to prevent government from having unchecked power over property. He says the bill threatens private property rights in South Africa:

# ActionSA plans to file a complaint with the Electoral Commission and Theewaterskloof municipality in the Western Cape, following evidence of a municipal vehicle allegedly used for DA campaign activities in Grabouw. The party claims to have photographic and videographic proof of food delivery to DA members while putting up posters. They believe this incident reflects a broader trend of political parties blurring the lines between party and state functions. ActionSA also notes the systematic removal of their posters, urging adherence to electoral conduct standards for fair elections.

# The National Credit Regulator reports a surge in South Africans relying on credit, with the total credit granted increasing by four-percent. According to the Consumer Credit Market Report, credit of up to 148.15-billion-rand was granted between October and December last year. Credit agreements spiked by 23.39-percent quarter-on-quarter. NCR analyst Lethabo Mashiane highlights the challenge consumers face in meeting monthly instalments, signalling a concerning trend of escalating debt despite the overall health of the credit cycle.

# More than half of South Africa’s rooftop solar PV systems remain unregistered, raising safety and regulatory concerns. Registration is necessary to ensure grid stability and safety at a municipal level. According to Eskom, more than five-gigawatts of rooftop solar PV has been installed. Municipalities are now urging residents to make use of an online platform by Sustainable Energy Africa, a tool helping municipalities to streamline registrations. SEA project coordinator Sinawo Sigalelana says as of yesterday, one-thousand-and-79 applications were received and more than half of these have been granted permission to install.

# Motorsport: Charles Leclerc says Ferrari will be closer to Red Bull at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, but he still expects his fight to be for the minor podium places. Formula One is back in China for the first time in five years with a packed programme including a Saturday sprint race. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez secured a dominant one-two in Japan two weeks ago followed by the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Leclerc. McLaren debutant Oscar Piastri says his team may struggle:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-13-cents and the euro at 20-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-979-dollars-45-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-378-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars-6-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….