News 18:00

BULLETIN 9 July 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Shell seeks permission to drill offshore wells in South Africa
# ACSA plans to boost air cargo growth at OR Tambo
# And, soccer: Mbappé says the Euro crown is the only one missing in his trophy cabinet

# Shell is seeking government approval to drill up to five offshore wells off South Africa’s West Coast. A draft scoping report from SLR reveals that Shell and its joint venture partners require environmental authorization to operate in the Northern Cape Ultra Deep Block in the Orange Basin. Shell aims to explore and appraise wells in this area, joining other oil companies like TotalEnergies in shifting focus south of Namibia following recent discoveries in the prolific Orange Basin.

# Airports Company South Africa is enhancing efforts to grow air cargo traffic at Ekurhuleni’s OR Tambo International Airport to reduce congestion and increase warehouse capacity. The company says this move aligns with the African Continental Free Trade Area to stimulate economic growth. In addition the company announced the development of a new mid-airfield cargo terminal to meet rising demand. It aims to position OR Tambo as a major hub for international and regional air cargo, supporting economic recovery and regional trade.

# The Public Servants Association warns of a mass exodus of South African nurses to overseas countries like Canada, Germany, and Ireland for better opportunities. The PSA urges government to improve salaries and working conditions to retain nurses. The association’s Claude Naiker says the shortage, worsened by poor support and conditions, threatens healthcare. Naiker adds immediate action is needed to address this crisis, especially with the upcoming National Health Insurance scheme:

# Soccer: The European Championships in Germany has reached the semifinal stage. Tomorrow night it will be the Netherlands against England, but before that, it will be a heavyweight showdown between France and Spain in Munich tonight. Spain have won their last six matches, while France have won two and drawn four. French captain Kylian Mbappé scored only one goal so far at Euro 2024, but he hopes to send his team to the final:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 19-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-451-dollars-96-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-329-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-49-cents a barrel.

# And finally, today marks three years since the start of the July 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, which left over 350 people dead and resulted in millions-of-rand of damage to infrastructure. From 9 to 17 July violent protests erupted, leading to widespread looting and destruction. Two-million people were left jobless, with a loss of 50-billion-rand to the economy. The unrest began with protests against former president Jacob Zuma’s imprisonment and was exacerbated by Covid-19’s socio-economic impact. Only one instigator, Mdumiseni Khetha Zuma, was sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Stay tuned for more news………….