News 18:00

BULLETIN 25 March 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The South African Institute of International Affairs says South Africa cannot win any fight against the US
# AfriForum urges president Cyril Ramaphosa to condemn the ‘kill the boer’ chant
# And Olympic Games: Brisbane finalise the stadium plans for 2032

# The South African Institute of International Affairs warns that South Africa cannot win any fight against the United States. Chairperson Moeletsi Mbeki shared concerns over SA-US relations following the return of expelled ambassador Ebrahim Rasool. Tensions between the two nations have risen amid geopolitical shifts. Mbeki emphasised the power imbalance to Newzroom Afrika, urging diplomatic caution:

# AfriForum has called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly condemn the Kill the Boer chant performed by EFF leader Julius Malema on Human Rights Day. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl urges Ramaphosa to address farm murders as a national priority offence and retract false claims about violence against farmers. He emphasises the need for closer collaboration between government and community safety structures to combat rural crime:

# Home Affairs is advancing digital transformation to combat corruption in immigration. Minister Leon Schreiber says paper-based processes leave room for fraud and bribery. The shift includes replacing paper visas with an AI-driven Electronic Travel Authorisation, phasing out green ID books for secure digital IDs, and automating entry-exit systems at ports-of-entry. He says by modernising systems aims to ensure a corruption-free immigration environment:

# Southern and eastern African political blocs have expanded the mediation team to address the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The expansion follows stalled peace efforts after M23’s failure to attend talks last week, and the capture of Walikale. Angola stepped down from its mediation role. The new panel aims to facilitate piece and includes former heads of state, such as former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe. The leaders reaffirm a commitment to a political solution addressing all security concerns.

# Olympic Games: Brisbane has unveiled plans for the construction of a new stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics during the Games of 2032. It will be built in an inner city park. Queensland premier David Crisafulli announced that apart from the main stadium with seats for 60-thousand spectators, there will also be a new aquatics centre, and a third stadium at the showgrounds. This follows much political debate around the issue of venues since the Games were awarded to the Australian city in 2021.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-17-cents and the euro at 19-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-51-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-685-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-30-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….