Cape Town —
Update at 16h30 SAST
Twelfth Language On Way - and Not a Moment Too Soon
Cabinet has approved the publication of the eighteenth Amendment Bill for public comment. This will pave the way for South African Sign Language to become an official language in the country. The Bill will amend Section 6(1) of the 1996 Constitution which proclaimed the countries 11 official languages - Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, English, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.
SARS Workers On Strike
Now is not a good time to visit the South African Revenue Service branches, as employees there are on strike for higher wages. Unions NEHAWU and the Public Servants Association has vowed to shut all branches nationwide until their demands for a 7% increase across the board, are met.
Smaller Airports Leading the Charge, After Covid-19 Travel Bans
Smaller airports like the one in George in the Western Cape, is welcoming more domestic travellers since the 2-year Covid-19 travel ban was lifted. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has said this is due to regional airports not relying on business travellers as the bigger airports does, and the lingering effects of Covid-19 still impacting on international travel.
If a Bank Fails, Up to R100,000 of Funds In Your Account Will Be Guaranteed
The South African Reserve Bank's has a new Corporation for Deposit Insurance that will cover depositors for the first R100,000 they saved, in the event that the bank fails. Customers in the past only received R50,000 back when a bank fails. The Reserve Bank said this will be funded by the banking sector and not the government. This decision follows a decision by the Reserve Bank to place UBank - a small retail bank focused primarily on providing financial services for mine workers and their families - under curatorship for its deteriorating capital adequacy profile in recent months.
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South Africans Eating Less Bread
South Africans, rich and poor, are eating less bread as wheat imports are impacted by the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine. Tiger Brands has reported, in its six-monthly financial results to the end of March 2022, that there has been a 2% decrease to R7.4 billion in revenue for its grains division - driven mainly by volume losses in its wheat milling and bakery operations.
Northern Cape Raisin Farmers Get R28 Million Investment Boost From PepsiCo
Northern Cape province is the second largest producer of raisins in the country. PepsiCo, through the Kgodiso Development Fund, will support emerging farmers in the sector.
The funds will be employed for two projects in the province - one to set up a vine academy and demonstration farms and two - to offer funding to black emerging farmers in the industry with loans.
