Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa says government is considering whether to declare the incidents of foodborne illnesses across the country, a National Disaster. 

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) lowered its policy rate today by 0.25%, from 8.0% to 7.75%. The Committee’s decision was unanimous, and the cut was widely expected. Yesterday’s CPI announcement, which showed year-on-year inflation falling to a four-year low of 2.8%, meant a follow-up cut was almost guaranteed. At the same time, the SARB’s conservative approach meant anything more than 25bp was extremely unlikely. 

AFRICA UPDATE WITH SIPHO MANTULA