News 17:00

BULLETIN 8 Junie 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# COSATU welcomes president Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on migration challenges
# Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge files an urgent interdict against the Judicial Service Commission’s gross misconduct finding
# And soccer: Mama Joy’s World Cup dream is dashed amid a sponsorship controversy

# Union federation Cosatu fully agrees with president Cyril Ramaphosa that intimidation, violence and xenophobia against foreign nationals is not the answer to the country’s social ills. He emphasised that South Africa’s economic struggles are not caused by foreign nationals, but by the failure to grow the economy and create jobs. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela also welcomed the confirmation that ten-thousand labour inspectors will be hired to strengthen compliance with labour laws:

# Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge has filed a review application and an urgent interdict in the High Court in Pretoria challenging the Judicial Service Commission’s finding that he is guilty of gross misconduct. The JSC overturned an earlier Judicial Conduct Tribunal ruling, which found him guilty of misconduct for making unwanted sexual advances towards secretary, Andiswa Mengo between 2021 and 2022. The matter has been referred for possible parliamentary impeachment proceedings. Mbenenge is now seeking to have the decision reviewed and set aside.

# RiseMzansi leader, Songezo Zibi, has raised concerns that national government departments are being undermined by municipalities that are failing to perform their duties effectively. Addressing the media in Johannesburg he said poor coordination, weak accountability, and lack of capacity at the local government level are contributing to service delivery breakdowns across the country. Zibi warns that citizens are directly affected by these failures and calls for urgent reforms. He urges stronger oversight, improved governance, and greater responsibility from municipalities:

# At least 32 people have now died after this morning’s magnitude-7.8 earthquake off the coast of Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines. The quake triggering tsunami alerts in the island nation, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. More than 100 people have been injured across several provinces, almost two dozen are missing, and ten-thousand residents have been pre-emptively evacuated. More than 130 aftershocks were recorded, with magnitudes ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 6.7. President Ferdinand Marcos Junior says agencies were co-ordinating their disaster response.

# Soccer: South African superfan Mama Joy Chauke says she is heartbroken after missing out on sponsorship to attend the World Cup in Northern America. Known for her vibrant support of national teams at major global events, she confirmed she will now watch the tournament from home. The decision follows ongoing debate over government funding for influencers and superfans. Chauke says it hurts to be excluded despite her long history of supporting South African sport and promoting national pride internationally.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-46-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-701-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-330-dollars-65-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….