News 07:00

BULLETIN 9 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# TLU SA backs a proposal to protect South African farmers’ access to US markets
# The ATM is set to oppose Ramaphosa’s court review of the Phala Phala report
# And, the EU warns against an escalation in the Middle East following reciprocal attacks

# The agricultural organisation TLU SA has expressed support for Sakeliga’s proposal on the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The organisation calls for a new approach that would allow compliant businesses and producers to maintain access to the US market even if national-level relations change. TLU SA’s Bennie van Zyl says agriculture is already under pressure from rising costs and regulatory challenges:

# The African Transformation Movement says it will file papers opposing president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Western Cape High Court challenge. The president filed an application earlier this month, urging the court to review and set aside the Section 89 panel report, and invalidate any actions taken by the National Assembly pursuant to it. The Constitutional Court has cleared the path for an impeachment inquiry into Ramaphosa’s conduct surrounding the theft of cash at his Phala Phala farm. ATM leader, Vuyo Zungula, has reiterated that Ramaphosa’s court bid is aimed at frustrating constitutional accountability.

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Home Affairs has called on law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts to ensure that immigration laws are upheld and effectively enforced. This comes as anti-foreigner marches continued to take place around South Africa, leading to foreign nationals leaving the country. Committee chairperson Mosa Chabane says illegal migration cannot be addressed in isolation as it is closely linked to broader socio-economic challenges. He emphasised that strengthened infrastructure at ports of entry and vulnerable border areas is essential to enhancing the country’s border management capabilities. 

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says he expects the City of Johannesburg to address the credibility challenges identified in revenue and expenditure. The Auditor General reported last week that the metro had two-billion-rand of unauthorised expenditure due to the unfunded adjustments budget. In April, the minister threatened to cut government funding to Johannesburg unless it addresses wasteful spending and cancels plans to raise municipal wages. In a parliamentary reply, Godongwana says he expects all the concerns he has outlined to the council to be ironed out by the end of this month.

# The European Union has warned that a return to full-scale war in the Middle East would come at a tremendous cost to the entire region. Iran and Israel traded strikes in the worst flare-up of violence since the April ceasefire came into effect. EU Foreign Policy chief, Kaja Kallas, says the immediate priority is stopping the fighting, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and then using the time for longer discussions when it comes to the more difficult topics like nuclear:

# Cricket: The Proteas Women will play New Zealand in Loughborough, England, today in their final warm-up match for the T20 World Cup. South Africa’s first match of the tournament will be against Australia in Manchester on Saturday, after Friday’s opening match between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The Proteas will also face Pakistan, India and the Netherlands in a strong Group One. The group matches will be followed by two semifinals, and the final at Lord’s in London on 5 July.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-49-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-1-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-772-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-337-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….