News 07:00

BULLETIN 10 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Solidarity slams South Africa’s weak economic growth
# Donald Trump vows to respond after Iran shot down a US Apache helicopter
# And rugby: Several world-class players are included in the Barbarians squad for the clash against the Springboks

# Trade union Solidarity says the latest gross domestic product figures are disappointing and show that South Africa’s economy is still growing too slowly and not enough to address unemployment and economic problems. The union blames high costs and government policies for holding back investment and hurting key sectors like manufacturing. Solidarity’s Theuns du Buisson says continued low growth is damaging key sectors like manufacturing and discouraging investment:

# AgriSA says South Africa’s agricultural sector recorded a record trade surplus of about 29-billion-rand in the first three months of this year. The surplus was driven by strong horticultural exports such as grapes, citrus and wine. However, the organisation’s CEO Johann Kotzé warns challenges such as foot-and-mouth disease and declining exports to some markets are still limiting performance. Kotzé says stronger export growth and better market access are needed to sustain momentum.

# Gauteng Police Commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni, says a whole-of-government approach remains central to the future of policing in the province. The province’s fourth-quarter crime statistics for the 2025/2026 financial year show a 5.9-percent decline in contact crimes between January and March this year, with murder down 15-percent, rape down by 9.9-percent, and attempted murder down 3.2-percent. Mthombeni police are focused on enforcing the law fairly and ensuring that all persons within Gauteng are accounted for under the law:

# President Donald Trump says the US must, of necessity, respond against Iran after it shot down an American Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening. The two soldiers on the Apache had been patrolling waters off the coast of Oman when the crash happened. They were safely rescued by a sea drone in the first such operation ever carried out by the US military. The US has repeatedly shot down Iranian drones and attacked sites linked to missile launches, and Iran has retaliated with strikes on US bases.

# Rugby: Scotland’s South Africa-born Duhan van der Merwe, New Zealand legend, TJ Perenara, and England’s Kyle Sinckler have been named in the Barbarians squad to face the Springboks in Gqeberha next Saturday. Van der Merwe, who has scored 35 tries in 53 Tests for his adopted nation, will wear the famous jersey for the first time alongside fellow Scotland squad members D’Arcy Rae and Liam McConnell. Former All Blacks vice-captain Perenara brings 89 Tests’ worth of experience to the squad. Further squad announcements will be made in due course.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-53-cents and the euro at 19-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-11-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-741-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-197-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has announced the four-person crew for Artemis Three, which will test lunar landers for future missions to land on the moon. The astronauts, who will launch into space next year, are commander, Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio. This comes two months after Artemis Two’s record-breaking trip around the moon, which surpassed the distance record of Apollo 13. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says the crew will also test rendezvous and docking capabilities:

Stay tuned for more news………….