News 09:00

BULLETIN 26 June 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Hlabisa says government will intensify the oversight of municipalities experiencing challenges
# More than eight-thousand foreigners were repatriated through Beitbridge in less than two weeks
# And, Donald Trump says the deal with Iran will deliver a financial windfall to American farmers

# Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has called for urgent action to address persistent governance, financial management and accountability challenges in local government. The Auditor-General’s consolidated report on local government outcomes for 2024/2025 reveals that only 15-percent of municipalities received clean audits in the 2025 fiscal year; 28-percent have shown improvements since 2021, and 15-percent have regressed over the same period. Hlabisa says government will continue to provide support where needed, but there must be accountability for poor performance and persistent governance failure.

# The Border Management Authority says eight-thousand-230 Malawian and Zimbabwean nationals have been repatriated through the Beitbridge Port of Entry in less than two weeks. This comes ahead of planned anti-illegal immigration marches next Tuesday. BMA spokesperson, Mmemme Mogotsi, says foreign nationals arriving for repatriation were processed in the presence of officials from their respective embassies, to verify their identities, travel documentation, and compliance with applicable immigration requirements:

# The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has been allocated a total baseline budget of 27-8-billion-rand for the 2026/2027 financial year. The amount includes 3.2-billion-rand committed to public transport services. The department currently manages 16 subsidised bus contracts, comprising 15 negotiated contracts and one tendered contract. MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela says increased focus is on road safety and protecting public infrastructure:

# US president Donald Trump says he is seeking roughly 181.5-billion-rand from Congress to help strengthen the agricultural sector. This comes as the US-Israeli war on Iran has resulted in volatile commodity prices and high operating costs for farmers, including soaring costs for fuel and fertiliser. Trump hosted farmers, ranchers, cattlemen, and agricultural producers from across the country at the White House yesterday. He promised that Iran’s rebuilding after the war could be a boon for American farmers:

# Soccer: Nicolas Pepe scored twice to guide Ivory Coast to a 2-0 victory against debutants Curacao in Philadelphia, and reach the knockout stages for the first time in World Cup history. The Ivorians finished second in Group E and will face France or Norway next Tuesday. In New Jersey, Ecuador stunned already-qualified Germany with a 2-1 win to reach the round of 32 as one of the highest third-placed teams. Sweden and Japan have both qualified for the knockout stage after playing to a 1-1 draw in Dallas.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-51-cents and the euro at 18-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-80-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-903-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-008-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-13-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….