News 12:00

BULLETIN 26 June 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa says South Africa will continue to preserve its independent foreign policy stance
# Steenhuisen approves new foot-and-mouth disease control measures to support farmers and protect trade
# And rugby: Rassie is satisfied with the work the Boks did ahead of the Nations Championship opener against England

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s long-standing policy of non-alignment and strategic autonomy does not imply neutrality or disengagement. US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Bozell, earlier criticised deputy president Paul Mashatile’s visit to China and the hosting of Iran’s deputy Foreign Affairs minister. Ramaphosa told the National Council of Provinces South Africa maintains diplomatic relations with countries across different regions and political systems in pursuit of its national interests:

# Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has approved a new set of national foot-and-mouth disease control measures, aimed at providing livestock farmers with a clearer path to recovery during outbreaks, while safeguarding South Africa’s agricultural trade and biosecurity. The department’s spokesperson, Joylene van Wyk, says a key feature of the new measures is the introduction of risk-based pathways that allow certain trade activities to resume during quarantine periods:

# The Road Accident Fund has rejected claims of non-payment of finalised claims to de Broglio Attorneys, saying records show it remains the single largest recipient of payments over the most recent 20-month period. According to Moneyweb, the firm has launched a court application against the fund, following continued non-payment of more than 430 claims, despite settlement agreements having been concluded or court orders granted. RAF says over from October 2024 to last month, payments to de Broglio amounted to 1.48-billion-rand across one-thousand-608 claims.

# The Freedom Front Plus is warning that Gauteng’s environment is under unprecedented pressure, saying groundwater is under threat, and air quality in several areas remains unacceptably poor. The provincial Department of Environment has only met 63-percent of its performance targets. The FF Plus’s Jaco Mulder says the biggest polluters are often municipalities that fail to properly maintain wastewater treatment works and effectively implement waste management:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says the entire team is aligned on the expectations and standards going into the Nations Championship. South Africa will face England at Ellis Park in the opener in Johannesburg next Saturday, followed by Scotland in Pretoria on July 11 and Wales in Durban seven days later. Erasmus is satisfied the necessary building blocks are in place. He is also pleased that players got invaluable game time against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-46-cents and the euro at 18-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-196-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-32-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….