News 07:00

BULLETIN 29 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa met with King Misuzulu Zulu about the country’s immigration laws
# The SACP will not participate in the anti-immigration protest
# And cricket: The Proteas Women are through to the T20 World Cup semi-finals

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on His Majesty King Misuzulu Zulu to encourage peaceful demonstrations among those raising concerns about illegal immigration. He hosted the King at the Official Presidential Residence in Pretoria yesterday. The Presidency says the engagement forms part of the government’s ongoing consultations with key stakeholders and social partners to strengthen a coordinated and lawful response to migration. During the meeting, Ramaphosa reaffirmed the government’s responsibility to enforce immigration laws. He also emphasised that no individual may stop another person from demanding documentation or proof of nationality.

# South African Communist Party secretary-general Solly Mapaila has confirmed the party will not participate in tomorrow’s national anti-immigration protest. Mapaila condemned demonstrations targeting other Africans, stating that all Africans should feel like they belong in the continent. He argued that South Africa’s challenges stem from capitalism and corruption, not African migrants. He maintained that the country’s economic crisis should not be blamed on fellow Africans or the working class:

# The Networking HIV and AIDS Community of Southern Africa has called for improved national data on drug use, warning that weak information limits effective policymaking. NACOSA’s Yolaan Andrews says current figures do not accurately reflect the scale of substance use or the services required. Andrews says decentralising services through clinics and community programmes can improve evidence gathering. She emphasised that this will help authorities better understand drug trends, prevalence, and intervention needs, particularly among young people and other vulnerable groups.

# Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, has expressed concern at corruption linked to scholar transport. This follows a comprehensive internal assessment that has revealed corruption, financial mismanagement, and governance failures plaguing provincial public schools. Maile says there is prima facie evidence that some service providers misrepresent the quality, quantity, and condition of vehicles used to transport learners. He says scholar transport contracts will face stricter audits, with immediate termination for service providers found to have misrepresented vehicle numbers or overloaded learners:

# Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, says that Hezbollah must be disarmed for peace and security to be achieved in Lebanon. A framework agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel, facilitated by the US, was signed on Friday. Despite the agreement, fighting has continued between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Sa’ar says the ones violating Lebanon’s sovereignty are Iran and Hezbollah:

# The Proteas Women are through to the T20 Women’s World Cup, while India has been knocked out. South Africa, finalists in the last two editions of the tournament, overcame Bangladesh by four wickets in their final group match at Lord’s, and needed Australia to defeat India to qualify for the semifinals. Six-time champions Australia managed to beat India by six wickets. The semifinals will see Australia, who are unbeaten in the tournament, take on the West Indies on Tuesday, while South Africa will face England on Thursday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-48-cents and the euro at 18-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-200-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-60-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….