News 15:00

BULLETIN 30 June 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Amabutho join protesters at King Dinuzulu Park in Durban
# Mbeki accuses Ramaphosa of fuelling misconceptions about illegal migration
# And tennis: Serena Williams returns to action at Wimbledon today

# Traditional Zulu warrior regiments, known as Amabutho, have joined protesters gathering at King Dinuzulu Park in Durban ahead of an anti-illegal immigration march. The demonstrators are marching through the city under heavy police presence, with authorities monitoring the situation to ensure it remains peaceful. Officials have urged participants to protest within the law and warned intimidation, violence and vigilantism will not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, former president Thabo Mbeki has accused president Cyril Ramaphosa of fuelling misconceptions about illegal migration. Ramaphosa has stated unchecked illegal migration risks security and burdens health care. Mbeki says claims that illegal migrants are the cause of high levels of unemployment, crime and lack of economic growth are speculative and unsupported by evidence. He has warned anti-migrant sentiment threatens African unity and distracts from the structural causes of South Africa’s political and economic challenges.

# The South African Petroleum Retailers Association welcomes the fuel price reductions coming into effect at midnight, saying it will bring relief to motorists and businesses, but warns consumer financial strain remains a concern. Petrol and diesel prices are set to decrease significantly, offering short-term relief after months of pressure on households. Spokesperson Vishal Premlall says consumer confidence remains weak amid rising living costs and economic uncertainty:

# Western Cape MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Ivan Meyer, has urged stakeholders to prioritise fixing operational challenges at the port of Cape Town ahead of the export season. It is estimated approximately 55-thousand tonnes of table grapes were rerouted due to operational challenges at the port during the previous peak export period. Meyer says such rerouting places severe financial strain on producers and exporters due to increased logistics and transport costs:

# Tennis: There is huge anticipation for former world number one Serena Williams’ first professional singles match in over four years. The 44-year-old American plays world number 87, 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint, in the first round of Wimbledon. Today’s match will be her first singles encounter since losing in the third round of the US Open in 2022. Williams won her 23rd and last Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2017. She returned to the sport earlier this month and has played two doubles matches since.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-38-cents and the euro at 18-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-72-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-29-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….