News 17:00

BULLETIN 20 May 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An AfriForum report indicates nearly one farm murder per week in 2023
# President Cyril Ramaphosa dismisses claims the NHI spells the end of private healthcare
# And Boxing: Oleksandr Usyk could lose his title within two weeks of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion 

# AfriForum’s annual report on farm attacks and murders shows 49 farm murders in 296 attacks during 2023. Chief spokesperson for Community Safety, Jacques Broodryk, says this is approximately one murder per week. Broodryk has criticised the government and the SAPS for its double standards in preventing and investigating such crimes. He urges the government to form a special ministerial task team to address farm murders:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has refuted claims that National Health Insurance spells the end of private healthcare. In his weekly newsletter, he wrote that the NHI aims to leverage the strengths of both public and private sectors to create a unified, quality healthcare system for all South Africans. According to the president, the NHI has the potential to alleviate financial burdens for the poor and middle class while ensuring sustainable healthcare for the nation. He emphasised the need for collaboration between public and private sectors to achieve universal health coverage.

Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal government plans to establish the country’s largest energy generation site at Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone. Speaking to a delegation of the private and public energy sector, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Sibuniso Duma said this adds new power generation capacity. He says that the site will focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, solar technologies, wind turbines, and energy storage components:

# The International Criminal Court is pursuing arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza. ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan disclosed this in an exclusive interview with CNN. Netanyahu’s charges include causing extermination, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict. Sinwar faces charges of extermination, murder, taking of hostages, rape and sexual assault in detention. A panel of ICC judges will now consider Khan’s application for the arrest warrants.

# Boxing: Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 25 years. A rematch is planned for later this year, but it is unlikely that it would be for all four belts. The International Boxing Federation plans to strip Usyk of his belt, if he does not face its mandatory challenger, Filip Hrgovic, next. Usyk’s reign as undisputed champion may last only weeks, but the Ukrainian does not want to think about boxing now:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-70-dollars-92-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-419-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….