News 11:00

BULLETIN 24 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa reiterates that the NHI will address inequality in healthcare
# Minister Patel is set to retire, ending his 15-year chapter in government
# And Israel says Hamas is waging war while embedding themselves in civilian areas

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says improving the healthcare sector and rolling out the National Health Insurance will work intricately together. He addressed an ANC town hall meeting at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Illovo, Johannesburg. The NHI is set to be challenged in court with some opposition parties, medical organisations, and the private health sector vehemently opposed to the scheme. Ramaphosa reiterates the NHI will address inequality in healthcare:

# Trade, Industry and Competition minister Ebrahim Patel will retire from the national executive after the elections, ending his 15-year chapter in government. This comes months after Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan also said he would not be available to return to cabinet in the seventh administration. In an interview with News24, Patel described his time in office as intense but hugely stimulating. He says he is confident Ramaphosa will find a suitable replacement who will bring fresh energy and ideas to the portfolio.

# The DA in Johannesburg says the metro’s 2024/25 budget passed in council this week, severely short-changed residents while unrealistically increasing tariffs. The 83.1-billion-rand budget prioritises infrastructure development, accelerates the delivery of essential services, and tackles energy and crime challenges. The DA’s Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku says the coalition in the metro led by the ANC and EFF has brought Johannesburg to its knees:

# The Israeli Defence Force says it is refining its operations so there is minimal harm to civilians in Gaza. The war was triggered by Hamas’s attack in Israel in which one-thousand-200 people died, mainly civilians, and about 250 were taken hostage. As a result of Israel’s retaliatory offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, at least 35-thousand-386 Palestinians have been killed. IDF’s spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, says this war is not against the people of Gaza but against Hamas:

# Cricket: This year’s Indian Premier League is drawing to a close, with the penultimate game being played today. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will do battle in the second qualifier in Chennai. Sunrisers lost to top of the log Kolkata Knight Riders in the first qualifier, while Rajasthan beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Wednesday’s eliminator. KKR won the tournament twice in the past, Sunrisers were crowned champions in 2022, and Rajasthan wore the crown in 2008.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-47-cents and the euro at 19-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-872-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-338-dollars-3-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….