News 06:00

BULLETIN 21 June 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus becomes the seventh party to join the government of national unity
# COSATU demands that the DA expel Renaldo Gouws
# And the actor Donald Sutherland dies

# The FF Plus announced on Thursday afternoon it had decided to join the government of national unity, joining the ANC, DA, IFP, PA, GOOD, and PAC. Party leader Pieter Groenewald said the FF Plus received an invitation and after careful consideration, decided to help restore and rebuild South Africa. He said the party signed the state of intent and will use the opportunity to implement and promote the party’s policies and the mandate from its voters. Groenewald said the FF Plus would also use the opportunity to restore the role of Parliament.

Meanwhile, the ANC Women’s League has expressed disappointment over the lack of women appointed to executive levels. Secretary-general Samkele Maseko told the SABC the league is unhappy with only two female premiers in South Africa – Limpopo’s Phophi Ramathuba and Free State’s Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae. Maseko calls the outcome a setback, urging greater female representation 30 years into democracy:

# Cosatu demands the DA and Parliament expel MP Renaldo Gouws for his racist rants on social media. The DA has suspended Gouws with immediate effect while he faces disciplinary charges before the party’s federal legal commission. Cosatu’s spokesperson Zanele Sabela says suspending Gouws is insufficient. She notes Gouws’ violation of anti-discrimination laws and codes of conduct:

# Eskom has won an appeal to keep five of its oldest plants operating despite looming emission caps. Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Barbara Creecy announced the plants can operate under current limits until March 2030, exempting them from stricter 2025 restrictions. Eskom must submit decommissioning plans for Hendrina, Grootvlei, Arnot, Camden, and Kriel within a year. Eskom, facing a 300-billion-rand compliance cost, states that it is spending billions on pollution concerns and remains financially constrained.

# Rugby: Tickets for the much-anticipated clash between the world champion Springboks and New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium in September are officially sold out. The Boks host the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship on 31 August at Ellis Park, before a 7 September blockbuster in Cape Town, in a rematch of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. A packed house of over 58-thousand is expected. The Boks kick off their season against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-96-cents and the euro at 19-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-692-dollars-49-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-361-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Donald Sutherland, who appeared in films including The Hunger Games and Kelly’s Heroes, has died at the age of 88. His agency said he died in Miami after a long illness. The Canadian actor won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance in the mini-series Citizen X. In 2017, he received an honorary Oscar. His son, fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland, said to him his father was one of the most important actors in the history of film. Sutherland added his father was never daunted by a role. He loved what he did and did what he loved.

Stay tuned for more news………….