News 11:00

BULLETIN 27 June 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa alters the Cabinet offer to the DA and replaces a key ministry
# COPE warns misinformation from the government negotiations is causing anxiety and uncertainty
# And Elvis Presley’s blue suede shoes are expected to fetch 2.7-million-rand at auction

# Negotiations between the ANC and the DA are heading for a confrontation after President Cyril Ramaphosa changed the terms of an earlier offer to the party. News24 reports the DA will still get six Cabinet seats, but an important ministry has now been taken off the list and replaced with one that has almost no budget and, by comparison, very little social or economic impact. The news service says the ANC sees the offer as a final chance for the DA to join the government. Ramaphosa told DA leader John Steenhuisen to decide about the offer by Sunday.

Meanwhile, COPE is calling for transparency in the ongoing talks about the formation of a government of national unity. The party warns that the current lack of information is causing anxiety and uncertainty among the public, leading to speculation and the spread of misinformation. Acting chairperson Pakes Dikgetsi says it’s important to keep the public informed to prevent a disconnect between citizens and their elected leaders. Dikgetsi adds the interests of the public should be prioritised in these discussions:

# Saftu attributes South Africa’s job creation shortcomings to structural economic issues. The latest statistics show a 0.6-percent decline in formal non-agricultural employment in the first quarter. The federation argues despite growth in informal trade, sectors like community and business services are shedding jobs due to ongoing retrenchments in mining and manufacturing. Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku says the economy struggles to create enough jobs for new workers amid these layoffs:

# Motorsport: Lando Norris has emerged from the pack as the most consistent challenger to Max Verstappen with Red Bull expecting the McLaren driver to remain a big threat to them at their home Austrian GP this weekend. Verstappen and Norris have finished in the top two positions at five of the past six Grands Prix. Although the reigning champion has won five of those races to Norris’s one, the McLaren driver finished on the Red Bull driver’s tail at Imola, Montreal and Barcelona, with 14 races remaining in the season.

# Elvis Presley’s iconic blue suede shoes are expected to go for about 2.7-million-rand when they go under the hammer on Friday at auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire. The American singer wore the famous footwear on and off stage in the 1950s and gave them away the night before he joined the US army. Elvis acquired the shoes after recording the hit Blue Suede Shoes, which was written by fellow singer Carl Perkins, for his debut album in 1956. The shoes were authenticated by Presley’s close friend Jimmy Velvet who is considered the world’s leading Elvis authority.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-719-dollars-38-cents. Gold sells at twee-thousand-300-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….