News 14:00

BULLETIN 22 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa commits to affordable quality healthcare with the National Health Insurance
# The PSA welcomes the president’s approach to fostering collaboration  
# And, soccer: Barcelona fans raise funds on TikTok for Nico Williams’s signing

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has affirmed that government will ensure South Africans have access to affordable, quality healthcare through the National Health Insurance in the next five years. Ramaphosa says the state will focus on strengthening healthcare infrastructure, enhancing training, and utilising technology. He emphasises collaboration between the public and the private sector, and invites dialogue to improve the NHI:

Meanwhile, the Public Servants Association has welcomed Ramaphosa’s approach not to rush the implementation of the National Health Insurance and consider collaboration with the private medical industry and other stakeholders. Spokesperson Claude Naiker says it is therefore appreciated that Ramaphosa is willing to engage with the private sector to formulate a collaboration to implement the NHI correctly for the good of the country. The PSA says huge legal challenges will be avoided should government accommodate the critical inputs of various stakeholders before the process commences.

# The Hawks says it has uncovered ten clandestine drug laboratories in the country and made 34 arrests since the beginning of this year. Spokesperson Katlego Mogale says four suspects, including a farm owner and two Mexican nationals, were arrested on Friday at a farm in Groblersdal, Limpopo where a multi-million rand clandestine laboratory and drugs worth two-billion-rand were discovered:

# Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine says security forces were besieging his party headquarters today, on the eve of a planned anti-corruption march that has been banned by the authorities. The action comes two days after president Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly four decades, warned that Ugandans planning to march tomorrow were playing with fire. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, told AFP the headquarters of his National Unity Platform in Kavule, a suburb of capital of Kampala, were surrounded.

# Soccer: Barcelona fans have been contributing symbolic amounts of money to the club’s official TikTok account in an effort to support the LaLiga side to secure the signing of forward Nico Williams. The 22-year-old Athletic Bilbao winger has become a major transfer target for top European clubs. He was one of the most exciting players in Spain’s seven-match winning run at the European Championship. According to Transfermarkt, Williams’s current market value is around 1.4-billion-rand.  Barcelona hasn’t signed any players in the summer transfer window so far.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-289-dollars-4-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-405-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….