News 14:00

BULLETIN 12 December 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# BOSA charts a bold vision for the country after reflecting on a groundbreaking year
# ActionSA says the bloated cabinet expansion costs over one-billion-rand
# And soccer: Amnesty International criticises the decision to hold the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia

# Build One South Africa says it has achieved major milestones in its first year in Parliament and the Gauteng legislature, focusing on jobs, education, public safety, and fighting corruption. The party addressed issues like school infrastructure failures, water shortages, and rising electricity costs. BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane says with over seven-thousand new members, the party is ready to expand ahead of the 2026 local government elections and bring ethical leadership to communities.

# ActionSA has reiterated its calls for a lean, effective cabinet of no more than 20 ministers, with all deputy minister positions abolished. The party has revealed that the country’s bloated cabinet expansion, which will burden taxpayers with an additional 239-million-rand annually, cumulatively exceeds one-billion-rand over the current term. The formation of the government of national unity saw cabinet expand from 30 to 32 ministers and from 36 to 43 deputies. ActionSA’s Athol Trollip says this is an outrageous financial burden on taxpayers:

# Medical professionals have submitted proposals to president Cyril Ramaphosa, calling the National Health Insurance unimplementable. The Universal Healthcare Access Coalition suggests compulsory medical scheme membership for high earners, a state-supported scheme to compete with private options and independent hospital management. The coalition suggests private sector contributions with tax financing to achieve equitable healthcare. Critics argue the NHI risks overburdening resources and professionals, with alternative reforms offering a more sustainable path to universal healthcare.

# Rand Water says it will tomorrow commence with its next planned infrastructure maintenance project which will affect the Zwartkopjes and Eikenhof systems in Johannesburg. During the maintenance, pumping will be reduced to 70-percent for 36 hours for the repair of a pipeline leak at Zuikerbosch. Rand Water’s spokesperson, Makenosi Maroo, says at the Eikenhof water plant, a flexibility project will be carried out for 86 hours, reducing pumping to 20-percent:

# Soccer: Amnesty International says world governing body Fifa’s reckless decision to award the 2034 men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections, will put many lives at risk. The country has been accused of sportswashing in recent years, using its unprecedented spending on sports to improve its reputation over its human rights record and environmental impact. Amnesty says Fifa knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms, and has chosen to press ahead regardless.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-62-cents and the euro at 18-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-49-cents and Bitcoin trades at 100-thousand-618-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-712-dollars-84-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….