News 11:00

BULLETIN 7 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC meets with the Afrikaner Leadership Network
# The FF Plus welcomes the court ruling on the signing of the National Health Insurance Act
# And the GOOD Party says the City of Johannesburg is on the brink of collapse

# The ANC has confirmed that it met with the Afrikaner Leadership Network yesterday to discuss matters of common interest to the country. The network includes Solidarity, AfriForum, Afrikanerbond, Solidarity Movement and the Southern Africa Agricultural Initiative. The meeting was facilitated by the PAC. The ANC says discussions were robust and frank. It adds that all parties have identified issues around which they are committed to find solutions in the interest of a diverse and united nation.

# The Freedom Front Plus has welcomed the High Court in Pretoria’s ruling that the signing of the National Health Insurance Act into law may be taken under review. The ruling comes as a result of legal action brought by the Board of Health Funders and the South African Private Practitioners Forum, which questioned the rationality of president Cyril Ramaphosa signing the bill into law despite vast dissent and constitutional issues raised. FF Plus’s Philip van Staden says the NHI is an unrealistic dream:

# The GOOD Party in Johannesburg is calling on mayor Dada Morero to deliver real plans on how his government will tackle challenges such as wasteful expenditure, poor infrastructure and lack of water supply. The mayor is expected to deliver his highly anticipated state of the city address today. GOOD’s Matthew Cook says the metro is on the brink, barrelling toward collapse with no end in sight. He adds that residents don’t need more pipedreams but real leadership:

# Cardinals have gathered in the Vatican City, entering seclusion as they prepare to elect a new pope following Francis’s death on 21 April. The conclave, commencing in the Sistine Chapel today, involves 133 cardinal electors under the age of 80. Singapore cardinal William Seng Chye Goh says they will remain isolated, adhering to strict secrecy protocols, until a successor is chosen by a two-thirds majority:

# Soccer: FIFA has announced that Los Angeles FC and Club América will face off in a one-off playoff to determine who will replace Club León in the FIFA Club World Cup in the US. The club lost its appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In March, FIFA determined that Club Leon and fellow Mexican team Pachuca did not meet the multi-club ownership rules. The winner of the one-off play-off tie will be in Group D, alongside Chelsea, Flamengo, and Esperance Sportive de Tunis.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-24-cents and the euro at 20-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-37-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-666-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-394-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….