News 09:00

BULLETIN 2 June 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA demands a Defence Industry Lekgotla
# Universities need two-billion-rand to counter the US funding cut
# And the FBI is investigating a suspected act of terrorism in Colorado

# The DA says Defence minister Angie Motshekga’s continued failure to deliver on a long-promised South African Defence Industry Lekgotla is concerning, given that the country’s defence industry is in steep decline. The defence industry has seen revenue fall from 19.5-billion-rand in 2016 to 12.5-billion-rand in 2020. The DA’s, Chris Hattingh, says this Lekgotla, first proposed under former minister Thandi Modise, was meant to provide a path forward for the struggling sector:

# Universities South Africa has reportedly requested two-billion-rand from the National Treasury to help the University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Stellenbosch University. These institutions had their research grants frozen by the US. Wits alone had 18 projects worth 230-million-rand falling under the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, and the US Agency for International Development terminated. Universities South Africa, an umbrella body representing 26 public universities, says there is an urgent need to reconsider foreign dependency and promote self-sufficiency in funding.

# Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, will attend the inquest looking into the deaths of the Cradock Four in the Gqeberha High Court in the Eastern Cape today. Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, and Sparrow Mkonto, all anti-apartheid activists, were abducted and killed by the security police while leaving Gqeberha in 1985. The ministry’s spokesperson, Terrence Manase, says this inquest forms part of ongoing efforts by the department to address unresolved cases from the apartheid era:

# Six people, ranging in age from 67 to 88, have been injured after a man reportedly set people on fire at a mall in Boulder, Colorado, USA. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd, and also yelled “Free Palestine”. FBI special agent Mark Michalek says this is a targeted act of violence, and they are investigating this as an act of terrorism:

# Cricket: The Punjab Kings have booked a place in their first Indian Premier League final in 11 years after defeating the Mumbai Indians by five wickets in Ahmedabad. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav both scored 44 as Mumbai posted 203 for six. In reply, captain Shreyas Iyer hit an unbeaten 87 off 41 balls, guiding Punjab to victory with six balls to spare. Tomorrow’s final between the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will see a new champion being crowned for the first time since 2016. 

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-96-cents and the euro at 20-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-23-cents and Bitcoin trades at 104-thousand-976-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-312-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-11-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….