News 07:00

BULLETIN 6 June 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Government welcomes the adoption of the fiscal framework
# Minister De Lille says the safety of international visitors is a national priority
# And the Brazilian president accuses Israel of premeditated genocide

# The government welcomes Parliament’s standing committee on Finance’s approval of the fiscal framework and revenue proposals that underpin the 2025 budget. The passing of the fiscal framework is a key step in the budgeting process. The framework establishes economic policy and revenue projections and sets the overall limits to government spending. The government’s acting spokesperson, Nomonde Mnukwa, says every rand allocated in the budget must translate into a measurable impact on the lives of citizens:

# Tourism minister Patricia de Lille says visitor safety is and continues to be, a national priority. In an updated travel advisory, the US Consulate in South Africa downgraded the country to level 2, which stipulated visitors should exercise increased caution as violent crime including robbery, rape, carjacking, and muggings were common. It further warned that violent crimes were common in big cities and kidnappers targeted US citizens and other foreign nationals. De Lille says the country’s tourism infrastructure remains robust and resilient, with several established safety measures in place.

# The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development recommends that municipalities enter into concession agreements with independent electricity distributors. This is to tackle maintenance and investment backlogs undermining supply security. This suggestion is part of the organisation’s latest Economic Survey of South Africa, which highlights the electricity sector’s role in the country’s economic challenges. The survey also notes that while such concessions could attract necessary investments, clear provisions for service quality, access, and affordability are essential.

# The DA in Johannesburg has slammed mayor Dada Morero’s newly announced bomb squad service delivery team as a public relations stunt. DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku says the initiative appears to benefit ANC cadres rather than residents. Kayser-Echeozonjoku questions its constitutionality, calling for oversight and accountability. She confirms that a motion of no confidence against Morero will be tabled ahead of the 2026 elections:

# Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Israel of carrying out premeditated genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza. At a joint media conference in Paris with French president Emmanuel Macron he said what is happening in Gaza is not a war. He said it’s genocide being carried out by a highly prepared army against women and children. The French president said the coming days would be decisive to halt the conflict. Macron said they will ramp up pressure in coordination with the Americans to obtain a ceasefire.

# Golf: South Africans Herman Loubser and Hennie Otto finished the first round of the Mopani Zambia Open in a share of the lead, following their rounds of five-under-par 67 at the Nkana Golf Club in Zambia. The pair are one stroke clear of their compatriot and defending champion MJ Viljoen and Sweden’s Fredrik From. Others in the mix include South Africa’s Warwick Purchase 69 and Chilean Tomas Gana. Loubser says he is happy he got a good start:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-73-cents and the euro at 20-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 101-thousand-952-dollar-10-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-364-dollars-16-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-1-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….