News 07:00

BULLETIN 13 June 7 am

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In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa will today visit the flood-affected areas in the Eastern Cape
# Paul Mashatile says he was not involved in the inquiry of his former bodyguards
# And the UN watchdog finds Iran is not complying with nuclear safeguards

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit flood-affected areas in the Eastern Cape today. This comes as over 70 people have died in the province since Monday, following flooding. Around ten-thousand people have been displaced, and three-thousand homes damaged or destroyed. The OR Tambo and Amathole District Municipalities have been the most affected. Speaking at a summit in Cape Town yesterday, Ramaphosa said he will monitor progress on the disaster response and will interact with affected communities:

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says he welcomes the outcome of the police disciplinary inquiry that acquitted eight former members of his VIP presidential protection services. The officers were acquitted despite a viral video footage capturing them assaulting a civilian on the N1 in Johannesburg in 2023. The police’s internal disciplinary committee ruled that the video was inadmissible as evidence. Answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, Mashatile said he was never involved in the disciplinary process, and he never initiated any meeting with the victim.

# Cabinet is exploring options for more frequent surveys to improve data collection on employment in the informal sector. This follows concerns about the accuracy of current job figures reported in the recent quarterly labour force survey. The minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says a key challenge is the absence of a national register of informal businesses, which limits the ability to draw accurate samples:

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson, will host the Gauteng leg of his Expanded Public Works Programme Listening Tour in Johannesburg. The tour gives communities a chance to share their experiences. The Ministry says that this will help shape a renewed vision for the programme focused on long-term socio-economic empowerment. In addition, the minister will also officiate a graduation ceremony for EPWP National Youth Service participants who qualified in artisan trades.

# The International Atomic Energy Agency has passed a resolution, declaring that Iran is not complying with its obligations regarding nuclear non-proliferation. Nineteen of the 35 countries on the board of the IAEA voted for the motion, which the UK, France and Germany submitted. The resolution states that Tehran has repeatedly been unable to explain and demonstrate that its nuclear material was not being diverted for further enrichment for military use. In response, Iran warned that it will ramp up its nuclear activities.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says he will continue with his team rotation policy. In 2024, he used 50 players in their 13 Test matches, while capping 12 new players. Erasmus has named nine uncapped players in his 55-man squad for the clash against the Barbarians on June 28th and Tests against Italy and Georgia in July. Erasmus says they would like to do something similar to last year, where the senior players and some of the younger players contribute on the field:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-92-cents and the euro at 20-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-357-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-425-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….