News 13:00

BULLETIN 29 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus welcomes the published guidelines for the implementation of the Bela Act
# The latest round of negotiations aimed at laying the groundwork for COP30 is underway
# And rugby: Ardie Savea activates a sabbatical clause in his contract to play in Japan next year

# The Freedom Front Plus has welcomed the published guidelines for the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, which partially mitigate the most severe risks posed by the BELA Act. Spokesperson Wynand Boshoff says the guidelines restrict the authority of the provincial head of department to interfere with schools’ language and admission policies, but do not fully address all concerns surrounding the act:

More schools news: The Western Cape Education Department has called on parents with multiple placement offers for Grades R, 1 or 8 in 2026 to confirm their choice by the end of today. Education MEC David Maynier says double-parked parents are delaying placements for others. He urges urgent confirmation of placements as many parents wait to place their children:

# The latest round of international climate negotiations for November’s COP30 climate summit kicked off in Bonn, Germany. Key issues on the agenda include the Global Goal on Adaptation, climate finance for developing countries, just transition pathways, transparency frameworks, and technology transfer. Governments are working to blueprints set out four years ago that would result in temperature rises of 2.6 to 2.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

# Rugby: New Zealand loose forward, Ardie Savea, will play for Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan again next year, activating a sabbatical clause in his contract. Kobe finished fifth in Japan Rugby League One this year, 20 points behind champions Toshiba Brave Lupus. Savea will be eligible for the All Blacks’ Tests against France this year and the July Tests next year. New Zealand Rugby says sabbaticals provide flexibility for the most senior players to spend some time in a different environment. 

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-83-cents and the euro at 20-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-499-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-382-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-27-cents a barrel.

# And finally: North-West University’s Social Sciences and Economics student, Maano Rambwa, says becoming financially independent motivated him to venture into entrepreneurship. In 2023, he launched a small business selling sweets around campus, Candy Corner, and for two years saved money to buy a vehicle. The car is now registered under the Bolt e-hailing service, and he offers private transport services to students and residents in Mahikeng. Rambwe says running a business while studying requires structure and self-discipline.

Stay tuned for more news………….