News 11:00

BULLETIN 7 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# WHO are contact-tracing passengers on a flight to Johannesburg over hantavirus concerns
# Soccer: The Premiership title race is blown wide open after Sundowns’ draw against Chiefs
# And severe weather wreaks havoc in the Garden Route District

# The World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are monitoring 82 passengers and six crew members who travelled on an Airlink flight from the Atlantic island of St Helena to Johannesburg on April 25th. This comes after a 69-year-old Dutch woman, who was a passenger on the flight, died shortly after arrival after contracting the hantavirus. She was part of a larger cluster originating from the MV Hondius cruise ship. The WHO says they are tracing the flight passengers out of an abundance of caution.

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Justice and Constitutional Development says the Special Investigating Unit’s funding model constrains the unit’s workforce and ability to carry out its mandate effectively. The SIU’s allocated grant funding of over 487-million-rand for 2026/27 falls significantly short of its operational requirements. The proportion of grant income relative to total budgeted costs is declining, from approximately 50 to below 40-percent. The committee says the SIU acts on proclamations issued by the president, yet it is required to recover its costs from the very institutions it investigates.

# Cosatu in Johannesburg has condemned Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s continued reluctance to fully implement the Payment Framework Agreement for municipal workers. He has threatened to withhold the metro’s grant funding unless it gets its financial affairs in order. He also wants an explanation on how the metro intends to fund the 10.3-billion-rand two-year wage deal signed with union SAMWU. Cosatu’s Lyndsay Hughes says this is a direct assault on workers’ livelihoods:

# Soccer: Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership table, after being held to a 1-1 draw by Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld. Amakhosi took the lead through Flavio Silva, and Bryan Leon equalised in the 55th minute. The Brazilians are now just three points clear of Orlando Pirates, who have a game in hand and a superior goal difference. Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso expressed frustration over the officiating:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-31-cents and the euro at 19-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-468-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-748-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 96-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Heavy rain and flooding have caused major damage in the Garden Route district municipality in the Western Cape. More than 200-millimetres of rain was recorded in the Bitou Municipality yesterday, with 197-millimetres in Knysna. A 37-year-old woman died when a tree fell on top of her vehicle. Spokesperson Herman Peters urges motorists to avoid unnecessary travel as several roads are flooded, slippery or inaccessible, including Meiringspoort and Swartberg Pass:

Stay tuned for more news………….