News 07:00

BULLETIN 11 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The South African Communist Party calls for the impeachment committee against president Ramaphosa to be established quickly
# Madlanga Commission to hold last public hearings this week to focus on second interim report
# And, Iran responds to the US proposal to end the war

# The South African Communist Party is calling on Parliament to expedite the establishment of an impeachment committee against president Cyril Ramaphosa. This comes after the Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that Parliament’s decision to protect Ramaphosa from facing an impeachment inquiry was unconstitutional. An independent inquiry had found that Ramaphosa has a case to answer in relation to the robbery on his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in 2020. SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila says the ANC must embrace full accountability to the people of the country.

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation meanwhile urged Parliament to approach the impeachment of president Cyril Ramaphosa with the seriousness it deserves, ensuring it does not devolve into a political spectacle or factional battle. The foundation is calling on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, to act swiftly in implementing the Court’s order to ensure that the constitutional duty of oversight is upheld.

# The Madlanga Commission will hold its last public hearings this week, before it breaks to focus on its second interim report. It will continue to focus on drug seizures by law enforcement agencies this week, and testimony on the handling and theft or disappearance of narcotic substances in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The commission’s spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, says the second interim report is due to be delivered to president Cyril Ramaphosa on May 29th. The commission’s deadline to complete its work has been extended to August 31st.

# The DA in Gauteng says premier Panyaza Lesufi’s is not the right person to fix the financial sustainability of all municipalities in the province. The party’s Solly Msimanga says this comes after the provincial MEC for Finance, Nkululeko Dunga, announced that he spoke to Finance minister Enoch Godongwana about the City of Johannesburg financial crisis. He says the MEC mentioned that the Gauteng government under Lesufi will implement measures to restore municipal financial sustainability and protect service delivery:

# Iran says it has replied to a US peace proposal to end the war. The proposal reportedly consists of a one-page 14-point memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while setting a framework for further talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Mediator Pakistan confirmed that it has forwarded the proposal to US president Donald Trump’s administration. Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the war will continue as long as Iran has a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to make nuclear warheads.

# Motorsport: Aprilia’s Jorge Martin won the MotoGP French Grand Prix, his first race victory since 2024 when he won the championship. Between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2026, he endured multiple injuries and missed the majority of the races. His teammate and championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi, finished second, and Trackhouse Racing’s Ai Ogura finished third, becoming the first Japanese rider to finish on a MotoGP podium since 2012. Martin says his struggles have made him a better rider:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-43-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-34-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-206-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-685-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 102-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….