News 11:00

BULLETIN 21 May 11am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Ntshavheni says there is an illegal immigration challenge in South Africa
# Trump gives Iran two options as he claims he is in no hurry to strike a peace deal
# And tennis: Players will protest over prize money by limiting their French Open media duties to 15 minutes

# Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says xenophobia and issues of immigration must be dealt with decisively. In recent months, groups campaigning against illegal immigration and crime have gathered growing momentum. Yesterday, various political parties and civil organisations led a mass protest through Pinetown, west of Durban, in their continued campaign against undocumented foreign nationals. Ntshavheni says authorities are clamping down on illegal immigrants:

# The Free Market Foundation says it has repeatedly warned that National Health Insurance is unaffordable, unconstitutional, economically destructive, and incompatible with freedom of choice in healthcare. The Constitutional Court has declared Sections 36 to 40 of the NHI Act unconstitutional. These sections relate to a state programme designed to control where healthcare practitioners or practices could operate. The foundation says the growing legal resistance to NHI reflects increasing concern about expanding state control over healthcare, and the long-term consequences for patients, medical professionals, and the economy.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says Eskom must recover money owed by the City of Johannesburg without cutting electricity to paying residents and businesses. The organisation has warned that planned supply interruptions would unfairly affect communities. OUTA’s Julius Kleynhans says Johannesburg’s financial challenges highlight deeper governance and revenue management failures. He urges stronger oversight from the energy regulator, Nersa, to ensure municipalities meet their obligations:

Moving abroad:

# US president Donald Trump has warned Iran it has two options: sign a deal, or America finishes the war. He halted renewed strikes on Tehran on Tuesday at the request of allies in the Gulf, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Iran has warned that a return to war will feature surprises and threats to the US beyond the region. Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to get the right answers from Tehran:

# Tennis: The world’s top players are reportedly planning to reduce their media appearances at the French Open in protest over prize money. Many don’t believe they are receiving a fair share of Grand Slam prize money and appropriate player benefits. Players selected for Friday’s opening media conference will walk out after 15-minutes. This is to represent the Grand Slams’ average allocation of 15-percent of revenues to prize money, while the players want the figure to rise to 22-percent. This year’s French Open’s prize money has increased by 9.5-percent.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-52-cents and the euro at 19-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-19-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-493-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-591-dollars-199-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 102-dollars-905-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….