News 18:00

BULLETIN 1 June 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana was elected as the chairperson of the impeachment committee
# Saai accuses the Agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, of misrepresenting court judgement on foot-and-mouth disease
# And tennis, there are no more former champions left at Roland Garros

# Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana has been elected chairperson of Parliament’s impeachment committee after receiving 19 votes to 12. The committee held its first sitting to elect leadership, with the ANC and DA supporting Gana’s nomination. The EFF nominated United Africans Transformation’s Wonderboy Mahlatsi. The committee will investigate matters linked to president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala cash theft scandal. Gana says rules are already in place but will not delay the committee’s work:

# The Southern African Agri Initiative says Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen is misrepresenting a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria, allowing private vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease. The organisation accuses Steenhuisen of creating confusion and delaying cooperation during a livestock disease crisis. The court found there was no lawful prohibition on farmers and private owners administering vaccines. Saai CEO Francois Rossouw urged the government to allow the private sector to help combat the outbreak:

# Liam Jacobs is set to return to the DA less than a year after leaving the party for the Patriotic Alliance. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis reportedly supported Jacobs’ return during an online meeting yesterday. Hill-Lewis says Jacobs left the DA in June last year, previously stating he was “finally free” and “finally home.” He says his comeback marks a notable political reversal within South Africa’s opposition landscape:

# The Dutch airline KLM has cancelled flights to and from Uganda, as international travel restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa begin to affect airline operations and crew movement. The airline said several countries had introduced entry and travel measures for people who recently passed through Uganda. The cancellations currently affect flights scheduled for June 1, with the airline informing affected passengers that rebooking and refund options would be available. KLM said it is continuing to monitor developments before deciding on further operations.

# Tennis: Brand-new men’s and women’s champions will be crowned at the French Open this weekend. Iga Swiatek of Poland’s elimination means there are no previous champions left, presenting huge opportunities for remaining players to clinch a first Grand Slam title. Among the men, the odds now favour second-seeded German Alexander Zverev and young guns Rafael Jodar of Spain and Brazilian Joao Fonseca. The top-seeded woman, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, remains the favourite, but can expect onslaughts from players such as American Madison Keys and Russian Mirra Andreeva.   

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-36-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-517-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-457-dollars-45-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 96-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….