News 07:00

BULLETIN 15 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum opposes the National Health Insurance Bill
# Parliament’s Basic Education committee will consider the amendments to the Bela Bill
# And the UN is concerned about the impact of intensified Russian attacks on civilians

# Civil rights organisation AfriForum has criticised president Cyril Ramaphosa’s push for the National Health Insurance Bill, deeming it unconstitutional and unenforceable. Campaign officer Louis Boshoff asserts that AfriForum is prepared to challenge the bill’s implementation in court, citing concerns about its potential damage to South Africans’ well-being. He highlights various issues, including the bill’s impact on health workers’ rights and encroach on private healthcare:

# The South African Local Government Association has urged the government to overhaul the identification and support process for indigent households regarding electricity post-elections. Speaking during a roundtable discussion on South Africa’s electrification programme, the head of energy, Nhlanhla Ngidi, stresses the need to reassess the free basic electricity allocation size and distribution method. Ngidi highlights the outdated indigent household registers, leading to unintended beneficiaries and revenue loss due to meter bypassing. He emphasises the policy’s good intentions but calls for a comprehensive review.

# Parliament’s portfolio Committee on Basic Education will today consider and concur with amendments made by the National Council of Provinces to the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. The bill amends sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996, to respond to administrative and governance problems in schools, and to transform the education system as a whole. Parties opposed to the bill say it will damage education in the country and strip parents rights regarding their children’s education.

# Higher Education and Training minister, Blade Nzimande, has reiterated his commitment to working with the Council of the University of Fort Hare to ensure clean governance at the institution is restored. Murders, attempted murders of senior staff, corruption, and fraud have rocked the university. A total of 25 people have been arrested for the crimes allegedly linked to a tender corruption syndicate. Nzimande says the proud history of the university must be protected.

# The United Nations Human Rights says it is deeply concerned at the plight of civilians in Ukraine, particularly in the Kharkiv region. This comes as Russian armed forces have stepped up their attacks in recent days. The UN’s Liz Throssell says since the latest incursion by Russian forces last week Friday, at least six-thousand people are believed to have fled or been evacuated from areas on the border:

# Rugby: The Bulls are in third place on the log in the United Rugby Championship and are on track to host a quarterfinal. They have two games remaining to not only secure their position but hopefully climb even higher. The Bulls will host Italian side Benetton on Saturday before travelling to Durban to face the Sharks in their final game before the knockouts. Prop Wilco Louw says the Bulls must maintain their focus to beat Benetton:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-784-dollars-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-356-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-85-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….