News 06:00

BULLETIN 13 May 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says the Afrikaners who left for the US don’t qualify as refugees
# Action Society condemns POPCRU for backing the VIP protection officers
# And Netanyahu thanks Trump for helping to secure the release of a hostage

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed claims that the 49 white South Africans who recently relocated to the United States qualify as refugees. Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum 2025 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Ramaphosa said that these individuals are not being persecuted and therefore do not meet the criteria for refugee status. He criticised certain civil groups accusing them of spreading misinformation and undermining national unity:

# Business Leadership South Africa says it will continue to support Operation Vulindlela as it enters its second phase. Phase two will focus on municipal service delivery, digital transformation, and tackling spatial inequality. To support this, they will launch an online ‘BLSA tracker’ to monitor progress on reforms and identify delays. In her weekly newsletter, the organisation’s CEO, Busi Mavuso, said the initiative has already helped ease power cuts, speed up goods on rail, and clear visa backlogs.

# Action Society says it’s appalled that police unions are defending deputy president Paul Mashatile’s eight VIP protection officers involved in the violent blue light assault of civilians in 2023. The organisation criticised the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union for portraying the officers as victims, despite one man being left unconscious and others traumatised. Action Society’s Juanita du Preez says citizens rightly see the officers as thugs and supports calls for fairer disciplinary processes:

# Chief Justice Mandisa Maya is expected to visit the Mthatha High Court in the Eastern Cape. This is in the wake of allegations that the court’s administrative officials demand bribe payments from attorneys of up to 15-thousand-rand before processing civil cases before the court. The Office of the Chief Justice says it has instituted a forensic investigation in line with the organisation’s Fraud Prevention and Anti-Corruption Policy. Maya is expected to meet with the acting judge president of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court, judge Zamani Nhlangulela.

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked US president Donald Trump for helping to secure the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza. Hamas handed the 21-year-old, the last known living American hostage in Gaza, to the Red Cross on Monday. He was serving in an elite infantry unit on the border with Gaza when Hamas captured him during the 7 October attacks. Trump has credited his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, with helping secure the release of Alexander.

# Rugby: Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt says he’s impressed with the depth of the British and Irish Lions’ squad for this year’s tour of Australia. Andy Farrell chose 15 Irish players and 13 from England, including captain Maro Itoje, in his touring group of 38 which will play three Tests against the Wallabies. Schmidt says he knows many of the players from his time as coach of Ireland. He is also very impressed with young England flanker Henry Pollock, who has only played 32-minutes of Test rugby.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-24-cents and the euro at 20-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-890-dollar-10-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-237-dollars-84-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-1-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….