News 06:00

BULLETIN 23 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Paul Mashatile says the government and trade federations must protect workers from exploitation
# Minister Malatsi requests a report on the cancellation of an SABC show
# And, Gauteng wants to recover 4.6-billion-rand in outstanding patient fees

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says government and trade federations must act decisively to protect workers from exploitation, expand access to secure employment, and enforce health and safety standards without compromise. He says no worker should lose their life or livelihood due to non-compliance. Mashatile says South Africa’s trade unions must also evolve to shape macroeconomic policy, support labour-intensive investment, and drive skills development and job creation:

# Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, says he has written to the SABC board chairperson, Khathutshelo Ramukumba, requesting a full report on the reasons for the decision to cancel the current affairs programme Face the Nation. According to the Sunday Times, the decision was made due to political pressure from the Presidency and ANC headquarters, Luthuli House. Malatsi says the facts must be established to ensure this matter is handled fairly and without compromising the principles of robust journalism. He added that editorial independence must be protected.

# The Gauteng Department of Health has intensified efforts to strengthen revenue collection and improve financial sustainability as part of a broader strategy to recover outstanding patient fees. In a presentation to the Portfolio Committee, it was revealed that it currently stands at approximately 4.6-billion-rand. The department’s Kealeboga Mohajane says self-paying patients, including both South African citizens and foreign nationals, owe a significant portion of the outstanding patient fees. She says the remainder of the debt consists of intergovernmental obligations and outstanding payments from medical schemes.

 # The South African Communist Party has condemned what it calls the US government’s ongoing illegal and unprovoked war targeting Iranian leaders in the Middle East. SACP’s spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana says the assassinations of high-ranking Iranian officials such as the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, and Security Chief Ali Larijani are not ordinary acts of war but targeted murders of individuals based on their association with the Iranian state:

# Golf: American Bryson DeChambeau beat Spaniard Jon Rahm in a play-off to win the inaugural LIV Golf South Africa at Steyn City in Johannesburg, his second-straight title. The pair finished on 26 under par ‌over 72 holes, with DeChambeau winning on the first play-off hole with a birdie. Meanwhile, DeChambeau’s quartet, the Crushers, won the team event, beating South Africa’s Southern Guards by a single shot at 76 under par. DeChambeau says this win is huge for the team to get some momentum:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-3-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-213-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-507-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 107-dollars-66-cents a barrel.

# And finally: President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend the reburial of the ancestral remains of 63 Khoi and San people in the Northern Cape today. During the 19th century and the early 20th century, the remains of thousands of indigenous people were illegally removed to newly established museums and universities in Europe. The president’s office says the repatriation and reburial programme has been facilitated by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the South African Heritage Resources Agency, and Iziko Museums. It is part of a broader national commitment to honour those who sacrificed their lives in the fight for freedom.

Stay tuned for more news………….