News 07:00

BULLETIN 7 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum says National Health Insurance is not a solution for the healthcare sector
# The SACP calls for an independent inquiry into the George building collapse
# And Rishi Sunak says the next general election result is not a foregone conclusion

# AfriForum says South Africans must be prepared for a healthcare crisis brought about by the National Health Insurance. The civil rights organisation hosted an NHI conference in Pretoria with several guests including economist Dawie Roodt and Unity Health CEO Vernon Chorn. Roodt believes the overall privatisation of the South African health industry is the only workable alternative to NHI. AfriForum’s, Louis Boshoff, says they once again urge president Cyril Ramaphosa not to sign the NHI Bill into law:

# The Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled for the retrial of ANC member Bongani Bongo for corruption. The court found impeached judge president John Hlophe made multiple legal errors when he acquitted Bongo. Acting Judge John Smith wrote the unanimous ruling, stating the evidence against Bongo by the NPA constituted prima facie evidence of corruption. The retrial comes after Hlophe acquitted Bongo without requiring him to respond to allegations of trying to bribe Ntuthuzelo Vanara into halting or collapsing Parliament’s Eskom inquiry while serving as the inquiry’s evidence leader.

# The South African Communist Party is calling on the Department of Labour and Employment to institute an independent inquiry into the George building collapse. A five-storey building under construction collapsed in the Western Cape town yesterday afternoon, with 75 workers on site. Four people have been confirmed dead and a rescue operation to retrieve 53 trapped construction workers is underway. The SACP says the inquiry should focus amongst other things, on whether there was compliance with all applicable construction regulations.

# Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has expressed shock at separate incidents where four learners from Eqinisweni Secondary School in Ivory Park allegedly committed suicide. The incidents happened between the 26th of April and the fifth of this month. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says in one of the incidents, a Grade ten girl learner drank poison at home. He says she was rushed to a local clinic, where she was unfortunately declared dead:

# British prime minister Rishi Sunak says the next general election result is not a foregone conclusion like the polls predict. The Conservatives are facing one of their worst local election results in 40 years, with the Labour Party making gains across England and Wales. These are key battlegrounds they need to secure victory in the general election. Sunak told Sky News that the election results are disappointing:

# Olympics: The organisers of this year’s Games in Paris expect an unprecedented cybersecurity challenge and are working hand in hand with the country’s information security agency and cybersecurity companies to limit the impact. The agency’s director-general, Vincent Strubel, says they realise they can’t prevent all the attacks, but is confident they are ready for the onslaught. According to reports, so-called ethical hackers were employed to stress test their systems to make sure they are safe.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-50-cents and the euro at 19-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-23-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-797-dollars-78-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-322-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-39-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….