News 07:00

BULLETIN 17 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fitch Solutions warns of an ANC-EFF coalition
# The AfriForum board signs a resolution to fight the National Health Insurance Act
# And roadrunning: The first cut-off for the Comrades Marathon is removed after numerous requests

# Fitch Solutions’ research arm, BMI, is warning that an ANC-EFF coalition would likely result in a significantly adverse market reaction, negatively impacting bond yields and the rand. Polls show the ANC could garner less than 50-percent of votes in the 29 May elections, suggesting it would need a coalition with a smaller party to form a national government. BMI has flagged three alternative scenarios for the elections, the ANC scraping a slim majority, an ANC-EFF coalition, or a win by the opposition coalition, the Multi-Party Charter.

# AfriForum’s board of directors has committed to fighting the National Health Insurance Act through legal means until all remedies are exhausted. The organisation plans to file a lawsuit and pursue it relentlessly, considering the health freedom of South Africans a matter of principle. AfriForum’s campaign officer Louis Boshoff emphasised their determination, criticising president Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of the act:

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse initiative, JoburgCAN, says the failure of the council to pass the City of Johannesburg’s 83-billion-rand budget will have serious consequences. A total of 188 councillors were present in the chamber, 105 councillors voted in favour of the budget, 52 voted against the budget, and the rest did not vote or abstain. JoburgCAN manager, Julia Fish, says it is clear that in the budget’s current state it will not be passed:

# Wild Coast communities, supported by organisations like The Green Connection, will appear in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein to uphold a judgment nullifying Shell’s exploration rights for oil and gas. The appeal, led by Shell and Mineral Resources and Energy minister Gwede Mantashe, underscores the prioritisation of corporate interests over community rights. The Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda’s found insufficient consultation with communities and emphasised the importance of protecting environmental and cultural heritage.

# A man has been charged with the attempted murder of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. He was shot five times in what has been described as a politically motivated assassination attack on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry says the 71-year-old suspect had acted alone, and that he had previously taken part in anti-government protests. Fico is in a serious but stable condition in hospital. Slovakian president-elect Peter Pellegrini has appealed for unity and for people to temper their emotions.

# Roadrunning: The organisers of the Comrades Marathon have agreed to remove the first cut-off at St Johns Avenue in Pinetown. They received numerous requests due to the time it’s taking athletes to cross the starting line, the roadworks in Sherwood, and athletes having to amend their pacing during the first half of the race. This year’s up-run from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on the ninth of next month involves solid climbing over the first 38-kilometres, leading to athletes starting more slowly to conserve strength.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-221-dollars-87-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-377-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….