News 07:00

BULLETIN 5 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Lindiwe Sisulu is not in favour of an ANC-DA coalition 
# The death toll as a result of the Eastern Cape floods rises to ten 
# And cycling: South African coach Shaun-Nick Bester is banned for 15 years

# ANC veteran Lindiwe Sisulu says a coalition between the ANC and DA will be a betrayal of those who strictly voted for the party. The ANC needs to agree to a coalition pact or another form of power-sharing arrangement with other political parties. This is after it lost its majority for the first time in the post-apartheid era. Sisulu claims allowing the DA to co-govern could bring about a mini-apartheid. She adds that parties like the EFF, MK Party and the IFP should unite.

# The DA claims poor policies have caused the economy to decline further. The party says the first quarter of this year saw our economy slip back into contraction, as confirmed by Statistics South Africa. This follows a narrow escape from a technical recession the previous quarter. The Treasury National budget projected a 1.3-percent growth rate in February. The DA’s Dion George says despite being low and uninspired, their estimate was unduly optimistic:

# The number of people who have died as a result of floods in the Eastern Cape has risen to ten. Eight people drowned in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro while two in the Buffalo City Metro due to the floods. More than two-thousand people have been displaced. Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who visited flood-stricken areas yesterday, says they are collaborating with the national government on the possibility of declaring a state of disaster:

# Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink says they want to achieve financial recovery, value for the money people pay in rates and tariffs, and ensure water and lights are on. Mayoral committee member for Finance, Jacqui Uys, delivered the 2024/2025 budget yesterday. The budget proposes an increase of 5.9-percent for water and sanitation, five-percent for refuse removal and five-percent for property rates. Brink says they want to ensure money is spent optimally:

# The United Nations says with hostilities escalating in both northern and southern Gaza, particularly in Rafah, security and humanitarian access conditions have further deteriorated in May. Between the 31st of May and the third of June, 195 Palestinians were killed and 720 injured. The UN says member states have disbursed around 18-million-rand out of the over 635-million-rand needed, to meet the most critical needs of 2.3 million people in Gaza and 800-thousand in the West Bank.

# Cycling: South African cycling coach Shaun-Nick Bester has been banned for 15 years for sexual grooming, harassment, and abuse of two teenagers. Found guilty last year by Cycling South Africa, the 33-year-old appeal was dismissed by an independent panel from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. The CSA criticised Bester for failing to protect minors and noted numerous incidents of inappropriate conduct. Bester also received a life-long suspended sentence.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-884-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-233-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….