News 07:00

BULLETIN 21 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A broadcasting coalition urges the new administration to prioritise the SABC’s independence
# The FF Plus becomes the seventh party to join the government of national unity
# And Olympics: Sascoc adds another 81 athletes to Team SA

# The SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition and several civil society organizations are urging political parties to prioritise the independence and sustainability of the SABC as the new government takes office. They call for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed SABC Bill. The coalition’s coordinator Noor Ahmad says with the closure of major print newspapers, a strong and independent SABC is crucial for maintaining a robust news ecosystem:

# The FF Plus announced on Thursday afternoon it had decided to join the government of national unity, joining the ANC, DA, IFP, PA, GOOD, and PAC. Party leader Pieter Groenewald said the FF Plus received an invitation and after careful consideration, decided to help restore and rebuild South Africa. He said the party signed the state of intent:

# The East London Regional Court has postponed the case against EFF leader Julius Malema to 1 November for closing arguments. Malema and security company director Adriaan Snyman face charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment. The case was brought by civil rights group AfriForum. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Eastern Cape spokesperson Luxolo Tyali says written arguments will now be submitted:

# The High Court in Johannesburg has ordered the City of Joburg and City Power to pay just over one-billion-rand, including interest, for its unpaid electricity account. The order comes after Eskom lodged an urgent application in May to recoup monies owed to it since October 2023.  The power utility said when the case was heard on 4 June 2024, the total amount owed to it by the City stood at 3.4-billion-rand. At the time, the City countered Eskom’s claim with an overcharge allegation, vowing to challenge the power utility’s court bid.

# Outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte will become the next head of NATO at a pivotal time for the alliance. His sole challenger, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, pulled out. Rutte is expected to be formally named by NATO’s 32 nations in the coming days and should take over when current chief Jens Stoltenberg’s term ends on 1 October. Rutte will come in at a perilous moment for the Western allies as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on and Donald Trump battles to reclaim the presidency in the United States come November.

# Olympics: With the Paris Olympics fast approaching, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced 81 additional names across nine sporting codes for next month’s multi-sporting event. Last month, Team SA confirmed an initial 39 athletes which included disciplines like aquatics, surfing, and sport climbing. South Africa is looking to compete in 17 of the 32 Olympic sports on offer. Sascoc earlier announced a 400-thousand-rand incentive for gold medallists 200-thousand-rand for silver, and 100-thousand-rand for bronze. It has now confirmed further financial incentives for medallists competing in team sports.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-95-cents and the euro at 19-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-687-dollars-41-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-359-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….