News 07:00

BULLETIN 22 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Steenhuisen tells Trump that South Africa has a rural safety problem
# The Cosatu president says South Africa’s problem is not race, but it is crime
# And Home Affairs launches Operation New Broom to tackle illegal immigration

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen says South Africa has a rural safety problem, and smallholder farmers, many of whom are black farmers, are disproportionately affected. He took part in the meeting between president Cyril Ramaphosa and US president Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. Responding to the video of EFF leader Julius Malema chanting “Kill the Boer” shown during the meeting, Steenhuisen says the DA’s role in government is to protect South Africa from violent anti-constitutionalists:

# Businessman Johann Rupert said at the same meeting South Africa needs technological help to stop deaths in the country. Rupert emphasised that crime is a widespread issue in the country and does not only affect white farmers only as alleged:

And Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi has pleaded with US president Donald Trump to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act in September for another five years. Losi reiterated that there is a major crime issue in the country, which requires international intervention:

# Eskom has invited tenders for a pilot renewable green hydrogen facility at its Research, Testing and Development unit in Johannesburg. The initiative supports South Africa’s 2050 net-zero emissions goal and aims to strengthen Eskom’s decarbonisation strategy. CEO Dan Marokane says the pilot will help explore hydrogen’s full value chain while building internal skills. The facility extends Eskom’s renewable research, forming part of a broader shift to cleaner technologies including gas, hydrogen, and renewables.

# Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber has launched Operation New Broom in Cape Town, targeting illegal immigration with biometric verification. The campaign’s first raid in District 6 saw 25 arrests on land earmarked for restitution. The operation, powered by advanced technology, aims to eliminate fraud and uphold due process. Schreiber urged undocumented immigrants to leave voluntarily or face arrest, stressing a national push for legal compliance and digital transformation across the department.

# Rugby: The Stormers will host Irish powerhouse Leinster for the start of the next season of the United Rugby Championship in Cape Town on the 26th of September. The Bulls will play Ospreys in Pretoria in the opening weekend, and the Sharks and the Lions will start their campaigns against Glasgow in Scotland and Cardiff in Wales, respectively. The format of the competition will be the same, with the 16 teams playing 18 league matches each before the playoffs. The final will be on 20 June.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-11-cents and Bitcoin trades at 110-thousand-96-dollar-30-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-332-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….