News 07:00

BULLETIN 27 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA federal council reaffirms the party’s  position on expropriation
# The US special envoy says a Gaza ceasefire deal is on the table
# And cricket: The Proteas Women’s coach is happy to have Marizanne Kapp back in the team

# The DA Federal Council has passed a motion to affirm the party’s longstanding position against the expropriation of property without compensation. The party says it supports Section 25 of the Constitution, and that just and equitable compensation adjudicated by a court of law must be paid for any expropriation. The DA’s national spokesperson, Karabo Khakhau, says the party will continue its court case challenging the constitutionality of the Expropriation Act in the High Court:

# Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube and deputy minister Reginah Mhaule are hosting a seminar on boosting access to quality Early Childhood Care and Education in the North West. The event will explore innovative strategies to improve education accessibility. The seminar precedes the G20 Education Working Group meeting, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday.

# The Gauteng Education Department says funding to schools of specialisation has been reduced due to broader budgetary constraints. Since 2022, the department has slashed funding to schools of specialisation from 69.29-million-rand in 2022 to just over 13-million in 2024, representing a decrease of 81.36-percent. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says that as more schools are designated as schools of specialisation, resources must be spread more widely:

# The Public Servants Association condemns the brutal killing of two healthcare workers from St Elizabeth Hospital in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape. A nurse and a deputy director were murdered at their home in Palmerton village last week. The motive is still unknown. This follows another recent killing of an ambulance worker in Jansenville. The PSA’s Thami Makuzeni calls for urgent action from the police and better safety for healthcare workers:

# The US special envoy Steve Witkoff says a ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table with a pathway to end the war. This comes as Israel has intensified its military action in Gaza, killing at least 54 Palestinians, most of them in a school building sheltering displaced families, over the weekend. Witkoff told CNN that the proposal would see the release of half of the living hostages and half of those who have died in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.

# Cricket: Proteas Women head coach, Mandla Mashimbyi, says he is very excited to have Marizanne Kapp, Tumi Sekhukhune, and Ayanda Hlubi back into the mix. The trio is part of the squad for the white-ball tour to the West Indies next month, consisting of three one-day internationals and three T20s. Kapp missed the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka to undergo a structured conditioning block. Mashimbyi says having an experienced player like Kapp will bode well for the team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-84-cents and the euro at 20-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-24-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-614-dollar-40-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-341-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….