News 07:00

BULLETIN 10 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament says the financial and governance crisis within municipalities is deepening
# AfriForum criticises the SABC for poor planning in the changing of Afrikaans news times
# And NATO needs a 400-percent increase in air and missile defence

# The chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zweli Mkhize, says the integrity and functionality of municipalities are under immense strain. Last month, the Auditor-General reported that only 41 of the country’s 257 municipalities obtained clean audits in the 2023/2024 financial year. Mkhize says a total of 113 municipalities are currently operating on unfunded budgets, planning expenditures far beyond what they can credibly finance:

# AfriForum says the latest rescheduling of Afrikaans news on SABC TV is poorly planned and risks losing viewers. The organisation warns the new time of 5.30 pm on weekdays and 8 pm on weekends on S3 could alienate rural viewers and reduce access to vital news. AfriForum’s Alana Bailey says the matter has been taken to the Information Regulator after receiving no response to its formal request for answers from the broadcaster:

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is taking president Cyril Ramaphosa and Parliament to the Constitutional Court, seeking to have the new Public Procurement Act declared unlawful. He says the law was passed with serious flaws and will harm municipal service delivery by adding red tape and allowing procurement interference. Hill-Lewis argues the act threatens municipal autonomy and creates a centralised system that could disrupt services. The act has been signed but is not yet in effect.

# Johannesburg mayor, Dada Morero, has laughed off suggestions that DA federal chairperson Helen Zille is considering contesting to become the next Johannesburg mayor after next year’s local government elections. According to reports, some DA members have asked Zille to avail herself for the position. Morero says Zille’s potential inclusion on the list for mayor could indicate the DA’s acknowledgment that the party is not up to the task. DA candidates who want to run for mayoral positions in municipalities have until June 15 to submit their applications.

# NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, says the organisation needs a 400-percent increase in air and missile defence to maintain credible deterrence. This comes ahead of a summit in The Hague later this month when the 32-country alliance is expected to agree to a Donald Trump-inspired pledge to spend five-percent of gross domestic product on defence and related areas. Rutte says the investment plan is grounded in hard facts:

# Rugby: A calf injury ruled out Scotland’s prop, Zander Fagerson, from the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia. This follows his heartbreak during 2021’s tour of South Africa, when he was the only Scot that didn’t play in the series against the Springboks. Fagerson’s withdrawal exacerbates the Lions’ tighthead prop problems following concerns over Tadhg Furlong’s fitness for the tour. Most of the players assembled for a six-day training camp in Portugal, with Ireland and Connacht’s Australian-born prop Finlay Bealham replacing Fagerson.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 20-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-1-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-904-dollar-30-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-314-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-20-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….