News 07:00

BULLETIN 5 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Motsoaledi is concerned about the 14 cases lodged against the National Health Insurance
# Parliament urges the police to protect human rights amid the SANDF deployment to provinces
# And, the City of Cape Town manager’s bold move leads to an arrest in a 1.4-million-rand bribery case

# Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi has expressed concern at the significant legal challenges against the National Health Insurance. The NHI is the subject of 14 court cases. The implementation of some sections of the NHI Act was halted last month, pending a hearing in the Constitutional Court scheduled for May. Motsoaledi told Parliament’s portfolio committee on Health that his department will forge ahead with preparations for the rollout of aspects of the Act that have not been challenged in court:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police says while the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to three provinces is important in the short term, strict parameters are necessary to avoid militarised areas. President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of soldiers to crime-ridden areas of Gauteng, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape, to help police tackle illegal mining, gang violence, and construction mafias. Committee chairperson, Ian Cameron, has called on police senior management to ensure that human rights are protected and that there are robust accountability mechanisms in place.

# The DA has served the City of Johannesburg with legal papers to halt the implementation of an unfunded ten-billion-rand wage agreement with municipal union Samwu. The party argues the deal is fiscally reckless and diverts money from critical services such as water, electricity, roads, and safety. The DA’s Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku says they will use all lawful measures to protect residents and ensure the city prioritises basic service delivery:

# Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has praised city manager Lungelo Mbandazayo for his role in a sting operation that caught a businessman offering a 1.4-million-rand bribe to stop an internal investigation and protect a municipal contract. The operation at Watercress Mall in Somerset West, carried out with the police’s commercial crime unit, also resulted in the seizure of a vehicle and a cellphone. More arrests are expected, and the suspect is set to appear in court today.

# The United Nations Children’s Fund is warning that the military escalation in the Middle East is putting the lives of millions of children in the region at risk. Seven children have been killed and 38 injured in 24 hours amid escalating hostilities across Lebanon. This comes as renewed Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah hit multiple areas across the country, triggering massive displacement. Nearly 60-thousand people, including 18-thousand children, have been newly displaced. UNICEF says targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, is a violation of international law. 

# Golf: South Africa’s Casey Jarvis has a shot at DP World Tour history at the Joburg Open, which gets underway at the Houghton Golf Club today. The 22-year-old, who won back-to-back victories in the Kenya Open and South African Open, has a chance of joining giants of the game Nick Faldo and the late Seve Ballesteros as the only players who have claimed three successive victories on the DP World Tour. Jarvis says he has always wanted to win the Joburg Open:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-31-cents and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-83-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-51-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-176-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….