News 07:00

BULLETIN 1 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The National Treasury says government has made progress in restoring the country’s public finances
# The Conference of the Left commits to rebuilding the working class and the poor
# And rugby: The Bok Women claim their fifth successive Africa Cup title

# National Treasury says global rating agency Standard and Poor’s latest outlook is an encouraging signal that South Africa has the potential to lift its economic growth rate higher, and reduce public debt faster. S&P affirmed the country’s long-term foreign currency sovereign credit rating at ‘BB’ and local currency rating at ‘BB+’, maintaining a positive outlook. Treasury’s director-general, Duncan Pieterse, says government has made progress towards restoring the health of South Africa’s public finances and its ability to continue despite geopolitical upheavals.

# The Conference of the Left adopted a historic declaration committing participating formations to rebuild the organised power of the working class and the poor. The conference brought together political parties, trade unions, student organisations, faith and religious formations, and traditional leadership structures. The South African Communist Party General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, says the conference declared that South Africa is in a deep structural crisis rooted in capitalism, imperialism, monopoly power, patriarchy, racism, austerity, unemployment, inequality, social violence, and ecological destruction:

# The Electoral Commission has welcomed contributions totalling 4.5-million-rand to the Multi-Party Democracy Fund during the latest reporting period. The fund received three-million-rand from Vodacom and 1.5-million-rand from Standard Bank. The Commission says the donations reflect continued support for South Africa’s multi-party democracy and equitable political funding. It expects both the value and volume of political donations to increase as the 2026 Local Government Elections approach. The Commission has pledged to closely monitor compliance with political funding laws and act against any non-compliance.

# Johannesburg’s Metrobus will reduce services from today as it grapples with financial pressures and rising diesel costs. In a notice to commuters, the bus operator says years of budget cuts, coupled with higher fuel prices, have forced it to scale back operations. The changes include reduced off-peak services on selected routes and fewer trips during periods of low demand. Commuters are encouraged to check updated timetables and route information on the Metrobus website or at bus depots and terminals before travelling. 

# Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director-general Jean Kaseya says investments in pandemic preparedness must become permanent across the continent. This as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda are battling an Ebola outbreak, with 263 reported cases and 43 confirmed deaths so far. Kaseya says epidemics weaken supply chains, trade, investment, and regional stability. He says they are committed to having a vaccine against the new Ebola strain, Bundibugyo, by the end of the year:

# Rugby: The Springbok Women defeated hosts Kenya 35-20 to claim a fifth Rugby Africa Women’s Cup title in Nairobi. South Africa found themselves trailing 8-7 at halftime against a Kenyan side buoyed by passionate home support. The Bok Women fought back in the second half to claim victory and complete another successful continental campaign. Springbok Women assistant coach Franzel September says he was most pleased with the step-up in execution after their performance against Uganda:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-21-cents and the euro at 18-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-384-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-529-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….