News 07:00

BULLETIN 22 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Nhlamulo Ndlela are going to  take legal action over their expulsions from the MK Party
# Downing Street says prime minister Starmer is determined to fight on
# And tennis: Serena Williams will compete in the ladies’ singles at Wimbledon

# Former MK Party members Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Nhlamulo Ndlela plan to take legal action against their removal from the party. They were expelled last week for alleged gross misconduct linked to their conduct surrounding the death of fellow party member Muzi Ntshingila. The party accused the two of making unauthorised public statements that undermined unity and violated internal party rules. Ndlela, who was the party’s spokesperson, says no disciplinary hearing against them was held, nor were any findings released before they were removed:

Zuma-Sambudla says she does not feel betrayed by her father, party leader Jacob Zuma, following her expulsion. Zuma-Sambudla, who was also accused of promoting factional narratives with her public statements and social media posts, says she hasn’t yet discussed her expulsion with her father:

# The Department of Health says it has not received a formal correspondence from the US government over the complete withdrawal of HIV/AIDS funding through PEPFAR. This followed the media reports of the complete withdrawal. The department spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says government has long been working on a self-reliance plan to minimise the impact of funding withdrawal since the initial freeze on foreign assistance and a cancellation of USAID grants in January last year:

# With the deadline drawing near, the National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service have reminded the public to submit written comments on the 2026 draft Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill. The draft Rates Bill outlines adjustments to various tax thresholds, exemptions, and limits, as well as changes to excise duties on alcoholic beverages and tobacco-related products. Treasury says the draft Rates Bill, which contains the proposed tax amendments, is available on the National Treasury and SARS websites.

# Keir Starmer is reportedly set to resign as UK prime minister this week. According to The Observer, Starmer is preparing to set out a timetable for his orderly departure. There have been mounting calls for him to step down following resignations from key ministers, and Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election last week, which cleared a path for him to challenge for the Labour leadership. However, Downing Street says Starmer is determined to fight on.

# Tennis: Twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, will officially return to singles competition after accepting the final Wimbledon ladies’ singles wild card. The 44-year-old American has not played a singles match since the 2022 US Open. She has played two doubles matches since making her competitive return earlier this month after a four-year absence. Williams, who has won the Wimbledon singles title seven times, has also been given a wildcard to play alongside her older sister Venus in the doubles.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-40-cents and the euro at 18-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-563-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-199-dollars-2-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-88-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….