News 08:00

BULLETIN 16 May 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The appointments of the chairpersons of the SETA boards have been withdrawn
# ActionSA tables a Bill on cutting cabinet perks
# And soccer: South Africa’s U20 team is through to the AFCON final

# The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Nobuhle Nkabane, has withdrawn the recent appointments of chairpersons to Sector Education and Training Authorities boards. This follows a public outcry over the inclusion of individuals linked to the ANC, including minister Gwede Mantashe’s son, Buyambo, and former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. Minister Nkabane says she has taken this decision in the interest of good governance and transparency to ensure accountability in the appointment process. She adds that a new independent panel will be established to process nominations and recommend candidates.

# ActionSA has officially tabled the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill, aiming to save 1.5-billion-rand a year by reducing the size and cost of the executive. The bill seeks to end the president’s sole power to change the ministerial handbook, enforce parliamentary oversight, and ensure all changes are made public. ActionSA’s Alan Beesley calls for a full review of cabinet perks every five-years:

# The Freedom Front Plus says the Ekurhuleni Finance Department is on the brink of collapse as 78-percent of its key positions are currently vacant. The department recently revealed that only 21.9-percent of all approved positions are filled, including only 12 of the 43 financial management positions. The FF Plus’, Denise Janse van Rensburg, says this staffing crisis means Ekurhuleni lacks the internal capacity to responsibly manage its finances and protect taxpayers’ money:

# US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he does not expect a breakthrough in the negotiations over the war in Ukraine until president Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, meet face-to-face. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Russia for sending a low-level delegation to Turkey for talks over the war, accusing Putin of not being serious about peace. Rubio says he does not have high expectations of what will happen in the negotiations today:

# Soccer: South Africa is through to the Africa Cup of Nations U20 final for the first time in 28 years following a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in Ismailia, Egypt. A header by Tylon Smith in the 66th minute proved decisive. This result ends Nigeria’s hopes of winning a record-extending eighth AFCON title. Amajita will face Morocco in the final on Sunday evening after they defeated Egypt 1-0 in their semifinal. The SA U20 team is bidding for their first continental title.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-1-cent and the euro at 20-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 104-thousand-261-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-212-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….