News 08:00

BULLETIN 4 December 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD Party welcomes the new parliamentary oversight of the Presidency
# AfriForum says the water crisis is a governance disaster
# And the EU agrees to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2027

# The GOOD Party says Parliament’s approval of a new oversight structure will help ensure accountable leadership at the highest level of government. The committee will monitor the Presidency. The move follows recommendations from the Zondo commission on state capture and is welcomed by opposition parties advocating for transparency. GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron says the committee will serve as a key check on the Presidency and promote responsible governance:

# AfriForum is demanding that municipal officials be held personally responsible for the collapse of water services. The Auditor-General of South Africa has revealed that 59 municipalities spent 2.32-billion-rand on water tankering during the 20232024 financial year. Of this, 419-million-rand was spent irregularly. Municipalities also reported water losses of 14.89-billion-rand in their financial statements. AfriForum’s Lambert de Klerk says the water crisis is caused by the systemic collapse of the country’s water supply system:

# The Johannesburg Council has voted to retain the controversial 200-rand electricity surcharge to prepaid users. City Power introduced the surcharge in July last year to share the costs of maintaining electricity infrastructure with its customers, and help sustain reliable service amid challenges such as cable theft and illegal connections. The ACDP, which tabled the motion to scrap the surcharge, argued that the levy has not only deepened the cost-of-living crisis but also eroded residents’ trust in public governance.

# The European Union has committed to phasing out all remaining imports of Russian oil by the end of 2027. Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe has drastically reduced its dependence on the world’s third-largest oil producer. The US also clamped down on Russia’s oil trade by sanctioning its two largest producers, Lukoil and Rosneft. European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, says slashing Russian energy imports has substantially reduced Moscow’s revenues used to finance its war on Ukraine:

# Motorsport: The FIA’s presidential election is set to go ahead in Uzbekistan next week, although a legal challenge could overturn the result. Swiss racing driver Laura Villars had sought an emergency judgment to suspend the election. Villars, along with two other former FIA presidential hopefuls, was forced to drop out of the race after failing to put together the required slate of potential vice-presidents from the official list of 29 by the 24 October deadline. Villars’ challenge against the FIA’s election process will be heard on 16 February 2026.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-5-cents and the euro at 19-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-657-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-195-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….