News 09:00

BULLETIN 6 June 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fitch Ratings believes Ramaphosa will remain in office, despite the establishment of the impeachment committee on the Phala Phala matter
# Cabinet confirms the final closure of the Gauteng e-toll project
# And Soccer: Vuvuzelas are not allowed at the World Cup stadiums

# Fitch Ratings believes president Cyril Ramaphosa will remain in office, despite establishment of Parliament impeachment committee on Phala Phala matter set up last month. It expects the ANC with 40-percent of seats in Parliament will remain supportive of the President.  Fitch Ratings says tensions within the ANC and the government of national unity are likely to increase, with the upcoming local government elections in November being a pressure point. However, it expects the GNU to hold together for its full term.

# Water and Sanitation minister, Pemmy Majodina says South Africa has welcomed the African Union’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of Water. She says it is an important recognition that water security is fundamental to achieving the continent’s developmental aspirations. Majodina addressed the inaugural meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Incomati and Maputo Watercourse Commission in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni. The minister warned that climate change, rapid urbanisation, population growth and rising water demand are placing increasing pressure on water resources across the region:

# Cabinet has approved the final closure of the Gauteng freeway improvement project e-toll system, including the orderly resolution of related legal cases and outstanding debt matters. This follows the decision to end electronic tolling in April 2024. Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says the closure brings finality to a long-standing infrastructure financing issue:

# Overstrand Municipality in the Western Cape says many of the foreign nationals affected by recent unrest in Kleinmond are in South Africa legally. About 100 displaced people are currently being accommodated at the town hall, while some are considering voluntary repatriation. Ward councillor Grant Cohen says families, including children attending local schools, have been forced to seek shelter due to fear and intimidation. Cohen warns residents against taking the law into their own hands.

# At least 49 people have died of thirst in a remote part of the Sahara desert in northern Niger after the truck carrying them broke down. Authorities say the group had been returning from Mali where they had attended a Muslim festival when they ran out of water, stranded more than 80 kilometres west of Assamaka, a major border crossing point between Niger and Algeria. The Niger desert remains a major transit corridor for migrants from across West Africa trying to reach Europe, repeatedly defying the risks associated with the perilous journey.

# And soccer: Spectators won’t be allowed to bring vuvuzelas to World Cup games. World governing body FIFA banned the plastic horns from venues in Canada, the US and Mexico. In the 2010 tournament in South Africa, vuvuzelas were everywhere, but wasn’t as popular with the rest of the world for their monotonous droning sound. FIFA also prohibited whistles, air horns and other excessively loud noise-making devices. The tournament starts on Thursday with the opening match between Bafana Bafana and Mexico in Mexico City.

Stay tuned for more news………….