News 11:00

BULLETIN 17 June 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Mashatile says minister Godongwana will decide on the budget for the National Dialogue
# Sick leave in the public sector skyrocketed to 10,1-billion-rand in 2023
# And the G7 leaders urge a de-escalation of conflict in the Middle East

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says Finance minister Enoch Godongwana will have the final say on the budget for the upcoming National Dialogue. The first National Convention to enable an all-inclusive process will be convened on 15 August to set the agenda for the dialogue. The dialogue’s preparatory committee has projected the cost to exceed 700-million-rand. Mashatile says Godongwana will assess all expenses related to the event:

# The Public Service Commission has recommended that all government departments audit sick leave records annually, to identify incidents of excessive use and misuse by employees. According to a report by the commission, sick leave in the public sector skyrocketed from eight-billion-rand in 2020 to 10.1-billion-rand in 2023. Gauteng had the largest sick leave costs with 1.4-billion-rand, followed closely by KwaZulu-Natal with 1.3-billion. The commission says there is a correlation between leave expenditure and the proportion of employees at national and provincial departments.

# ActionSA says it is appalled by the revelations that the Gauteng Department of Education is transferring debt burdens to schools. Many non-fee-paying schools across the province are facing the threat of having their electricity and water cut off after te department has abruptly reversed last year’s decision to cover utility bills. ActionSA’s John Moodey says this leaves already-struggling communities to cover 300-million-rand debt:

# The leaders of the G7 nations have affirmed their unified support for Israel and have called for a de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. This comes as Israel and Iran are trading strikes on a fifth day of conflict. In Iran, at least 224 people have been killed since hostilities began, while in Israel, 24 people have been killed. The G7 have condemned Iran for being the principal source of regional instability and terror. The leaders have reiterated that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

# Golf: Five-time major champion, Rory McIlroy, has become the first player to automatically earn a spot in captain Luke Donald’s Team Europe for the Ryder Cup. The Northern Irishman locked up his spot as a result of securing four victories since the European points list began last August. McIlroy will make his eighth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance at the biennial competition, scheduled for September in New York. Donald’s 12-man team will consist of six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 20-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-16-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-860-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-387-dollars-94-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-23-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….