News 11:00

BULLETIN 8 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Moody’s expects the government of national unity to remain intact until the 2029 general elections
# Transport minister Creecy says her department is working with health officials to monitor hantavirus cases
# And cricket: Veteran batter Kane Williamson tours with the Black Caps for Tests against Ireland and England

# Credit ratings agency Moody’s says its baseline assumption is for the government of national unity to hold through its term, with both the ANC and DA having an interest in preserving stability ahead of the 2029 general election. South Africa will hold the local government elections on November fourth. Moody’s says the 2027 to 2029 electoral cycle would test reform durability, but the risk of a sharp policy reversal was limited. The country’s reform programme has gathered some pace under the GNU, including efforts to rehabilitate Transnet’s rail and port network. 

# Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy says they are working with the Health Department to track and monitor possible hantavirus cases in South Africa. This follows the death of three people linked to an outbreak on Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, including a passenger who collapsed at OR Tambo International in Gauteng. The Health Department is monitoring four possible contact cases in the Western Cape. Creecy says the country is prepared to deal with cases:

# The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre says dam levels have risen sharply following heavy rainfall, with several dams now exceeding full capacity. Some dams in the Garden Route and Central Karoo rose from low levels to over 100-percent within hours, raising concerns about possible downstream flooding. The centre’s Colin Deiner says the rapid increase following a long dry period, is being closely monitored, with rivers, estuaries and surrounding communities under continuous observation:

Moving abroad:

# US president Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on the European Union if it fails to drop its levies on America to zero by July 4th. The EU bloc and the US struck a deal last July, setting tariffs on most European goods at 15-percent. Trump has, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the speed of the deal’s implementation. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says good progress is being made towards tariff reduction:

# Cricket: Veteran batter Kane Williamson will play for New Zealand in Tests against Ireland and England after being named in the 19-man squad. The 35-year-old former captain hopes to reach 10-thousand runs in Europe, currently standing on nine-thousand-461. He said in December he was considering retirement, but had now committed to the Black Caps’ next four Tests. They play Ireland in a one-off Test in Belfast on the 27th before a three-match series against England, starting on the fourth of next month.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-43-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-32-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-306-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-721-dollars-31-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 98-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….