News 12:00

BULLETIN 29 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Public Servants Association calls for stricter enforcement following charges against Home Affairs employers
# Johannesburg Water implements measures as Rand Water’s planned maintenance work commences
# And rugby: The Blitzboks coach says mental focus will be key in Spain this weekend

# The Public Servants Association has expressed concern eight-thousand-180 Home Affairs Department employers have been charged over the past five financial years, for employing foreign nationals without valid work permits. Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber says six-thousand-279 workplace inspections and operations were conducted during the same period as part of efforts to enforce immigration laws. PSA’s Claude Naicker says there is a need for stronger interdepartmental coordination to ensure that immigration, labour, and law-enforcement authorities act cohesively:

# The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is expected to hand over its second interim report to president Cyril Ramaphosa today. The commission was established in September last year, following allegations of criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system. It has so far heard testimony from 60 witnesses, and its second interim report is expected to focus on drug cartels and the illicit movement of narcotics. The commission will hand over its final comprehensive report at the end of August. It will resume its hearings on Monday.

# Johannesburg Water says extensive operational and communication measures have been implemented, as part of its state of readiness for the planned Rand Water maintenance, which commenced today until next Tuesday. Various areas across the city are expected to experience low pressure or no water during the maintenance period. Johannesburg Water’s spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala, says water trucks will be deployed to the affected areas:

# A Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galati, Romania and exploded, injuring two people. Galati sits on the border of Ukraine. The drone, which was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace, was part of an overnight attack on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine. Romanian Foreign Ministry says this incident represents a serious and irresponsible escalation on the part of Russia. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, drone fragments have been found on Romanian territory on 47 separate occasions, 12 this year alone.

# Rugby: Springbok Sevens coach, Philip Snyman, says mental focus will be key in the second of three Sevens World Championship events in Valladolid, Spain, this weekend. South Africa won the first championship tournament in Hong Kong. The Blitzboks have two Pool A encounters today, against Great Britain and Kenya, and on Saturday, they face Australia. Snyman says they will need their best performance of the season to be successful this weekend:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-26-cents and the euro at 18-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-600-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-517-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-49-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….