News 12:00

BULLETIN 10 June 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The livestock industry urges a faster foot-and-mouth vaccine rollout
# Nigeria evacuates itsfirst 500 citizens from South Africa
# And Eskom deploys extra teams to restore power to Witzenberg after last month’s storms

# Independent livestock industry group, FMD Response SA, has called on government to urgently release millions of foot-and-mouth-disease vaccine doses directly to private veterinarians. It says outbreaks continue to spread, threatening livestock production and rural livelihoods. Spokesperson Andrew Morphew says South Africa is expecting 14-million vaccine doses, but only about 4.4-million cattle have been vaccinated so far. He argues broader private sector participation would accelerate vaccinations, improve access for farmers and strengthen efforts to contain and ultimately eradicate the disease.

# The Nigerian government will begin evacuating the first group of 500 Nigerian nationals from South Africa today. Authorities say the repatriation programme will be fully funded, with reception and reintegration measures in place for those returning home. The first flight is scheduled to depart from OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng this evening and arrive in Ikeja tomorrow morning. Nigerian officials say more than one-thousand citizens expressed interest in returning home, with additional evacuation flights expected to follow in the coming weeks.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says cabinet’s decision to write off billions of rand in e-toll debt confirms what motorists have argued for years: the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project was never realistically recoverable. The organisation says the e-toll system failed soon after its launch and government took too long to acknowledge it. OUTA’s Stefanie Fick says the e-toll saga should serve as a lesson in better and faster decision-making by government:

# Electricity infrastructure restoration is continuing in the Witzenberg area of the Western Cape following severe storm damage early last month. Deputy minister of electricity and energy Samantha Graham-Maré says Eskom has made steady progress in repairing damaged infrastructure, although farmers have been without electricity for nearly a month. She welcomed the deployment of additional teams from the Free State and Gauteng to speed up repairs:

# Cricket: Ben Stokes is reportedly considering stepping down as England captain, as he and teammate Gus Atkinson are being investigated for a breach of team protocols. They were involved in an altercation with a Saracens academy player in a London nightclub in the early hours of Monday evening, following England’s victory over New Zealand in the first Test. The incident left an England and Wales Cricket Board security official needing stitches. Stokes is reportedly also considering possibly calling time on his 15-year career. 

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-53-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-468-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-171-dollars-28-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….