News 13:00

BULLETIN 26 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF condemns the inclusion of Johann Rupert in the South African delegation set to meet Trump
# ActionSA says Budget 3.0 must protect citizens and tackle unemployment and corruption
# And Zapiro receives an honorary doctorate in Education from the University of Pretoria

# The EFF has condemned the inclusion of businessman, Johann Rupert, in president Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation set to meet US president Donald Trump at the White House today. Government has labelled the much-anticipated meeting as an opportunity to reset relations. The EFF says Rupert is a major beneficiary of unequal land and economic relations in South Africa, and has in the past even threatened to disinvest in the country. The party adds that the inclusion of Rupert in a diplomatic delegation is a spit in the face of democracy.

Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has meanwhile reiterated that land compensation must be fair and equitable, aligning with Section 25 of the Constitution. Speaking ahead of today’s meeting with Trump, Steenhuisen stressed the need to address land ownership imbalances responsibly, ensuring food security and upholding property rights. He affirmed government’s commitment to just compensation in land reform initiatives:

# ActionSA says Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s revised budget must lay the foundation for sustainable economic growth. The minister is set to return to Parliament today to present a revised budget, the third attempt since the first one in February, with the second being tabled in March. ActionSA’s Matthew George says Budget 3.0 must protect hard-pressed citizens from higher taxes, ensure SARS is properly funded, and address the rampant corruption in government departments and state-owned entities:

# Soccer: Manchester United received a fitness boost on the eve of the Europa League final as Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot and Leny Yoro all returned to training yesterday. Ruben Amorim’s side are preparing to face Tottenham in an all-English Europa League showpiece in Bilbao, Spain, tonight. Zirkzee had earlier been ruled out for the rest of the season, but the Dutch striker could be available. Portuguese full-back Dalot has been absent due to a calf problem, while French defender Yoro sat out last Friday’s 1-0 loss at Chelsea with a foot issue.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-90-cents and the euro at 20-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-331-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-308-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-87-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The University of Pretoria has conferred an honorary doctorate in Education on South Africa’s most celebrated and multi-award-winning editorial cartoonist, Jonathan Shapiro, better known as Zapiro. The university says over the past four decades, Shapiro’s cartoons have held up a compelling, insightful mirror to events taking place in South Africa. Shapiro says it’s pleasing for him to see his cartoons being used in schools and universities as teaching aids:

Stay tuned for more news………….