News 13:00

BULLETIN 27 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The first group of Ghanaian nationals are being repatriated from South Africa today
# The DA urges Tshwane to rather focus on service delivery than renaming the Wonderboom airport
# And soccer: Broos will announce Bafana Bafana’s World Cup squad tonight

# Ghanaian authorities are today repatriating the first group of its citizens, who have asked to leave South Africa. More than 800 Ghanaians had registered for voluntary evacuation, with 300 departing on a repatriation flight from OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng today. This follows a wave of protests against illegal immigration in recent weeks. Home Affairs Immigration and Law Enforcement head, Stephen van Neel, told the SABC they encountered challenges during the verification process:

# Forum for South Africa says if president Cyril Ramaphosa is truly innocent, he shouldn’t resort to legal manoeuvres to challenge a process meant to ensure accountability. His legal team filed papers in the Western Cape High Court yesterday to review the report into the Phala Phala scandal. The Constitutional Court found Parliament was irrational when it dismissed the report. FOSA leader Tebogo Mashilompane feels like Ramaphosa has something to hide:

# The DA in Tshwane says it does not support the proposed renaming of Wonderboom Airport, arguing the city should prioritise service delivery, safety, infrastructure, and economic growth. The party’s Kuhle Maseko says the airport is a key economic asset with the potential to create jobs and attract investment. Maseko proposed a transparent public-private partnership model to improve management, reduce municipal financial pressure, and support long-term sustainability. He adds it would promote commercial expansion and aviation development.

Moving abroad:

# UK prime minister Keir Starmer says the attorney general has asked the Court of Appeal to review the case of three teenagers who avoided jail over the rape of two girls. The girls were raped in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in November 2024 and January 2025. The teenage boys were convicted last week, but did not receive a custodial sentence, just youth rehabilitation orders. Starmer describes the sentence as appalling:

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is set to name his final squad for the World Cup in Pretoria this evening, with president Cyril Ramaphosa also present. The Belgian will trim his 32-man preliminary squad down to the final 26 players who will participate at the global showpiece in the US, Canada and Mexico. Bafana Bafana is in Group A with Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea. Broos has emphasised that the final squad will be based on current form, fitness and how players fit his game plan.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 75-thousand-724-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-489-dollars-78-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-89-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….