News 14:00

BULLETIN 12 June 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# One fatality is recorded in Gauteng amid an M-pox outbreak
# The FW De Klerk Foundation calls on citizens to sign its ‘South Africa First!’ petition 
# And roadrunning: The organisers of the Comrades vow the speedy resolving of outstanding issues 

# The Department of Health has recorded one fatality in Gauteng due to the M-pox outbreak. The 37-year-old man died in the Tembisa hospital on Monday. The department is actively working on contact tracing, case finding, and raising awareness to prevent the further spread of the virus. Health minister Joe Phaahla told the media enhanced risk communication and community engagement are being implemented to prevent further spread and ensure early diagnosis and treatment:

# The FW de Klerk Foundation has called on citizens to sign its ‘South Africa First!’ petition, urging for the establishment of a government of constitutional unity or a coalition government prioritising the country’s interests. Amid ongoing talks, the ANC seeks a national unity government after losing its majority. The foundation says it envisions a government that upholds the Constitution, stimulate investment, tackle poverty and unemployment, and improve governance.

Meanwhile, economists have voiced uncertainty regarding South Africa’s economic future amid ongoing coalition talks and the imminent election of the next president. They believe a government of national unity could significantly influence economic policies and affect gross domestic product growth projections. Chief economist at Citadel, Maarten Ackerman, highlights challenges in key economic sectors and stresses the importance of long-term investment strategies to navigate market volatility effectively.

# BetterBond says over the past 12 months, the number of approved home loans declined by more than 11-percent, while the number of home loans for houses costing less than 500-thousand-rand only increased by 3.1-percent. This is a negative rate when adjusted for inflation. Interim CEO Bradd Bendall says the damage inflicted on the residential property market by high interest rates is particularly evident in the two lowest home price brackets, namely below 500-thousand-rand and between 500-thousand-rand and one-million-rand:

# Roadrunning: The organisers of the Comrades Marathon are taking steps to prevent a repetition of some niggles in Sunday’s race. Runners and spectators congratulated them for the smooth running, but there were problems such as the late arrival of buses transporting athletes back to Durban after the race, traffic congestion on the N3, and the shortage of medals for some groups. Race and operations manager Ann Ashworth apologised for any oversights, saying they will do their utmost to speedily resolve all issues.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-887-dollars-68-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-313-dollars-27-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….