News 14:00

BULLETIN 26 June 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An analyst calls for a parliamentary debate on a formation of a government of national unity
# The Operation Vulindlela conference phase 2 expands to drive economic growth
# And boxing: Oleksandr Usyk is no longer the undisputed champion after giving up his IBF belt

# Political analyst Mpumelelo Mkhabela insists the formation of the government of national unity should be debated in Parliament. He argues such decisions cannot be left to unelected negotiators like the DA’s federal council chairperson Helen Zille and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Highlighting emerging cracks and differing interpretations of the agreement, Mkhabela calls for public participation and transparency. He argues the statement of intent should be debated in Parliament to honour the public’s vote and their governance preferences.

# Operation Vulindlela is working on the second phase of operations seeking additional structural reforms beyond electricity, logistics, and skills to stimulate economic growth over the next five years. This initiative aims to address binding constraints to economic performance to enhance green and digital growth. Speaking at the conference in Rosebank, former deputy minister of Finance, David Masondo emphasised consolidating progress while adding new reforms to boost economic growth:

# Eskom says it has recorded a 5-percent decrease in crime incidents across the company in the 2023/2024 financial year. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says a contractor’s employee was arrested for alleged theft and possession of copper cable at Eskom’s Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga on Sunday. She says the arrest of the suspect aligns with the power utility’s zero-tolerance approach towards illegal activities:

# The FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index has dropped to 44 in the second quarter of 2024, down from 47 in quarter one, with civil contractor sentiment slightly lower. Activity growth has also reportedly remained robust but slightly lower. Improved order books further indicate continued support in the short-to-medium term. Despite the dip, sentiment, though above the long-term average, reflects concerns about the political environment, crime, and corruption impacting confidence among large private sector contractors.

# Boxing: Five weeks after becoming the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in nearly 25 years, Oleksandr Usyk has given up one of his belts. Usyk beat Tyson Fury on a split decision on 18 May to add the WBC title to his WBA, WBO and IBF collection. The Ukrainian says his IBF belt can now be taken by the winner of the anticipated bout between two Britons, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. Usyk retains his IBF belt ahead of his rematch with Fury in December.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-16-cents and the euro at 19-rand-50-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-241-dollars-59-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-311-dollars-54-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….