News 15:00

BULLETIN 30 June 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Public servants call for urgent interventions with crises in municipalities and state-owned entities
# Hundreds of families are displaced by a new wave of Israeli air strikes on Gaza
# And rugby: Four All Blacks will play for the combined Australia-New Zealand team against the British and Irish Lions

# The Public Servants Association says it is alarmed by South Africa’s deteriorating financial health owing to the crumbling state of municipalities and state-owned entities. The PSA says the recent Financial Stability Review by the South African Reserve Bank highlights the severity of the situation, with government’s debt burden expected to peak at nearly 80-percent of gross domestic product, which is a recipe for disaster. The association’s Claude Naiker says the PSA is urging government to implement robust financial management practices:

Meanwhile, FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi says the FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index has declined for the third consecutive quarter to register a level of 41 in the second quarter of this year, down from 45 in the first quarter. He says the current reading means that close to 60-percent of respondents are dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions. Mkhwanazi says business sentiment was lower despite an uptick in construction activity:

# South African Student Congress president Alungile Kamtshe says Higher Education minister Nobuhle Nkabane has failed to deliver on the department’s basic responsibilities. The organisation briefed the media to discuss the state of the ministry, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, and the Sector Education and Training Authority. Kamtshe says the current student issue is a direct outcome of poor governance:

# Israel has carried out a wave of air strikes across the Gaza Strip, triggering the mass displacement of hundreds of Palestinian families. The BBC reports that rescue teams recovered the bodies of five people, while dozens of injured civilians were evacuated to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. The bombardment follows one of the largest evacuation orders issued since the war resumed in March. It comes amid increasing pressure on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refocus efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.

# Rugby: David Havili and Shannon Frizell were among four All Blacks named as part of an Australia-New Zealand Fifteen to face the British and Irish Lions. They are joined by Shaun Stevenson and Folau Fakatava as the first wave of signings for the combined team that will take on Andy Farrell’s men in Adelaide on 12 July. The combined side will be coached by Les Kiss, who will succeed Joe Schmidt as Wallabies coach next year. Kiss also coaches Super Rugby’s Queensland Reds, who face the Lions in Brisbane on Wednesday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-80-cents and the euro at 20-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-856-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-276-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-64-cents a barrel

Stay tuned for more news………….