News 17:00

BULLETIN 17 June 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Freedom Front Plus says the agriculture sector is holding its breath over the leadership change
# The ANC Youth League supports the crackdown on alleged misconduct in law enforcement
# And soccer: The Bok assistant coach asks South Africa not to judge Bafana too harshly

# The Freedom Front Plus says the agricultural sector is waiting to see whether the proposed leadership change at the Agriculture Ministry will bring improvements. The party says reports that former DA leader and Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen may be replaced with Willie Aucamp have placed the sector in a period of uncertainty. The FF Plus’s Wynand Boshoff says Steenhuisen’s tenure exposed weaknesses in managing crises such as the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak:

# Suspended KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Brigadier Campbell Nyuswa has told the Madlanga Commission that provincial Hawks head Leseja Senona was given both sets of keys to a strong room containing seized drug exhibits. The evidence included 541 kilograms of cocaine worth about 200-million-rand, confiscated in a 2021 Port Shepstone bust. The drugs were later stolen from the Hawks offices in an alleged inside job. He emphasised that the evidence chain was compromised:

# The ANC Youth League in Gauteng welcomes the precautionary suspension of Gauteng Traffic Police Chief Inspector Samuel Mashaba and notes the legal proceedings involving Hawks Head Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa. The league’s Oscar Kanyane says the action demonstrates that no public official is above the law and underscores the importance of accountability. He says corruption and abuse of power undermine service delivery and opportunities for young people:

# Renault in France announced it will produce military drones with ‌defence technology firm Thales, marking the company’s further push into defence manufacturing. The car manufacturer will build Thales’ Toutatis remotely operated armed drones at one of its factories. Production of a thousand units a month will start next year, ​targeting mainly overseas markets. The companies say ⁠the deal would significantly ramp up France’s industrial capacity in a strategic area. Drones hovering over ​a target before striking have played a central role in the war in Ukraine.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana plays Czechia in World Cup Group A tomorrow night after losing 2-0 to co-hosts Mexico in Thursday’s opening match of the tournament. South Africa was criticised for being completely outplayed, barely registering a shot at goal and earning two reds cards. But Springbok rugby assistant coach Deon Davids asked South Africans not to judge Bafana too harshly, reflecting on times when the Boks were under similar pressure. He says the soccer players only need to focus on the things they can control.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-18-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-945-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-329-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….