News 18:00

BULLETIN 5 June 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The former Zambian president Edgar Lungu has died in South Africa
# The PSA hails the suspension of Mpumalanga’s Education HOD over a two-million-rand laptop scandal
# And Rugby: Feinberg-Mngomezulu is crowned as SA’s United Rugby Championship Player of the Season

# Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu, who held power for almost seven years until 2021, died in Pretoria at the age of 68. According to a statement by his political party, the Patriotic Front, Lungu had been receiving specialised medical treatment in a clinic in Pretoria. He had suffered from recurring achalasia, a condition caused by narrowing of the oesophagus, for which he had been treated in South Africa.

# The Public Servants Association welcomes the suspension of the Mpumalanga Education Head of Department, Lucy Moyane, following a forensic report exposing serious procurement irregularities. The department reportedly spent two-million-rand on just 22 laptops costing over 91-thousand-rand each. The association’s Flip van der Walt warns more senior officials may be involved, calling for urgent disciplinary action and possible criminal charges against all those implicated.

# The Gauteng Legislature’s portfolio committee on Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development has expressed concern at the outbreak of foot and mouth disease at Karan Beef’s feedlot facility in Heidelberg. Currently, there are 120-thousand cattle at the feedlot and only two-percent are infected with the disease. Committee chairperson, Jaco Mulder, says they commend Karan Beef for its prompt action in alerting stakeholders and initiating precautionary measures once the disease was detected:

# Cosatu has welcomed the passing of the Older Persons Amendment Bill in Parliament, and has now been sent to president Cyril Ramaphosa for his signature. Once operationalised, among other things, the new piece of legislation will enable the relevant authorities to move an older person to temporary safe care without a court order. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says they have long championed this important bill as it seeks to ensure older persons can retire in peace:

# Rugby: Springbok and Stormers utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu added another significant accolade to his SA Rugby Young Player of the Year award by being crowned SA’s United Rugby Championship Player of the Season. Cameron Hanekom was named as Next-Gen Player of the Season. The prestigious award was voted for by members of the media across all five URC nations. Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hanekom have also been included in the season’s Elite XV. Joining them are Wilco Louw, André Esterhuizen, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, RG Snyman and Marnus van der Merwe.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-73-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-11-cents and Bitcoin trades at 104-thousand-285-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-378-dollars-63-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….