News 18:00

BULLETIN 19 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# National Orders celebrate South African excellence in science art and sport
# Cosatu says access to healthcare should not be disrupted by the court cases against the NHI
# And, the Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa comments on the proposed Constitutional changes

# The 2026 National Orders Awards have recognised South Africans making an impact globally in science, arts and sport. President Cyril Ramaphosa awarded the Order of Mapungubwe Gold to Professor Salim Abdool Karim for his contribution to medical science and HIV/AIDS research and Professor Tulio de Oliveira for scientific research and identifying the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The Order of Ikhamanga recognised Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, musician Oscar Mdlongwa known as Oskido, and Grammy-winning flautist Wouter Kellerman among others for outstanding contributions to arts, culture, music, advocacy and sport.

# Union federation Cosatu says it is important that access to healthcare is not disrupted by ongoing court challenges against the National Health Act and other legislation. The Constitutional Court declared Sections 36 to 40 of the Act unconstitutional. The sections deal with the government’s “Certificate of Need”, which is a licensing system for healthcare providers in the country. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says they will engage the Health Department to receive clarification on the impact of this ruling:

# Build One South Africa says the Small Business Development Department is failing to address rising unemployment, citing underfunding, poor execution, and weak leadership. Speaking during Parliament’s debate on the Small Business Development department’s budget vote, BOSA Deputy Leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster argued that small businesses are not surviving beyond the early stages despite state support. He warns that job losses highlight deeper structural problems in the economy and calls for stronger investment in township economies and entrepreneurship. He says reform is needed to turn SMMEs into sustainable job creators.

# Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa has publicly commented for the first time on Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Amendment Bill Number Three, which seeks to extend his term from 2028 to 2030. The bill also proposes replacing the presidential popular vote with a parliamentary ballot system. Mnangagwa says citizens were given a fair opportunity to express their views during the nationwide consultation process. The bill will now move to Parliament’s Justice Committee before being debated when lawmakers resume sittings next month.

# Golf: LIV Golf is reportedly seeking approximately 4.15-billion-rand in investment capital beyond this year. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced last month it will no longer fund the league beyond this season. The sovereign wealth fund is taking a strategic pivot towards domestic programmes, cutting expenditures on global ventures that have failed to generate returns. LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil is reportedly also looking at a secondary 2.5-billion-rand investment plan, contingent on team sales and a new media rights deal bridging the gap.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-67-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-923-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-509-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 106-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….