Making headlines: CEOs from 115 companies pledge to help rebuild South Africa, Putin promises African leaders free grain despite Western sanctions and, EFF keeps its promise to ban public representatives who failed to secure buses for anniversary rally

CEOs from 115 companies pledge to help rebuild South Africa

CEOs from over 115 leading corporations in South Africa and which collectively employ 1.2-million people and have a combined market value of R11-trillion, have formally pledged to help the country overcome the problems currently undermining inclusive economic growth.

The companies operate across all sectors of the South African economy, which is currently characterised by low economic growth, collapsing infrastructure, rampant crime and corruption, and extremely high levels of inequality and unemployment.

Business Unity South Africa Vice President Adrian Gore, who is also Group CEO of Discovery, argued that the pledge was not merely a symbolic gesture, but a “concrete commitment to drive change in key sectors that are essential for our economic recovery”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Busa, through its structure Business for South Africa, recently announced a partnership to implement interventions in the areas of energy, transport and logistics, and crime and corruption amongst others.

Putin promises African leaders free grain despite Western sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told African leaders he would gift them tens of thousands of tons of grain within months despite Western sanctions, which he said made it harder for Moscow to export its grain and fertilisers.

The Russian President is hosting a summit with African leaders that’s intended to demonstrate Russia’s growing influence on the continent.

Speaking at the summit in St Petersburg devoted to Russian-African ties, Putin said Russia was expecting a record grain harvest and was ready to replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa on both a commercial and aid basis to honour what he said was Moscow's critical role in global food security.

Putin said last year, Russia exported a total of 60-million tonnes of grain, of which 48-million tonnes was wheat.

EFF keeps its promise to ban public representatives who failed to secure buses for anniversary rally

Former Economic Freedom Fighters KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Vusi Khoza is one of more than 400 leaders the party has banned from attending its 10th anniversary rally at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Hours before the EFF announced the list of public representatives Khoza had been entertaining a crowd that had gathered at the Marikana koppie in North West to celebrate the EFF's 10th birthday.

At a press briefing earlier this month, EFF leader Julius Malema said that public representatives had a deadline of 30 June to secure buses that would ferry people to the rally.

He said those who failed to do so would be publicly exposed.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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