For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: NHI Act officially halted; S African men lured into fighting in Russia make their way home; And, New US tariffs come in at lower 10% rate

NHI Act officially halted

The Presidency confirmed today that following consultations with Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially agreed to delay the proclamation of any sections of the National Health Insurance Act until the Constitutional Court has handed down its judgments in May.

Further, it assured that the decision taken by Ramaphosa will not affect the timetable for the implementation of the NHI.

This comes amid several legal actions from various civil society groups, arguing that the NHI Act is unconstitutional and irrational.

Last week Ramaphosa confirmed that he would not promulgate any provisions of the NHI Act prior to the Constitutional Court handing down judgment on the public participation challenges, and that he would not enforce any part of the Act until he was requested to do so by the Minister of Health.

The court cases relate to the public participation process that led to the adoption of the NHI Bill by Parliament, with arguments that they were not properly followed.

S African men lured into fighting in Russia make their way home

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that 11 of the 17 South African men who were lured under false pretences into fighting in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, will soon make their way home.

The South African government said it has been working closely with the Russian government to secure the safe return of the men.

Ramaphosa expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his assistance in the matter and reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict through negotiation

Spokesperson to the President Vincent Magwenya said Putin pledged his support to the men returning home during a telephone call with Ramaphosa earlier this month.

Four men arrived back in the country last week, while two remain in Russia; one is hospitalised in Moscow and the other is undergoing administrative travel processing.

And, New US tariffs come in at lower 10% rate

The US imposed an additional tariff from today of 10% on all goods not covered by exemptions, a notice issued by US Customs and Border Protection said, the rate initially announced by President Donald Trump on Friday rather than the 15% he promised a day later.

Reacting to the Supreme Court ruling that threw out his tariffs that had been justified on grounds of an emergency, Trump initially announced a new temporary global tariff of 10%. He said on Saturday he would increase it to 15%.

The move added to confusion surrounding US trade policy, with no explanation offered for why the lower rate had been used.

Collection of the new tariffs began at midnight, while the collection of the tariffs annulled by the Supreme Court was halted.They had ranged from 10% to as much as 50%.

Trump's tariff order argued that a serious balance of payments deficit existed in the form of a $1.2-trillion annual US goods trade deficit and a current account deficit of 4% of GDP and a reversal of the US primary income surplus.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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