For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Treasury says upgrades show path to investment grade; SA deporting 586 illegal Nigerian nationals who face 5-year re-entry ban; And, Ebola outbreak spreads to crowded displacement camp in Congo

Treasury says upgrades show path to investment grade

South Africa’s recent credit-rating upgrades are a strong endorsement of government policy and show the nation can restore its coveted investment-grade status if it stays on track, said the National Treasury chief Duncan Pieterse.

Fitch Ratings raised its credit assessment of South Africa on June 5 to BB, two notches below investment grade, delivering the upgrade before putting the rating on a positive outlook as it often does before taking such a step.

The move brought it in line with Moody’s Ratings and S&P Global Ratings, which also have the nation on a positive outlook — a significant marker of confidence against the backdrop of dimming global growth prospects and heightened inflation risks due to the Iran war.

SA deporting 586 illegal Nigerian nationals who face 5-year re-entry ban

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed the processing of 586 Nigerian nationals for repatriation after they were found to be residing in the country illegally.

The first repatriation flight left yesterday morning, carrying 268 passengers back to Nigeria. The remaining individuals from the processed group are scheduled to leave on a second flight on Monday.

All affected individuals were issued Emergency Travel Documents by the Nigerian High Commission to facilitate their return.

In terms of the South African Immigration Act, the individuals have been officially declared undesirable persons and are prohibited from re-entering South Africa for five years.

The department has issued a firm reminder to all foreign nationals living in South Africa that they must possess valid visas or legal authorisations to remain in the country.

And, Ebola outbreak spreads to crowded displacement camp in Congo

Two Ebola-related deaths have been confirmed in a displacement camp in eastern Congo, the UN refugee agency said, with aid workers warning the risk of the disease spreading quickly in crowded refugee sites was high and worrying.

The two victims were internally displaced people living in the Kpangba camp, which hosts 30 000 refugees, the agency said.

The virus has now spread across three provinces since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17.

The three provinces - Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu - have been devastated by decades of conflict and house over 5-million displaced people.

An aid worker said that the two victims were a mother and daughter who died on May 31 and June 1, and who were tested for Ebola by the World Health Organisation after they died.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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