News 06:00

BULLETIN 10 April 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party welcomes the Electoral Court’s ruling on Jacob Zuma’s candidacy
# The Judicial Service Commission is unable to recommend candidates for a Constitutional Court post
# And netball: Transgender women are banned from international women’s competitions

# The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has welcomed the Electoral Court setting aside the decision by the Electoral Commission to bar former president Jacob Zuma from contesting a parliamentary seat. The IEC argued Section 47 precluded Zuma from becoming a member of Parliament because he was sentenced to 15 months in jail for contempt of court. MK party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, told the SABC that this is a major victory for the party ahead of the 29 May general elections:

# The Judicial Service Commission says it could only find three suitable candidates to possibly fill the vacancy at the Constitutional Court and not the required four. Supreme Court of Appeal judges Tati Makgoka and Ashton Schippers, advocate Alan Dodson, and law professor David Bilchitz, were interviewed for the vacant position. The commission says following deliberations, it found one of the candidates did not meet the requirements for appointment. The position will now be re-advertised.

# RISE Mzansi says it is concerned about crime levels and acts of violence in Gauteng. In the latest incident, two educators were shot and killed in Vanderbijlpark and Daveyton last week. The provincial quarterly crime statistics show that one-thousand-787 people were murdered in the province between October and December last year. RISE Mzansi’s, Tebogo Moalusi, says Gauteng is slowly being turned into a gangster state by those who have no regard for the rule of law:

# The European Court of Human Rights yesterday ruled Switzerland’s failure to adequately tackle the climate crisis was in violation of human rights. The case was brought by more than two-thousand Swiss women mostly in their 70s, against Switzerland’s government. They argued that heat waves fueled by climate change undermined their health and quality of life, and put them at risk of dying. The judgment marks the first time the court has ruled on climate litigation. There is no right of appeal and the judgment is legally binding.

# Netball: Transgender women will no longer be allowed to participate in women’s international competitions. This is part of World Netball’s new participation and inclusion policy. They determined after a lengthy consultation process that international women’s netball was a gender-affected activity, and the policy was needed to ensure fairness and safety. The decision means the women’s game at international level will be restricted to players recorded as female at birth, or transgender athletes who proof they have never experienced the biological effects of testosterone.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-45-cents and the euro at 20-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-38-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-857-dollars-51-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-347-dollars-33-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The City of Ekurhuleni today marks the 31st anniversary of the passing of anti-apartheid icon Chris Hani with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Thomas Nkobi Memorial Park. Hani was assassinated on April 10, 1993, outside his home in Boksburg. In 2006, the city conferred him with the Freedom of the City and designated April the month to commemorate his life annually. Hani played a pivotal role in preparation for the first democratic elections. He was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe.

Stay tuned for more news………….