News 11:00

BULLETIN 22 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC loses it’s trademark case against the MK Party
# Panyaza Lesufi says polls predicting the ANC’s support will drop below 50-percent are inaccurate
# And Ramaphosa says South Sudan must be supported towards becoming a fully-fledged democracy

# The High Court in Durban has dismissed the ANC’s trademark case against the MK Party with costs. The ruling party had accused the MK Party of violating the Trademarks Act by using a name and logo similar to that of the ANC’s disbanded MK military wing. The ANC argued the use of the name would lead to voter confusion in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, the ANC’s provincial chairperson in Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, says polls that suggest the party’s support would plummet below 50-percent are inaccurate. The party managed to retain the province in 2019 when it garnered 50.19-percent of the support base. Polls suggest a coalition government in Gauteng was likely but not guaranteed. Lesufi says people who formulate these polls base them on social media or negative media reporting, adding they don’t know how the ANC campaigns.

# Union federation Saftu says it continues to play a crucial role in championing the rights of workers, fighting against injustices in the workplace, and advancing the socio-economic interests of workers. Yesterday, the organisation celebrated seven years since it was launched in April 2017. Saftu’s spokesperson, Trevor Shaku, says the diametric contradictions in the tripartite alliance have and continue to compromise Cosatu’s ability and capacity to legitimately represent workers:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Sudan’s journey to statehood and its progress towards constructing and consolidating its nationhood is a remarkable and largely untold story. He visited the country last week, which is preparing to hold elections in December. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says Africa has a collective responsibility to ensure that South Sudan is ultimately able to reap the dividends of peace and security, including economic prosperity. He says the country must be supported towards becoming a fully-fledged democracy.

# Motorsport: Formula One team Mercedes’s principal, Toto Wolff, says they will have upgrades to the car for the Miami Grand Prix next weekend. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is experiencing his worst start to an F1 season, finished ninth in the Chinese Grand Prix with his teammate George Russell sixth. Wolff says major changes are needed to the car as it lacks pace:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-10-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-60-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-323-dollars-23-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-355-dollars-27-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….