News 18:00

BULLETIN 24 April 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Multi-Party Charter takes aim at inequality and hunger with a bold social welfare proposal
# Rugby: The Lions are backing their scrums to complete an Irish double 

# And the wandering hippo of the False Bay Nature Reserve faces relocation 

# The Multi-Party Charter has unveiled a comprehensive social welfare plan, aiming to tackle poverty, inequality, and hunger, ahead of the 29 May elections. It includes increasing the Child Grant and extending it to pregnant women, expediting disability grants, and means-testing welfare recipients. The plan also addresses teenage pregnancies, maintenance payments, healthcare, gangsterism, drug abuse, homelessness, and police visibility. DA leader John Steenhuisen says despite individual party campaigns, all signatory parties have agreed to these commitments, aiming for unity in politics:

# The Gauteng Health Department says it’s saddened by the passing of suspended Tembisa Hospital CEO Dr Ashley Mthunzi. He reportedly died in hospital yesterday after suffering a short illness. Mthunzi was placed on precautionary suspension amid allegations of a possible link to the murder of Gauteng Health Department financial accountant and whistleblower, Babita Deokaran, in August 2021.

# Northern Ireland’s longest-serving member of Parliament was officially charged with rape when he appeared in court in Newry along with his wife. Sixty-one-year-old Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was forced to resign as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party last month, and his party membership was suspended. The alleged rapes and other sex offences date from between 1985 and 2006, while his wife, Eleanor, is accused of aiding and abetting him. The couple was released on bail. Donaldson was knighted for his services to politics in 2016.

# Rugby: The Lions will try to follow up their impressive victory over Leinster by beating another Irish giant on Saturday at Ellis Park. They will face Munster, who confirmed their status as defending URC champions with a big win at Loftus against the Bulls. The scrum has become a potent weapon as the Lions draw inspiration from the Springboks’ famous bomb squad. Scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys is happy with the depth amongst the forwards: 

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-21-cents and the euro at 20-rand-55-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-397-dollars-15-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-321-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The City of Cape Town says a young male hippopotamus from its pod at the False Bay Nature Reserve needs to be relocated to protect him from the dominant male. The older male, present since their reintroduction in 1981, poses a threat to the younger males as they reach maturity. Mayoral committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, says hippos play a crucial role in the ecosystem, but face threats including habitat loss and poaching:

Stay tuned for more news………….