News 12:00

BULLETIN 8 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The IEC reveals it would cost 587-million-rand to postpone the elections
# The NSPCA demands transparency on the welfare of an isolated elephant bull
# And, motorsport: The US House Judiciary Committee opens a probe into F1’s rejection of the Andretti bid

# The Electoral Commission says it would cost about 587-million-rand to postpone the 29 May elections. The Constitutional Court is hearing applications by three parties today, who accuse the IEC of unfairly excluding them from participating in the election. Ace Magashule’s African Congress for Transformation, mining union Amcu’s Labour Party, and the Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats failed to meet the deadline to submit their candidate list. The parties want the submission window reopened and the elections postponed. The IEC says in court papers the parties have only themselves to blame.

Staying with the elections: COPE says it is disappointed at president Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law of the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill. The legislation amends the Political Party Funding Act of 2018. This is to provide for the regulation of the private and public funding of independent candidates and independent representatives. COPE’s acting national chairperson, Pakes Dikgetsi, says they view the signing of the legislation into law so close to the general election as an assault on constitutional democracy:

# The National Council of SPCA’s has called for transparency from Cape Nature regarding the well-being of an elephant at the Fairy Glen Nature Reserve near Worcester, Letaba. The NSPCA accuses Cape Nature of withholding compliance information. Spokesperson Jacques Peacock says Letaba’s diet is limited, and demands full disclosure on Fairy Glen’s compliance and diet protocol. He emphasises the elephant’s need for a specialised diet, and criticises reliance on public donations for sustenance.

# Motorsport: US House Judiciary Committee chairperson, Jim Jordan, has launched an investigation into Formula One’s rejection of Andretti Cadillac’s bid to join the grid in 2025 or 2026. The bid, headed by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti, was rejected in January. F1, as the sport’s commercial rights holder, said the presence of an eleventh team on the grid would not, on its own, provide value to the Championship. Jordan says he wants answers to ensure that no illegal anti-competitive behaviour took place.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-60-cents and the euro at 19-rand-98-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-168-dollars-96-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-305-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-8-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Cape Town Tourism says the city’s coffee scene reflects the vibrant and diverse culture that makes the Mother City so special. The US culinary magazine Food and Wine has named Cape Town on its 2024 list of the top ten cities for coffee. The ranking is determined by votes from over 180 food experts. Cape Town Tourism’s CEO, Enver Duminy, says this recognition is testament to the city’s coffee community’s passion, creativity, and resilience:

Stay tuned for more news………….