News 13:00

BULLETIN 12 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Julius Malema says the ANC government is buying votes by suspending load-shedding
# Cosatu says Hisense’s one-billion-rand investment commitment will see jobs secured
# And, the George rescue teams pause to salute all mothers

# EFF president Julius Malema says the ANC government is buying South Africans’ votes by suspending load-shedding during the elections season. He addressed a meeting in De Aar in the Northern Cape today. Eskom has not implemented load-shedding for 46 days today. Malema says the EFF wants all households to have electricity, and the power utility can do it, as it is selling electricity to neighboring countries:

Meanwhile, RISE Mzansi Youth Student Chapters accuses members of the ANC Youth League, including leaders like Collen Malatji, of openly endorsing the abuse of state resources to support the ANC election campaign. RISE Mzansi’s Lawrence Manaka says limiting the distribution of state resources to a particular political constituency contradicts the fundamental principles of democracy. He adds such actions deepen divisions and perpetuate inequality:

# Cosatu says the massive one-billion-rand investment commitment by Hisense over the next five years will see jobs secured, and increased directly and across value chain suppliers. Hisense, a global electronics giant, has since it opened its Atlantis plant on the West Coast in 2013, steadily expanded its footprint. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says today it employs one-thousand-300 workers directly and supports 20-thousand workers across the value chain:

# Tennis: Rafael Nadal has been knocked out of the Italian Open by world number nine Hubert Hurkacz. In what is likely to be the Spaniard’s final appearance in Rome, 37-year-old Nadal was beaten 6-1 6-3 by the Polish player in just 93 minutes. Nadal, a ten-time winner in the Italian capital, has indicated 2024 is likely to be his final season. The 14-time French Open champion is yet to decide whether to play at Roland Garros this year. The tournament starts on 26 May.

# And finally: The teams working tirelessly at the George building collapse site say they have all mothers in their hearts on Mothers’ Day. They salute the mothers on site who are working with dedication on rescue and recovery efforts, as well as the support teams. Their thoughts are also with the mothers who are anxiously waiting for news about their loved ones, the mothers still trapped and those who have lost their mothers. The latest information from the site is that 17 bodies have now been recovered, while 35 people remain unaccounted for.

Stay tuned for more news………….