News 14:00

BULLETIN 13 May 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A call for a moment of silence in remembrance of the George building collapse 
# The partner of late justice Yvonne Mokgoro is charged in connection with a car crash 
# And cricket: Six teams are vying for the three remaining berths in the IPL play-offs 

# Today marks a week since the George building collapse at 2:09 in the afternoon, prompting a call for a moment of silence in remembrance. The George Municipality is calling on residents and all South Africans to observe this gesture at the specified time. It says the solemn act honors those lost in the tragedy and extends support to affected families. The death toll has risen to 26. The municipality says the community stands united in reflection, emphasizing solidarity amid grief.

# The National Prosecuting Authority has confirmed that the partner of late Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, David Melesi, has been charged in connection with the 2023 car crash that injured her. Mokgoro, the first black woman justice on the Constitutional Court, sustained multiple injuries in the incident near Kimberley. Melesi faces a charge of reckless or negligent driving, with the possibility of amended charges to culpable homicide. He was released on a warning and is summoned to appear in court on 30 May.

# The DA in the Free State has welcomed the speedy arrest of two suspects in connection with the murder of the elderly Morrrison couple on the farm Rietfontein near Glen at the beginning of the month. The DA’s Roy Jankielsohn says the party will watch this case closely to ensure that, unlike many other crimes in South Africa, the perpetrators face the full brunt of the law:

# Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reported improvement in Eskom’s performance with a notable increase in its energy availability factor, surpassing 70-percent. Providing an update on the Energy Action Plan at Kusile Power station in Mpumalanga, Ramokgopa credits additional megawatts to the grid for this improvement. He highlighted the Kusile plant’s impressive energy availability factor of 93-percent, and said reduced sulfur emissions were especially significant since it’s a new coal-fired power station:

# Cricket: Six teams still have a realistic chance to reach the play-off stage of the Indian Premier League, with only Kolkata Knight Riders already qualifying while Mumbai Indians won’t survive the group phase. Royal Challengers Bengaluru looked down and out a few weeks ago, but five victories in a row propelled them to fifth place in the standings. The other teams vying for the remaining three play-off berths are Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-37-cents and the euro at 19-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-2-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-792-dollars-55-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-342-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….