News 06:00

BULLETIN 14 May 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The main contractor of the George building is not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board
# Anglo American rejects BHP’s revised and improved offer
# And cricket: The Proteas and Windies will play three T20s to prepare for World Cup

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Sihle Zikalala says the main contractor of the collapsed George building was not registered with the Construction Industry Development Board. The board regulates the construction industry. The minister visited George in the Western Cape yesterday to assess the building collapse site where 32 workers have died and 20 are still unaccounted for. Zikalala says due to the main contractor, Liatel Construction, being a private company, it does not have to register with the board:

Meanwhile, Zikalala says his department will ensure accountability for those responsible for the George building collapse. He says the goal is not only to determine the immediate cause of the collapse but also to recommend preventive measures to enhance building safety and drastically reduce similar incidents in the future:

# Anglo American has rejected a revised buyout offer from mining giant BHP, calling it unattractive. BHP’s revised offer values Anglo American at 782-billion-rand, up from the initial offer of around 740-billion-rand. Anglo-American chairperson Stuart Chambers says the offer still significantly undervalues the company’s assets and prospects. BHP says it continues to believe that combining the two businesses would deliver significant value for all shareholders.

# Police minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola will today unveil urgent policing strategies in Soshanguve following the tragic killing of a five-year-old boy during a hijacking. The visit will include a detailed crime analysis briefing and community engagements to address concerns. Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba says police are actively pursuing suspects in the murder, investigating charges of hijacking and murder:

# The government of Maldives says it will formally join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice. South Africa has accused Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip. It has also asked the court to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah. The Maldives government says Israel’s attacks on Rafah have worsened the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded enclave, denouncing it as a violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.

# Cricket: The Proteas’ series of three T20s against the West Indies is part of the two countries’ preparation for the World Cup  starting in the Caribbean and the United States on the second of next month. South Africa will face the hosts from next Thursday, and will return in August to play two Tests and another three T20s. The World Cup starts with the opening match between America and England in Dallas and the final will be played in Bridgetown, Barbados, on the 24th.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-34-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-920-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-339-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….