News 13:00

BULLETIN 21 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Judicial Service Commission recommends three judges for the Supreme Court of Appeal 
# The ANC condemns the shooting incident during a campaign event in Limpopo 
# And cricket: The West Indies’ interim captain is ready for the T20 series against South Africa

# The Judicial Service Commission has recommended Gauteng High Court Judges David Unterhalter and Raylene Keightley, along with Eastern Cape High Court Judge John Smith, for the Supreme Court of Appeal. These selections followed interviews with ten judges for three vacancies. Judge Unterhalter addressed concerns about the impeachments of former judges John Hlophe and Nkola Motata, but says public confidence in the judiciary remains strong. KwaZulu-Natal High Court Judge Piet Koen, who recused himself from the Jacob Zuma corruption trial, was not recommended.

#The ANC in Limpopo calls for justice following a violent clash in Juju Valley in Seshego that left twelve people injured, including a nine-year-old girl. The ANC accuses the EFF of mobilising armed people to disrupt their campaign on Sunday. The ruling party urged police to apprehend the perpetrators, calling on the Electoral Commission to act against the EFF for inciting violence. Spokesperson Jimmy Machaka reaffirms the ANC’s commitment to peaceful engagement and encouraged supporters to remain focused on their election work.

# The South African Revenue Service is looking to improve trade between South Africa and the Oshoek border post with Eswatini. Following the publishing of the Time Release Study, SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter says the two country are on track to ensure operational efficiency. They hope to reduce waiting time of cargos from over an hour and 30 minutes to ten-minutes. Kieswetter is pleased with the initiative:

# Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi’s three-day-long funeral begins in Tabriz today, moving to Qom this afternoon. He died in a helicopter accident on Sunday. A farewell ceremony will be held at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosque tonight. Tomorrow, a procession will move from Tehran University to Azadi Square, followed by a high-level ceremony and another in Birjand before his burial in Mashhad on Thursday. Five days of national mourning have been declared, and a national holiday declared next month. Governors may also decide to close provinces where funeral ceremonies are being held.

# Cricket: Brandon King says he is excited to captain the West Indies, especially on home soil. The 29-year-old will lead the Caribbean side in the upcoming three-match T20 series against South Africa at Sabina Park in his native Jamaica. The first match is on Thursday. Regular captain Rovman Powell is still participating in the Indian Premier League. King says the series is the final chance for the team to prepare for next month’s T20 World Cup:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-17-cents and the euro at 19-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-11-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-34-dollars-15-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-418-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-92-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….