News 07:00

BULLETIN 31 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# With 50-percent of the votes counted, the ANC remains at 42-percent nationally
# More than 50 suspects were arrested for election-related crimes
# And Donald Trump denounces his guilty verdict as a disgrace

# With just over 50-percent of the votes counted, the ANC remains in the lead nationally at 42.34-percent. The DA is currently second at 23.39-percent and the MK Party at 10.77-percent. In Gauteng, the ANC leads with 32.21-percent followed by the DA at 29.31-percent and the EFF at 12.84-percent. In the hotly contested KwaZulu-Natal, MK is at 44.86-percent, the ANC second with 18.94-percent and the IFP at 17.42-percent. In the Western Cape, the DA leads with 54.63-percent of the votes followed by the ANC at 18.83-percent and the Patriotic Alliance at 9.32-percent.

Meanwhile, the police have since Monday arrested 58 people and registered 98 dockets nationwide for crimes relating to the elections. According to the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, 29 suspects were arrested on Monday and Tuesday when special voting took place, and a total of 29 suspects were arrested on election day on Wednesday. NATJOINTS co-chairperson, Tebello Mosikili, says most of the arrests happened in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape:

# Cosatu has welcomed the monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank’s decision to keep the repo rate steady at 8.25-percent. This is the sixth time the bank has decided not to increase interest rates. The bank now expects inflation to return to the midpoint of its three-to-six-percent target band in the second quarter of 2025. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says this decision brings relief to millions of workers:

# Former US president Donald Trump has denounced his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, calling it a disgrace. A Manhattan jury found him guilty of a criminal hush-money scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. Trump claims the trial was rigged and says the real verdict will be at the polls on the fifth of November. President Joe Biden’s campaign says the ruling shows that no one is above the law, as Trump always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law.

# Cricket: Proteas captain Aiden Markram says the core group of players in the current national squad can go on to lift more trophies over the next few years. The Proteas aim to secure the nation’s first major global senior cricket title at the T20 World Cup starting in the West Indies and the United States this weekend. South Africa has won only two of their last 13 T20 Internationals. Markram has acknowledged for them to win the World Cup would take an all-round effort.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-83-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-621-dollars-70-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-346-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South Africans are encouraged to take part in Slipper Day, to make a difference in the lives of children fighting life-threatening illnesses. All funds raised go to Reach For A Dream. This year’s theme, Step into My Slippers, focuses on empathy, fun and stepping into the shoes of youngsters fighting life-threatening illnesses. Zapper’s head of marketing, Stephen Smith, says they have collaborated with Reach For A Dream, and now people can buy the Slipper Day 20-rand sticker through the Zapper app:

Stay tuned for more news………….