News 11:00

BULLETIN 29 March 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# NEHAWU accuses the Health Director-General of undermining a Labour Court judgement
# The death toll in the Myanmar earthquake rises to more than a thousand
# And, Tennis: Novak Djokovic is close to clinching his 100th title in the Miami Open

# The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union says it condemns the directive issued by Department of Health Director-General Sandile Buthelezi to the provincial departments on the contract extension of community healthcare workers. Spokesperson Lwazi Nkolonzi says Buthelezi  issued such a directive when he was fully aware of the Labour Court Judgement which ordered all the contracts of employment of the workers “deemed to be of an indefinite duration” meaning that they must be appointed permanently:

# The Borehole Water Association has stresses that borehole drilling is legal but must be done responsibly. This comes amid the National Water and Sanitation Indaba in Midrand. The association’s drilling adviser, Albertus Lombaard, urged compliance to prevent infrastructure damage. Lombaard confirmed that the association is working with Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni municipalities to speed up consent approvals. As South Africa faces ongoing water challenges, he highlights boreholes as a crucial water source for communities in need.

# Action SA says the City of Johannesburg faces significant financial and social challenges due to numerous infrastructure projects that remain incomplete or unused such as the Johannesburg International Transport Interchange. The Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System, initiated in 2006, was envisioned to transform urban mobility in Johannesburg. ActionSA’s Mpumi Edward says despite expenditure exceeding 10-billion-rand by the end of 2017, the project remains incomplete, with Phase 1C particularly delayed:

# More than one-thousand people have been killed in Myanmar and thousands more injured following a 7.7- magnitude earthquake that was also felt in neighbouring countries. The majority of the fatalities are in Myanmar’s second largest city, Mandalay, the area closest to the earthquake’s epicentre. In neighbouring Bangkok, Thailand, rescue operations are ongoing after an unfinished high-rise collapsed – with around 100 construction workers unaccounted for and six dead.

# And, Tennis: Novak Djokovic eased past Grigor Dimitrov to reach his first Miami Open final since 2016 and move within one win of his 100th career ATP title. Bulgaria’s Dimitrov broke Djokovic in the opening game, but the Serb broke back. Djokovic, now 37, reeled off five straight games to win the first set. Dimitrov made a shaky start to the second set and the 24-time Grand Slam champion took advantage to ease through 6-2, 6-3. Tomorrow, Djokovic will face 19-year old Jakub Mensik from Chechia in the finals, who beat American Taylor Fritz in three sets.

Stay tuned for more news………….