News 13:00

BULLETIN 26 April 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Around 200,000 attend Pope Francis’ funeral, as he is described as a Pope among the people
# The ANC maintains that the government of national unity is still intact
# And rugby, three players return from injury for the Blitzboks before the LA tournament

# Dozens of leaders and dignitaries, including US president Donald Trump, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, and Prince William, joined around 200-thousand mourners in St Peter’s Square to bid farewell to Pope Francis today. The first Latin American pontiff died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Cardinal Giovanni Battista, who led the service, says Pope Francis chose to follow a path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life. He added that he was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone.

# The ANC maintains that the government of national unity is still intact and all parties are committed to continuing to work together. A delegation of leaders from the ANC and the DA met on Friday to discuss the latest political developments in the country, namely the national budget and the scrapping of the 0.5-percent value-added tax hike. In an interview with the SABC, ANC’s spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, rubbished claims that the government of national unity is still intact because of pressure from big business:

# The GOOD Party is calling for a full, independent, and transparent investigation into alleged interference by municipal councillors in the administrative processes of the City of Cape Town. A recent internal newsletter from City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo sounded the alarm over growing concerns regarding councillor interference in supply chain management and project implementation. GOOD’s Jonathan Cupido says there is a deepening culture of political intimidation and corruption that must be confronted with urgency and resolve:

# The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed an agreement to respect each other’s sovereignty and work towards a ceasefire. The eastern part of the DRC has been engulfed in fighting with the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels since January. The agreement was signed by the Foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Rubio says the Declaration of Principles agreement paves the way for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region:

# Rugby: Quewin Nortjé, Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu return for the Sevens Springboks for next weekend’s world series tournament in Los Angeles, in the US. They missed recent tournaments due to injury. The trio replace Donovan Don and Dewald Human, who were injured in Singapore, and Sebastiaan Job, who is serving a suspension. Head coach Philip Snyman says they will boost the squad as they all have game-breaking abilities. The Blitzboks are currently fourth in the standings behind Argentina, Fiji and Spain.

Stay tuned for more news………….