News 14:00

BULLETIN 2 May 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF slams heavy police presence during Kleinfontein march
# SAFTU slams Ramaphosa’s TRC inquiry as wasteful
# And, Rugby: Blitzboks eye a successful finish in LA showdown

# The EFF in Gauteng says the heavy police and private security presence during today’s peaceful march to the white-Afrikaner only settlement of Kleinfontein near Pretoria was unnecessary and amounted to state intimidation. According to the party, more than 50 police vehicles were deployed to protect white interests, while violent crime continues to plague townships like Soshanguve and Mamelodi. The EFF’s, Dumisani Baleni, says Kleinfontein represents racism and must fall.

# The South African Federation of Trade Unions has condemned president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to establish a judicial commission to investigate delays in prosecuting apartheid-era crimes. SAFTU spokesperson Newton Masuku argues the government should implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations instead of launching another costly inquiry. He highlighted that past commissions, including the Zondo and Marikana inquiries have yielded little action, making this new effort a waste of taxpayers’ money.

# The DA in the Western Cape is calling on Correctional Services minister, Pieter Groenewald to act swiftly on the death of inmate Quinton Fortuin at Goodwood Correctional Centre in Cape Town and ensure higher-level suspensions and disciplinaries. The DA’s Nicholas Gotsell says a post-mortem and a preliminary investigation report by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services confirmed he died in February this year from multiple injuries and that he was mauled by a dog:

# The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says its aid ship The Conscience was struck by drones early this morning in international waters off the coast of Malta. It had planned to sail to Gaza and challenge Israel’s illegal siege and blockade there. The Maltese government said a fire onboard the ship was brought under control and no casualties were reported. The NGO called for Israeli ambassadors to answer for the violation of international law, and the ongoing blockade and bombing of the vessel. The Israeli military said it was looking into reports of the attack.

# Rugby: The Blitzboks are gunning for a spectacular end to their season at the sevens World Championship in Los Angeles. Coach Philip Snyman says this final tournament will define their year, with South Africa set to face France, Great Britain, and Argentina in Pool A. He is confident in the squad’s energy and preparation heading into the high-stakes weekend:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-40-cents and the euro at 20-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-45-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-21-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-258-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….