News 18:00

BULLETIN 28 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Union Against Hunger blames state failures for South Africa’s hunger crisis
# Minister Parks Tau announces Sizekhaya Holdings as the new lottery operator
# And Namibia is still seeking reparations for Germany’s genocide in the country 120 years ago

# The Union Against Hunger has attributed South Africa’s escalating hunger crisis to governmental inaction and policy failures. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, the union’s member of the steering committee, Busiso Moyo, highlighted that millions face daily hunger, with children being disproportionately affected. Moyo criticised the state’s lack of leadership in addressing food insecurity. He called for urgent reforms, including improved food system governance, to tackle this national emergency:

# Trade, Industry and Competition minister Parks Tau has announced that Sizekhaya Holdings has been awarded the fourth national lottery and sports pools licence. This follows the successful conclusion of negotiations with the National Lotteries Commission. The department is seeking legal advice to appeal a recent judgment by the High Court in Pretoria related to the matter. Ministry spokesperson Yamkela Fanisi hopes the new operator will grow the lottery and increase support for those in need.

# The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities is urging all sectors of society to unite in the fight against teenage pregnancy, as nearly 30-percent of teenagers have been pregnant. While this figure has decreased in recent years, it remains worryingly high, especially in rural provinces like Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the Eastern Cape. The department’s Cassius Selala calls for honest conversations about sex education and increased access to contraception to break the cycle:

# Namibian president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has repeated calls for Germany to pay reparations for its genocide against local tribes as she led the first official commemoration of the atrocity more than 120 years ago. Thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people were massacred by colonial-era German troops between 1904 and 1908 after they rebelled against their rule in what is regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century. Berlin has offered an apology, but there is still no agreement on reparations in talks that began with the German government in 2013.

# Cricket: England’s fast bowler, Gus Atkinson, will miss the one-day series against the West Indies, starting at Edgbaston tomorrow, due to a hamstring strain. He is the second injury withdrawal from the series after Jofra Archer was ruled out due to a thumb injury. Twenty-seven-year-old Atkinson has not been selected for the three-match T20 series that follows the ODIs. However, he is expected to be fit for the five-Test series against India, which starts at Headingley on the 20th of next month.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-92-cents and the euro at 20-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-859-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-307-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….