News 13:00

BULLETIN 11 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Three bodies of learners in the Eastern Cape school bus tragedy are recovered
# A convoy with hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists want to break Israel’s blockade
# And cricket: The Proteas win the toss and send Australia in to bat at Lord’s

# The bodies of three learners have been recovered after their school bus was swept away by flood waters in the Dikolini area near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. Residents discovered the bodies of a girl and two boys near the riverbank. There were 13 learners, another two passengers and the driver in the vehicle, while three learners were rescued yesterday while clinging to a tree.

Meanwhile, president Cyril Ramaphosa says the devastation that comes with nature’s forces demands that everyone works together to bring relief to families and communities who need this the most. This comes as flood-related incidents in the Eastern Cape has claimed the lives of nine people. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says national, provincial and municipal authorities, including the National Disaster Management Centre, are giving the requisite attention to crises as they unfold. He adds that people are urged to exercise caution on the roads:

# Police have issued a warrant of arrest for Lucky Boitumelo Molefe who is sought by the police in connection with the murder of 30-year- old engineer, Armand Swart. Police spokesperson, Vincent Mukhathi says the employee at Q Tech Engineering Company based in Vereeniging, Gauteng was shot and killed outside his workplace in April last year by two suspects. He says four suspects, including the one who was suspected to be behind the plot to murder Swart, were arrested:

# Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists taking part in a convoy crossed the Tunisian border yesterday into Libya, aiming to keep heading eastwards until they break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian territory. This comes after Israel intercepted an aid ship attempting to breach its blockade on Gaza, which was carrying 12 people, including campaigner Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member, Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan. The Soumoud convoy, meaning “steadfastness” in Arabic, set off from Tunis on Monday morning. It includes 14 buses and around 100 other vehicles.

# Cricket: Australia is batting first after Proteas captain Temba Bavuma won the toss in the final of the World Test Championship, being played at Lord’s in London. Bavuma says the surface looks good, but overhead conditions dictate that they bowl first in the encounter he expects to be a spectacle. Australia, going with a new-look top-order of Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Cameron Green, has no less than eight bowlers in their team, while Steve Smith can also be used as a reserve bowler if need be.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-74-cents and the euro at 20-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-539-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-339-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….