News 07:00

BULLETIN 13 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Geordin Hill-Lewis says bringing law and order to South Africa is his top priority
# The Border Management Authority faces capacity challenges
# And, Kgalema Motlanthe warns the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is dying

# Newly elected DA leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, says his national policy priority is to bring law and order to South Africa. The 39-year-old Cape Town mayor won over 90-percent of the vote to beat the party’s caucus leader in the Sedibeng Municipality, Sibusiso Dyonase, at the elective congress in Midrand. Hill-Lewis says when law and order break down, no economy can grow, no community can flourish, and no democracy can thrive:

# Border Management Authority commissioner Michael Masiapato says capacity constraints remain a major challenge in securing South Africa’s borders. Addressing acute shortages in personnel, vehicles, ICT systems, and drones, noting that only five drones are currently operational. Masiapato says partnerships with private sector companies temporarily boosted operations, enabling interception of illegal crossings. However, he stressed the need for permanent resources, saying improved tools like drones and amphibious vehicles have proven effective and will enhance border security once adequate funding is secured.

# Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, says the province’s education system is experiencing persistent challenges, including overcrowding, infrastructure backlogs, weak learning outcomes, and teacher shortages. This comes as learner enrolment has more than doubled to over 2.8 million this year. Maile says teacher quality and availability remain uneven across the province, particularly in critical subjects. He adds that the province faces a shortage of qualified educators in mathematics, science, and technology, with an estimated shortfall of 370 teachers in key technical subjects:

# Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has warned that the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is effectively dying, raising concerns about a broader organisational crisis. Motlanthe cited deep dysfunction and declining structures within the province due to internal instability. KZN dropped by 55.4-percent in 2019 and 17.6-percent in 2024 in provincial support. The warning comes as the party faces mounting pressure ahead of upcoming local government elections, with questions growing about its ability to rebuild and remain competitive.

# Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, says American double standards and totalitarianism were the biggest obstacles to an agreement being reached over the weekend. The high-stakes talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, between the US and Iran failed over wide gaps on complex issues ranging from Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear programme to its control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Pezeshkian says they were fully prepared to reach a balanced and fair agreement. He added that if the US adheres to international legal frameworks, reaching an agreement is not far from reach.

# Tennis: Italian Jannik Sinner overcame defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to clinch his maiden Monte-Carlo Masters title, and return to the number one ranking. He saw off the Spaniard, 7-6, 6-3, to win his third Masters 1000 title of the year, having already triumphed at Indian Wells and Miami. He has also extended his winning run in the Masters series events to 22 matches. Sinner, who has reclaimed the number one ranking from Alcaraz, says winning this title means a lot to him:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-54-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-114-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-715-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 97-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….