News 09:00

BULLETIN 19 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says South Africa pushes the agenda against global inequality with a proposed UN panel
# The DA welcomes the arrest of Julius Mkhwanazi
# And in rugby, a bonus-point victory for the Lions in their URC clash against Glasgow

# President Cyril Ramaphsa says South Africa has announced plans to table a landmark draft resolution at the United Nations during its 80th resumed session this year. Ramaphosa addressed the Plenary session on Extremism and Inequality at the “In Defence of Democracy” initiative in Barcelona, Spain yesterday. The president says the plans will evaluate alternative policies for addressing inequality to inform governments, policy makers and the international community:

# The DA in Ekurhuleni has welcomed the arrest of suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police  deputy chief of police, Julius Mkhwanazi, by the Madlanga Commission police task team. The party’s Khathutshelo Rasilingwane says upon receiving information about the blue light saga in February 2023, the DA caucus acted to ensure disciplinary proceedings took place. She says mere weeks later, the ANC and EFF conspired to remove the party from government, allowing corruption to continue without disruption:

# South African Social Security Agency CEO Themba Matlou is encouraging clients to take advantage of the newly-introduced self-service online portal, the eLife Certification system. He says this can be used to verify details when beneficiaries have been notified to do so instead of going to their local offices, thus reducing time and transport costs. Matlou says as SASSA has reached its 20th year milestone in providing social assistance to the needy, the commitment to improved, dignified and efficient services to its clients will continue unabated.

# ActionSA in Gauteng says it has uncovered a deeply troubling contradiction at the heart of Emfuleni local municipality. The party’s Funzi Ngobeni says the authority claims it has identified no ghost employees and suffered zero financial losses, but the very same response confirms that 22 municipal employees are currently on paid suspension, costing taxpayers nearly 24-million-rand to date. He says officials have been sitting at home on full pay for over six years, with individual payouts exceeding five-million-rand.

And on to sports news:

# Rugby: The Lions delivered a sensational 54-12 victory over log-leaders Glasgow Warriors in their United Rugby Championships encounter at Ellis Park yesterday. The Johannesburg side dominated from the outset, with Henco van Wyk scoring two early tries as part of an eight-try blitz. Clinical finishing from Erich Cronje and Quan Horn, combined with Chris Smith’s seven conversions, dismantled a shell-shocked Glasgow defence. This bonus-point win propels the Lions to fourth in the URC standings, significantly boosting their historic playoff ambitions.

# And golf: Jon Rahm holds a narrow one-shot lead at 10-under par following the second round of LIV Golf Mexico City at the Club de Golf Chapultepec. The Spaniard carded a 4-under 67 on Friday to stay ahead of a chasing pack that includes Harold Varner, Matthew Wolff, and Tom McKibbin, all tied at 9-under. In the team competition, Rahm’s Legion XIII has established a massive 19-shot lead, going into the final round today.

Stay tuned for more news………….