News 09:00

BULLETIN 1 May 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA positions itself as an alternative to failed governance ahead of elections
# The DA says Mangaung residents bear the cost of governance failures
# And, scattered showers will linger across several provinces into the afternoon

# ActionSA has welcomed the announcement that local government elections will be held on 4 November. According to the party, many municipalities are in crisis, with widespread service delivery failures, poor financial management, and a lack of accountability. ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont says the party is ready to fix what others have broken and pledges to field strong mayoral and ward candidates focused on community needs:

# AfriForum says a ruling by the High Court in the Western Cape against the City of Cape Town’s property-value-based water tariff model will have far-reaching implications for municipalities nationwide. The court found the tariff system unlawful. AfriForum’s Jurie Ferreira argues local governments may now be required to review their pricing structures to ensure that charges are based strictly on actual consumption:

# The DA has laid disciplinary charges against Mangaung municipal manager Sello More in the Free State over financial mismanagement and poor oversight flagged by the Auditor-General. The party argues oversight bodies have failed to act, allowing governance problems to persist and negatively affect service delivery. The DA’s Tjaart van der Walt says the allegations include irregular expenditure, weak internal controls, and a lack of consequence management:

# Legal experts say the latest criminal charges against former FBI director James Comey are fundamentally flawed and will be dismissed on free speech grounds. The charges relate to a post Comey made on Instagram last May showing seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47”. The indictment marks a renewed push by the Justice Department to target perceived political enemies of president Donald Trump with criminal prosecution. The number 86 is used by restaurants to mean eject, or refuse service, while 47 is a possible reference to Trump as the 47th US president.

# Rugby: The semifinals of the Champions Cup will be played this weekend. Irish outfit Leinster will welcome French team Toulon to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin tomorrow afternoon, while defending champions Bordeaux-Bègles will host English team Bath in France. The final of the competition, often described as the world’s toughest club competition, will be played in Bilboa, Spain, on the 23rd of this month, at the San Mamés Stadium, which can house 53-thousand spectators.

# And finally, the South African Weather Service says the weather system affecting parts of the country will move eastwards and start clearing today. However, scattered showers and thunderstorms may still continue in some provinces into the afternoon, including Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Eastern Cape. Forecaster Moneiwa Singa says conditions will gradually improve, although cooler weather is expected to remain after several days of widespread rain and storms across the central interior:

Stay tuned for more news………….