News 11:00

BULLETIN 5 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says the ANC will ensure it does not return to governing in coalitions
# Zelensky announces a two-day ceasefire to coincide with Russia’s World War Two commemorations 
# And golf: The injured Pavan hopes to return sometime after his freak accident in Stellenbosch

# ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says the party will do everything in its power to ensure they don’t return to governing in coalitions. The party heads into the local government elections on the 4th of November, governing with a majority in only two of the country’s eight metros. Mbalula says the ANC’s strength on the ground to deliver services has been weakened by coalition politics. He emphasises they won’t permit members to act without regard for the party’s principles and discipline:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Public Service and Administration has expressed concern that hundreds of public servants remain suspended with full pay, costing the state about 800-million-rand a year. According to a report by the Public Service Commission, 674 provincial and national officials are currently suspended, 516 of them for longer than the legally prescribed 90-day period. Committee chairperson, Jan de Villiers, says they will request minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, to brief the committee on this matter:

# The Competition Commission has referred MultiChoice and Altech UEC to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution over alleged anti-competitive conduct. The commission claims the two companies entered into an agreement in 2014 linked to the supply of set-top boxes for pay-TV services, where Altech allegedly agreed not to compete in certain markets. It’s asking the tribunal to rule the conduct unlawful and impose fines of up to ten-percent of the companies’ yearly turnover.

News from abroad:

# Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a two-day ceasefire with Russia from Friday to Saturday to allow Moscow to commemorate World War Two Victory Day, its victory against Nazi Germany in 1945. The event is marked with a military parade through Red Square. Kyiv has repeatedly called for a full and unconditional ceasefire, while accusing Russia of violating previous temporary truces. Zelensky has called on European leaders to keep the pressure on Russia by imposing more sanctions:

# Golf: Italian Andrea Pavan hopes to return to the course eventually after sustaining multiple injuries in a freak accident in South Africa in February. He arrived in Stellenbosch to participate in the South African Open, but fell three storeys down a lift shaft the day before. The 36-year-old had major surgery and was forced to stay in the country for weeks before being able to return home to Texas in the US. Pavan says it could still take months, but he is hopeful for full recovery.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-76 and the euro at 19-rand-60. One British pound costs 22-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-47-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-549-dollars-86-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 111-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….