News 14:00

BULLETIN 14 May 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The High Court rejects Zuma and Thales’ bid to stall the arms deal trial
# The ATM calls for a fair, constitutional and non-partisan impeachment process
# And cricket: A former wicketkeeper becomes England’s men’s first female coach

# The High Court in Pietermaritzburg has dismissed fresh attempts by former president Jacob Zuma and French arms company, Thales, to delay the long-running multi-billion-rand arms deal corruption trial. The trial has been delayed for over 20-years. Judge Nkosinathi Chili ruled the case must proceed, rejecting further appeal applications and what prosecutors describe as Stalingrad tactics. He also dismissed arguments that the deaths of key witnesses made a trial impossible:

# The African Transformation Movement has welcomed the establishment of Parliament’s impeachment committee on president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm matter. It warns against political interference, stating that the real test will be whether the committee acts with integrity and impartiality. ATM accused Parliament of previously shielding Ramaphosa regarding the theft of millions-of-rand at his farm. Spokesperson Zama Ntshona says the committee must ensure accountability:

# The National Youth Unemployment Movement has demanded that unemployment be declared a national disaster. Stats SA announced unemployment has risen to 32.7-percent between January and March this year, and 8.1 million people are now without work. Movement leader Lindokuhle Yende says a disaster is declared when ordinary systems fail and ordinary life cannot continue:

# African tourism leaders have emphasised that intra-African trade and relaxed travel restrictions will build stronger regional cooperation, boost tourism and create jobs across the continent. The proposal made at the Africa Travel Indaba in Durban, saw representatives from Eswatini and Lesotho calling for easier movement between African countries, while stressing the importance of legal documentation for travelers. Discussions also focused on improving regional integration and increasing tourism opportunities within Africa.

# Cricket: Sarah Taylor becomes the first female coach of England’s senior men’s team after being appointed fielding guru for next month’s series of three Tests against New Zealand. The 36-year-old former wicketkeeper played 226 matches in all formats for the national women’s team and was part of the T20 and the one-day World Cup champion squad in 2009. She retired from the international game in 2019 and took up a coaching career. Director of cricket Rob Key says Taylor is one of the best in the business.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-16-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-606-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-697-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 102-dollars-96-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….