News 06:00
BULLETIN 4 April 6 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Lechesa Tsenoli will continue as acting National Assembly speaker for the time being
# The government condemns the deadly airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria
# And rugby: A packed Hong Kong stadium is expected for the weekend’s sevens tournament
# Parliament says the deputy speaker, Lechesa Tsenoli, will continue in his role as acting National Assembly speaker. This follows the resignation of Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula effective immediately amid corruption allegations. She is adamant that her resignation is in no way an admission of guilt regarding the allegations levelled against her. Parliament’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, says Mapisa-Nqakula’s decision was driven by a deep respect for the integrity of Parliament:
Meanwhile, the DA has welcomed the resignation of Mapisa-Nqakula, saying this is long overdue. The DA’s Siviwe Gwarube, says anyone who holds this high office should be beyond reproach, and Mapisa-Nqakula is not suited for it:
# The City of Ekurhuleni will today hold an extraordinary council meeting to elect a new mayor, following the removal of mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana. This decision, supported by 47 councillors, came after a motion of no confidence in Ngodwana during the ordinary council meeting last week. Tensions flared as fights erupted between the ANC and the EFF over the agenda priorities, causing delays in the council proceedings. ActionSA initiated the motion against Ngodwana, while the DA filed a motion against the Speaker of Council, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga.
# Mpumalanga police are intensifying efforts to link the seven suspects apprehended during an attempted cash-in-transit heist in Emalahleni to other criminal activities. The suspects, who were involved in a shootout with police yesterday, resulted in the fatal shooting of five armed suspects. Police confiscated a cache of firearms, including three AK47s, and ammunition was recovered. Police spokesperson Donald Mdluli says investigations are underway to establish any links to previous crimes and dismantle criminal operations operating in the province:
# The South African government has condemned the recent airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Seven people including a top commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were killed in the attack allegedly carried out by Israel. The government says it views an attack on a diplomatic or consular establishment as a flagrant violation of international law. It is calling on the United Nations Security Council to hold to account those responsible, saying this attack is a violation of Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
# Rugby: The Blitzboks and the other eleven teams can expect a packed Hong Kong stadium this weekend for the Chinese territory’s World Series tournament. World Rugby says all 120-thousand tickets for the three-day event have been sold. South Africa plays its group matches against Ireland, Samoa, and Spain. The Blitzboks, with former sevens captain Philip Snyman as their new head coach, hope to improve from their seventh place on the log. They won the season opener in Dubai, but disappointed in the next four tournaments.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-65-cents and the euro at 20-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-60-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-185-dollar-15-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-300-dollar-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollar-55-cents -cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….