News 07:00
BULLETIN 25 April 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The struggle stalwart, Albie Sachs says South Africans’ right to vote is a major success
# OUTA is demanding information from Sanral on contracts linked to questionable companies
# And a UN report shows acute hunger affected 281.6-million people in 2023
# Former Constitutional Court Justice and anti-Apartheid struggle stalwart, Albie Sachs, has lauded South Africans’ right to vote as a major success in the country’s fight for liberation. Speaking at the IEC Electoral Code of Conduct signing ceremony in the Western Cape, Sachs emphasised the significance of the country’s Constitution. He urged eligible voters to exercise their rights in the upcoming elections:
# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has accused the South African National Roads Agency Limited and the Construction Education and Training Authority of keeping contracts with questionable companies secret. The nonprofit watchdog has filed a complaint with the Information Regulator, over the entities’ refusal to provide the information requested on contracts with AquaEXR Joint Venture and Grayson Reed. Outa’s, Asavela Kakaza, says Sanral must foster transparency and accountability:
# The South African Human Rights Commission’s Eastern Cape Provincial Office is today launching its report, investigating systemic challenges following the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy. This release aligns with the SAHRC’s mandate, addressing human rights concerns. The launch will occur at Chandler’s Guest House in East London, between 11 and 12. The Enyobeni tragedy saw 21 young children attending a DJ’s birthday party at the tavern, die under circumstances not yet known.
# Equal Education and the Equal Education Law Centre have lodged an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court against the provincial Education Department over unplaced pupils. According to the department, parents and caregivers who apply after the month-long online application period in the preceding year of placement are classified as late applicants. The organisations say pupil placement is a long-standing, systemic issue that the department has failed to adequately plan for.
# More than one in five people in 59 countries faced acute food insecurity last year, compared with around just one in ten in 48 countries in 2016. This is according to the latest Global Report on Food Crises, a joint initiative involving several United Nations agencies. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation director, Rein Paulsen, says dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6-million people last year, the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened:
# Tennis: Fourteen-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal says he will only compete at Roland Garros if he has confidence in his ability to compete well. The Spaniard, who will celebrate his 38th birthday in Paris on the third of June, had been struggling with injuries for over a year. He says if the clay-court Grand Slam tournament was to kick off today, he wouldn’t be able to participate, but still hopes to play there one more time. The tournament starts on the 26th of next month.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-20-cents and the euro at 20-rand-56-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-218-dollars-22-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-321-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-10-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….