News 08:00
BULLETIN 10 March 8 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Elections 2024: 115 parties are contesting seats in Parliament
# NUMSA welcomes minister Pravin Gordhan’s retirement
# And, rugby: England ends Ireland’s Grand Slam bid, while Italy beat Scotland in historic win
# Preliminary reports indicate that 115 parties have submitted candidate lists to contest seats in the National Assembly, with all 14 currently represented parties participating. Additionally, one-hundred-and-one unrepresented parties and 16 independent candidates have made submissions. Verification for compliance is underway, with strict requirements for submissions, including the submission of supporting documents and payment of deposits. The Electoral Commission is also investigating unauthorised disclosures of candidate lists of two political parties, the ANC and MK Party.
The Electoral Commission has, meanwhile, acknowledged the unauthorized circulation of candidate lists from the ANC and MK Party. Deputy head of Electoral Operations, Masego Shiburi, says investigations are underway to determine the source of the disclosure, believed to originate from the internal system. Shiburi says the commission has reported the incident to the Information Regulator, citing potential breaches of personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act:
# The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa expresses relief over Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan’s decision to retire from politics. National spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, attributes numerous state owned entity collapses to Gordhan’s tenure and condemns his handling of entities like Denel, SA Express and Eskom. She says Gordhan’s reluctance to disclose details of the SAA Takatso deal prompts NUMSA to demand accountability and justice:
# US deputy Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo is set to visit South Africa this week for a week-long mission aimed at bolstering economic relations between the two nations. Adeyemo’s agenda includes discussions on combating illicit finance, promoting clean energy transition, investing in young entrepreneurs and leaders, and combating wildlife trafficking. Scheduled meetings with government officials, business leaders and students will take place in Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg. The trip comes amid recent tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
# And, Rugby: A last-ditch drop-goal by Marcus Smith saw England end Six Nations champions Ireland’s hopes of successive Grand Slams with a dramatic 23-22 win at Twickenham last night. With more than 80 minutes on the clock replacement fly-half Smith landed the winning kick and England ended a run of four straight defeats by Ireland. And in Rome Italy beat Scotland 31-29 at the Stadia Olimpico to win their first Six Nations home match in eleven years. Italy were 14-3 down after 12 minutes and 22-16 behind at the break, but a thrilling second-half gave the Azzurri a historic win.
Stay tuned for more news………….