News 09:00
BULLETIN 13 March 9 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The ANC says it notes threats of legal action against the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill
# The Parliament’s Home Affairs committee welcomes the dismissal of the IEC staff member responsible for the list leaks
# And on the international front: The European Union strengthen its support for the people of Gaza
# The ANC Parliamentary Caucus has welcomed the passing of the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill, saying this signifies a milestone in ensuring the most representative Parliament and provincial legislature. The bill seeks to amend the Political Party Funding Act of 2018 and align various pieces of legislation with the Electoral Amendment Act of 2023. It also makes provision for independent candidates to declare their funding sources. The ANC says it notes threats of legal action by some opposition parties, but it is confident that the bill is in line with the Constitution.
# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Home Affairs has welcomed the swift action by the Independent Electoral Commission in investigating the leaking of candidate lists. An employee of the IEC has been fired, after a preliminary investigation into the unauthorised distribution of ANC and uMkhonto weSizwe Party national and provincial election candidate lists. The committee’s chairperson, Mosa Chabane, says it is important that the integrity of the electoral process is protected at all times:
# The City of Cape Town says internal processes are underway to prepare an interdict application against extortionists, who have been delaying the MyCiTi bus service construction in Mitchells Plain. The 340-million-rand project forms part of the rollout of the MyCiTi service to Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Claremont, and Wynberg. Mayoral committee member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, says the interdict will hopefully be filed before the end of this week:
# The European Commission has activated its EU Civil Protection Mechanism to strengthen support for the people of Gaza. The war in Gaza began when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel in October last year, killing about one-thousand-200 people and seizing 253 hostages. Retaliatory strikes by Israel have resulted in the killing of more than 31-thousand people in Gaza. European Union president, Ursula von der Leyen, says the protection of civilians must be ensured at all times, in line with international law:
# Cricket: Scotland’s governing body says it already acted on recommendations contained in a report that shows sexism and antiquated views are prevalent in the sport. Female players accused Cricket Scotland of creating a toxic environment and of being prejudiced against them. BBC Sport reports CEO Trudy Lindblade as saying the findings were a damning indictment. She pledges to make the sport welcoming and safe for all women and girls, promising a new strategy for dealing with the problem.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-66-cents and the euro at 20-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 72-thousand-149-dollars-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-157-dollars-94-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-37-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….