News 09:00

BULLETIN 19 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The UDM leader says the exclusion of five political parties from the ballot is a setback
# It is 40 days until the much anticipated general elections
# And president Ramaphosa is concerned about the ongoing conflict in Sudan 

# UDM leader, Bantu Holomisa, says political parties must explore avenues to support and facilitate the participation of new entrants in the country’s democracy. This comes as the Electoral Court has ruled in favour of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, excluding five political parties from the ballot for next month’s general election. Holomisa says this ruling undoubtedly represents a significant setback for these parties and their supporters:

# Today marks 40 days until South Africa holds its seventh democratic general election on the 29th of next month. Thirty-one political parties will contest the national polls for the first time. A recent survey conducted by the African Innovation Research South Africa in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, found that the EFF and the MK Party will be a threat in the elections. The survey found that about 20-percent of participants said they would vote for the EFF, 18.4-percent for the ANC, 17-percent for the MK Party, and 13.3-percent for the DA.

# Ekurhuleni mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, says the latest credit rating announcement by Global Credit Ratings is a testament to the robustness and resilience of the metro’s financial management systems. The rating agency has affirmed the metro’s national scale long-term and short-term issuer ratings at BBB and A3 respectively. The city’s spokesperson, Phakamile Mbengashe, says Ekurhuleni has managed to balance its income and expenditure, preventing further erosion of its financial standing:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict and humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, which is also affecting other countries in the region. The president concluded his working visit to South Sudan yesterday. Delivering remarks on behalf of Ramaphosa, International Relations and Cooperation minister, Naledi Pandor, says lasting peace, stability, and development in Sudan will depend on how the collective leadership navigates the challenging times ahead:

# Golf: American J.T. Poston shot an eight-under-par 63 to take a two-shot lead over compatriot Collin Morikawa and Seamus Power of Ireland, after the first round of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament. World number one and Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler, of the US recovered from a shaky start to card a two-under 69. World number two Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland sits four strokes off Poston after making a four-under 67 with an eagle on the fifth.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-23-cents and the euro at 20-rand-46-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-89-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-207-dollars-80-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-386-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….