News 18:00

BULLETIN 21 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An activist says the ANC’s collapse is due to the party breaking from its liberation movement character
# The SA Zionist Federation says the ICC’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu offends the memories of murdered Israelis
# And tennis: The French Open singles champions get cheques for 47.3-million-rand each 

# Political activist Raymond Suttner believes the ANC’s collapse is due to the party breaking away from its liberation movement character. Unpacking his recent column, he said the ANC, once a liberation movement with a significant popular base, transformed into a conventional political party, distancing itself from its grassroots. Suttner says the ruling party has been Influenced by Western advisers, and therefore shifted towards a model that gives preference to modernisation and normalisation, leading to a gap between the leadership and the people:

Meanwhile, the Inkatha Freedom Party’s leadership campaigned in eThekwini Metro’s Kwa-Mashu township in KwaZulu-Natal today, emphasising the need for a secure future for South African children. Aiming to reclaim the province lost to the ANC in 2004, the IFP seeks to win control of KZN’s 5.7-million votes ahead of the general elections in seven days. IFP premier candidate Thami Ntuli says the party has gained support and calls for a change in leadership:

# The South African Zionist Federation has condemned the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence minister Yoav Gallant. They argue the move is politically motivated and diminishes the memories of the over one-thousand-200 Israelis killed by Hamas last year. The federation’s Rolene Marks rejects the decision, stating there is no moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas:

# A 73-year-old British man has died and more than 30 others were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore hit an air pocket. Seven of the injured are in critical condition. Flight tracking data suggests flight SQ 321 dropped more than one-thousand-800 metres from its cruising altitude after crossing the Bay of Bengal. A passenger told Reuters the aircraft suddenly started tilting. This was followed by a very dramatic drop and those not seated or wearing seatbelts, were immediately launched into the ceiling.

# Tennis: The total prize money for this year’s French Open is 1.05-billion-rand – an increase of 7.8-percent from last year. The men’s and women’s singles champions receive 47.3-million-rand each. Even players being eliminated in the first round at Roland Garros won’t go home empty-handed, receiving 1.4-million-rand each. The qualifiers are being played in Paris at the moment, while the main draw starts on Sunday. The winners will be crowned on Court Philippe-Chatrier on 8 and 9 June. The seeds and draws will be announced later this week.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-3-cents and the euro at 19-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-808-dollars-47-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-428-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-95-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….