News 06:00

BULLETIN 9 May 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Emergency services are battling structural challenges in the George building rescue mission
# The DA’s leaders are facing criminal charges for flag burning and tax offences
# And rugby: The Springbok Women are closer to qualifying for the World Cup

# Emergency services are facing structural hurdles in the rescue operation after a construction building collapse in George. Stellenbosch University’s head of Structural and Fire Engineering, Richard Walls, highlights the need to access over three-thousand tons of concrete to reach survivors or recover bodies. With 38 people still unaccounted for, he notes the deployment of large equipment to aid in the search, rescue, and recovery efforts:

# Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says while milestones like the end of apartheid have been monumental, there is still much work ahead to ensure that freedom truly reaches every corner of society. The government launched the 30-Year Review Report in Pretoria yesterday. It reflects on the work South Africa has collectively undertaken to build a democratic, prosperous, and free country. Ntshavheni says 30 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa is a journey through triumphs, challenges, and ongoing progress.

# Former ANC Tshwane chairperson, Kgosi Maepa, will today file criminal charges against the DA at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria. He intends to open cases against DA leaders John Steenhuisen and Helen Zille for treason and crimen injuria, stemming from the burning of the South African flag in their election campaign advertisement. Maepa will also open a case against the Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink and City Manager Johann Mettler for alleged massive South African Revenue Service VAT fraud and tax avoidance amounting to 4.7-billion-rand.

# ActionSA Gauteng premier candidate, Funzi Ngobeni, says he is more committed in his fight against crime after being a victim of a hijacking and kidnapping ordeal. He and the party’s youth forum chairperson, Hluphi Gafane, were hijacked on Tuesday night by armed men near Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion. They were found unharmed in Benoni hours later. Ngobeni says he is grateful that their lives were spared:

# International pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has announced the worldwide withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine due to a decrease in demand. It ascribes the decline to a plethora of new vaccines being produced. The vaccine, named Vaxzevria, was developed together with the University of Oxford and the first of over three-billion doses was administered in Britain in January 2021. But the vaccine has also caused side effects such as blood clots and low blood platelet counts. The company says it hasn’t generated income for the past year.

# Rugby: The Springbok Women remain on course to qualify for the 2025 World Cup in England and defend their African title. This is after they recorded a comprehensive 63-5 bonus-point victory against Kenya in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Madagascar. The Bok Women are top of the log, but it will still come down to Sunday’s match against Madagascar to confirm their place in the World Cup. Coach Louis Koen says he is pleased with how they executed the game plan:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-58-cents and the euro at 19-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-461-dollars-2-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-309-dollars-49-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….