News 07:00

BULLETIN 29 May 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Polling stations nationwide have just opened
# The Electoral Commission condemns interference in the elections
# And two separate Israeli attacks in Rafah kills 29 people

# Voting stations have officially opened as millions of South Africans are casting their votes in what has been described as an important election. The Electoral Commission says the lessons and experiences over the past two days of special votes were valuable and will be used to refine operations further today. Voting stations close at nine tonight. Briefing the media yesterday evening, IEC CEO, Sy Mamabolo, says voters are prohibited from taking a photograph of their marked ballot paper:

Meanwhile, the commission says two people have been arrested and at least two cases of interference with electoral material and electoral processes are being investigated. In Mpumalanga, police are investigating two incidents where a group of people accosted IEC officials. It is alleged that unknown people demanded that IEC staff hand over ballot boxes in separate incidents on Monday, after day one of special voting wrapped up. Mamabolo says the integrity of the votes was not jeopardised:

# Business Leadership South Africa has cautioned against the potential chaos and ineffective governance that could arise from coalition politics. According to News24, the organisation warns the business sector will withdraw support from the government if a new coalition includes partners advocating for nationalisation and increased taxes. This follows speculation about an ANC-EFF coalition. The organisation’s CEO Busisiwe Mavuso fears coalition policies could stall growth and breed corruption during negotiations. Mavuso also criticised president Cyril Ramaphosa for enacting the National Health Insurance legislation pre-election.

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has assured successful Non-Profit Organisations for the 2024/25 financial year that their subsidy payments are underway and will conclude soon. Lesufi’s spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, says a legal challenge disrupted the prearranged payment process. Pamla confirmed that the provincial government will use existing 2023/2024 Service Level Agreements as a temporary measure for the first two quarters. He insisted that compliance with financial management standards remains a prerequisite for funding.

# At least 29 Palestinians have been killed in two separate Israeli attacks that hit displacement camps in Rafah, Gaza, yesterday. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says the first attack hit three tents in Tal al-Sultan camp, killing eight people. Twenty-one people including 13 women were killed in the second attack in the southern coastal town of Al-Mawasi. This comes after an Israeli strike killed 45 people including women and children in Rafah on Sunday. Israel insists that victory in its war with Hamas is impossible without taking Rafah.

# Rugby: The Lions must beat the Stormers in their last game to qualify for the quarterfinals of the United Rugby Championship for the first time. Just one round of group stage fixtures remains with the top eight teams qualifying for the knockouts. The Lions are currently in ninth place on the log and defence coach Jaque Fourie says they know is a must-win game in Cape Town on Saturday:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-30-cents and the euro at 19-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-35-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-468-dollars-82-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-357-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….