News 07:00

BULLETIN 12 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Rise Mzansi meets with the ANC to tackle the budget fallout and strengthen GNU rules
# AfriForum blames the government for a manmade flood crisis at Bloemhof Dam
# And tennis, Alcaraz fights back to reach the semifinal in Monte Carlo

# Rise Mzansi has met with the ANC to discuss the budget and call for stronger rules in the government of national unity. The party says the fiscal framework reflects years of poor leadership and warned that a repeat next year won’t be accepted. Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana called for clearer GNU rules, urging all partners to work together respectfully and for ministers to act as one government, not along party lines:

# A mother from Dunnottar in Nigel has received an eight-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, after the High Court in Pretoria found her guilty of killing her 16-year-old son and trying to kill her seven-year-old daughter. In June 2022, the woman laced her children’s food with rat poison, following financial and health-related distress. National Prosecuting Authority’s Lumka Mahanjana says the court considered her remorse, mental health, and caregiving role for her surviving child in the sentencing:

# AfriForum says poor planning and misuse of Bloemhof Dam as a storage reservoir instead of a flood control dam has caused a manmade disaster. AfriForum’s disaster management specialist, Tarien Cooks, says forced sluice openings during high capacity levels endanger communities and infrastructure. Cooks blames the Department of Water and Sanitation’s failure to build more reservoirs. She confirmed that AfriForum has launched an emergency fund to support affected communities.

# USA consumer sentiment deteriorated sharply in April and 12-month inflation expectations surged to its highest level since 1981. This comes amid unease over an escalating trade war, and fears of a recession. The University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers said the slump in sentiment to the lowest level in nearly three years was all round and unanimous across age, income, education, geographic region and political party affiliation. In the latest round of retaliatory tariff hikes China announced it will raise tariffs on US goods to 125%, up from the 84% levy on Wednesday.

# And, Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz battled back from a set down to beat French rising star Arthur Fils in a gripping Monte Carlo Masters quarter-final. The four-time Grand Slam champion, targeting his first Masters title since winning in Indian Wells last year, saved three break points in the 11th game of the second set en route to a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. He will face unseeded fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina today for a place in the final.

Stay tuned for more news………….