News 08:00

BULLETIN 13 May 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The death toll in George has risen to 21
# Thabo Mbeki reiterates the need for a national dialogue after the elections
# And, Putin removes his Defence minister citing the need for innovation

# The death toll from the George building collapse has risen to 21 with 31 construction workers still unaccounted for. The George Municipality says the primary focus continues to be on rescue efforts, however, they are also proactively setting up plans to expedite the identification of the deceased. This will be done through the support of the Forensic Pathology Service and the South African Police Service. The municipality still calls for professional psychosocial support practitioners proficient in Chewa, Portuguese, and Shona to assist survivors and their families.

# Former ANC president Thabo Mbeki has reiterated that there is a need for a national dialogue after the May 29 general elections. He was on a campaign trail in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday. The ruling party dropped below 50-percent in many municipalities in the province, including the eThekwini metro, in the 2021 local government elections. Mbeki says the ANC does not have all the answers to South Africa’s problems, but it must ensure that it deploys capable people in positions of power:

# The murder trial of former Bafana Bafana captain and goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa, will resume in the High Court in Pretoria today after a two-week adjournment. The trial was postponed after the state introduced new evidence related to the cellphone communication between all five accused dating back to 2018. Cellphone data analyst Gideon Gouws is expected back on the stand. Meyiwa was shot and killed at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s family home in Vosloorus in October 2014.

# Russian president Vladimir Putin has removed his long-standing ally Sergei Shoigu as Defence minister, citing the country’s rising military spending and the need for innovation. Shoigu, Russia’s longest-serving minister, has been leading the military through its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022. He will be appointed as Russia’s Security Council head, while former deputy prime minister Andrei Belousov will replace him as Defence minister. The Kremlin says the one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield.

# Soccer: Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League with a one-nil win over Manchester United. Leandro Trossard’s goal was enough to secure the win and ensure the title race goes to the final day of the season. The Gunners are one point clear of reigning champions Manchester City, having played one game more. Arsenal host Everton in their final game on Sunday, while City are at home to West Ham. Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, says winning was a necessity:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-803-dollars-99-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-356-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….