News 09:00

BULLETIN 13 April 9 am

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK party condemns the IEC’s decision to appeal an Electoral Court order
# The Road Accident Fund’s payment delays threaten healthcare services
# And, swimming: A good night for Erin Gallagher, Tatjana Smith in the pool

# The MK party says the decision by the Electoral Commission to appeal directly to the Constitutional Court, challenging the Electoral Court’s ruling that permits former president Jacob Zuma’s candidacy in the elections, has compromised electoral integrity and independence. Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela says it is clear that Freedom under Law and the DA and others, known as colonial and apartheid projects, have succeeded into pressuring the IEC into this reckless decision:

# The DA claims victims of traffic accidents face increased distress as the Road Accident Fund fails to pay Hospicare, its healthcare provider. DA national spokesperson on Transport, Chris Hunsinger, says Hospicare’s inability to settle 21-million-rand in bills has led to an eviction notice. Hunsinger says severe financial strain is jeopardising patient care. He adds despite approved payments, the fund delays persist, risking patient welfare:

# Eskom in Gauteng says an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of low-hanging electricity lines on the R21 highway between the Olifantsfontein and Nellmapius off-ramps in Pretoria. Eskom acting spokesperson, Ntombifuthi Hlophe, says the power utility has completed removing the power lines that were posing a safety risk to commuters yesterday:

# The US Senate’s Commerce Committee plans to hold a hearing on a report about Boeing’s safety culture on Wednesday. The report released by a panel of experts in February criticised the culture and called for significant improvements. The panel was appointed by the US Congress last year after Boeing 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in which hundreds of people were killed. Then in January this year, the American manufacturer’s problems were exacerbated when the door of a plane blew out in mid-flight.

# And, swimming: Erin Gallagher set her second national record of the week on the penultimate night of action at the SA Swimming Championships in Gqeberha. The Pretoria swimmer took the national title in the 100-metres butterfly in a time of 57.32-seconds, also dipping under the Olympic qualifying time of 57.92-seconds. Tatjana Smith also achieved the Olympic qualifying time in the heats and final of the 100-metres breaststroke. She swam one-minute-5.48-seconds to take the gold, with Commonwealth Games champion Lara van Niekerk second.

Stay tuned for more news………….