News 09:00

BULLETIN 30 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Today is the deadline for the MK Party to file papers at the Constitutional Court
# SA Tourism recovers R35-million in irregular payments for unrendered services
# And the US Secretary of State is hopeful Hamas will accept the latest ceasefire proposal

# Today is the deadline for the MK Party to file papers in the Constitutional Court, opposing the bid by the Electoral Commission to disqualify former president Jacob Zuma as a candidate for Parliament. The IEC is appealing an Electoral Court judgment, which found that the former president’s 15-month prison for contempt of a ConCourt order is not a sentence. This is because Zuma could not appeal. The MK Party has described the IEC’s appeal as a politically charged manoeuvre influenced by external pressures.

# Tourism minister Patricia de Lille says 35-million-rand linked to irregular payments for services not rendered has been recovered. This comes as several irregular payments were made for services not rendered by South African Tourism’s US and South Africa offices. Executives who are no longer with SA Tourism processed the payments at the end of March last year. De Lille says it is unacceptable that officials entrusted with public funds continue to act with such contempt of public finance laws and regulations. The Auditor-General will investigate this matter.

# US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has urged Hamas to swiftly accept the latest proposal on the table for a ceasefire. The proposal includes a 40-day truce in return for the release of hostages, and the prospect of displaced families being allowed back to northern Gaza. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US have been attempting to broker a new ceasefire agreement for weeks. Blinken says he is cautiously optimistic that Hamas will accept the proposal:

# Soccer: The United States and Mexico have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and will instead focus on securing the 2031 tournament. This leaves Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands as the remaining candidates. US Soccer president, Cindy Parlow Cone, says hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking, and having additional time to prepare allows them to maximise its impact across the globe. The Fifa Congress will pick the tournament hosts next month.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 23-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-535-dollars-48-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-325-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars a barrel.

# And finally, president Cyril Ramaphosa will today bestow the 2024 National Orders Awards on distinguished citizens and eminent foreign nationals who have made notable contributions to democracy and the improvement of South African lives. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says these awards, the highest honours in the country, represent recognition of exceptional achievement and service:

Stay tuned for more news………….