News 09:00

BULLETIN 1 Mei 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Police confirms that vehicle parts have been found at the Hennops River
# SANParks to conduct aerial survey of the Silvermine fire damage today
# And tennis: Novak Djokovic’s Rome pullout is a ‘worrying’ sign, says Jim Courier

# The Police confirmed that vehicle parts including a front and rear vehicle bumper have been found by the search and rescue teams at the Hennops River in Centurion. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe says experts are trying to establish if these vehicle parts are linked to the VW polo that police constables Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys, and Boipelo Senoge  were travelling in from Bloemfontein to Limpopo:

Meanwhile, Free State Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union chairperson, Thabo Lefalatsa, says a prayer service will be held to honour the three police officers found dead in the Hennops River. Their bodies were retrieved after days of searching. He told the SABC news that their deaths are a loss to the nation:

# South African National Parks will conduct an aerial survey today to assess fire damage in the Silvermine section of Table Mountain National Park in the Western Cape. The public is advised not to be alarmed by a low-flying SANParks helicopter. While the fire is now contained, areas including Upper Tokai, Silvermine, Constantia Nek, and Clovelly remain closed due to smouldering debris and unstable terrain. Chapman’s Peak and East Fort trails will reopen today.

# The United States and Ukraine have signed an agreement that will give Washington access to Kyiv’s rare earth minerals in exchange for establishing an investment fund in Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to strike the deal during his trip to Washington in February, but it was left unsigned when that visit was cut short following the contentious Oval Office meeting. Ukraine has deposits of 22 of the 50 materials classed as critical by the US Geological Survey, including some for the production of electronics, clean energy technologies and weapon systems.

# Tennis: Former Roland Garros winner Jim Courier says Novak Djokovic’s shock withdrawal from next week’s Italian Open should be a huge worry for the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s fans. This means he will head to Roland Garros without winning a match on clay this season. Djokovic has been woefully out of form and was comprehensively beaten in his opening matches at the Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid. The Serb was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris but on Tuesday withdrew without providing a reason.

Stay tuned for more news………….