News 09:00

BULLETIN 8 May 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party denounces the Constitutional Court’s judgment on dual citizenship
# The Cape Town mayor condemns a bomb threat message sent to a mosque
# And Pakistan vows to respond to India’s missile strikes

# The MK Party says it unequivocally rejects the Constitutional Court judgment upholding dual citizenship. The ruling confirms the Supreme Court of Appeal’s orders declaring a provision of the Citizenship Act unlawful. The ConCourt declared legislation that strips South Africans of their citizenship after acquiring citizenship of another country as unconstitutional. MK Party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, says this decision exposes how South Africa’s current legal framework is increasingly being used to undermine the sovereignty of the majority:

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme says over 850-million-rand has been recovered, following irregular payments made to public universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges. This is part of the Special Investigating Unit’s probe, which has identified 2.06-billion-rand for recovery. The ongoing SIU probe is looking at Nsfas’ procurement failures, poor financial controls, and non-compliance in the handling of student funding. Nsfas says it is also pursuing legal action to set aside irregular contracts.

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has condemned a bomb threat message sent via cellphone to Al-Azhar Mosque in District Six. The mosque has been vocal in its support of the Palestinian cause. Hill-Lewis says he condemns the sinister motives behind this threatening message. He adds that Cape Town is a city of peace-loving people, where differences of faith and opinion are expressed loudly and fully, but always peacefully:

# Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has vowed to retaliate after India’s deadly missile strike. At least 31 civilians were killed and 46 wounded when India fired missile strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered parts of Kashmir. India says the strikes were a direct retaliation for an attack in their administered parts of Kashmir late last month, in which militants killed 25 Hindu tourists and their guide. India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full and control in part. Sharif says he has authorised the military to defend the country’s sovereignty.

# Soccer: Tickets for Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium have officially sold out. However, over ten-thousand tickets were oversold due to system failures. Stadium Management South Africa CEO Bertie Grobbelaar says affected fans will receive refunds. In addition, public viewing areas will be set up on the beachfront and at Albert Park for those without tickets:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-22-cents and the euro at 20-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-30-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-790-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-391-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-47-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….