News 09:00

BULLETIN 16 May 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF says Ramaphosa’s visit to the US is an attempt by Trump to undermine South Africa
# Minister Macpherson says the contradictions in the Expropriation Act can be resolved
# And over 100 were killed in a new wave of Israeli strikes in Gaza

# The EFF says the context of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the US is a clear attempt by president Donald Trump to undermine South Africa, and dictate the form and pace of transformation initiatives. Ramaphosa’s visit to the US next week will provide a platform to reset the strategic relationship between the two countries. The EFF’s spokesperson, Thembi Msane, says Ramaphosa is poised to be embarrassed by Trump, an illiterate imperialist and bully:

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister, Dean Macpherson, admits that there are contradictions in the Expropriation Act, but he thinks they are resolvable. The legislation governs the process by which the government can expropriate property from individuals or entities for public purposes or in the public interest. Speaking at a panel discussion on the implications of the Expropriation Act on Thursday, Macpherson debunked claims of land confiscation and genocide of white farmers:

# The Johannesburg Metro Police Department has vowed swift justice after one of its officers, Matome Mokoena, was fatally shot during a robbery pursuit in Vlakfontein. Mokoena and his colleague had stopped a suspected vehicle when he was gunned down by the suspects on Wednesday night. The suspects stole his gun and the JMPD patrol car, which was later found abandoned. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla described the killing as a brutal attack on law-abiding citizens:

# The Israeli military intensified operations across Gaza on Thursday, killing over 100 people. Many of the casualties were in Jabalya in northern Gaza and Khan Younis in the south. Israeli officials have stated that many of the recent strikes targeted senior Hamas commanders, accusing the militant group of using civilians as human shields. These latest operations come as the Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed that the number of people killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza since October 2023 now exceeds 53-thousand.

# Tennis: World number five Jasmine Paolini will face Coco Gauff in the Italian Open final on Saturday, as she bids to become the event’s first home women’s singles champion for 40 years. She defeated American Peyton Stearns, 7-5, 6-1, becoming the third Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the final. Gauff battled past Zheng Qinwen of China, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. In the men’s draw, top seed Jannik Sinner eased into the semifinals, defeating Norwegian Casper Ruud, 6-0, 6-1, to set up a clash with American Tommy Paul.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-1-cents and the euro at 20-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-967-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-217-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-30-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….