News 11:00

BULLETIN 25 March 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament’s motion on Gaza falls short at the Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
# The Electoral Court is set to hand down judgment in ANC’s registration case against the MK party today
# And motorsport: Mercedes’s F1 boss says the performance of their car is not good enough

# The South African Parliament’s motion for the inclusion as an emergency item of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, at the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority. The motion received 904 votes out of the required 916. National Council of Provinces deputy chairperson, Sylvia Lucas, says collective action is desperately needed in resolving one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises:

# The Electoral Court in Bloemfontein is expected to hand down judgment today, in the ANC’s application to have the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s registration as a political party declared unlawful. Last week, the ANC’s legal team argued that due process was flouted in the registration of the party backed by former president Jacob Zuma. Both the Independent Electoral Commission and MK have denied any wrongdoing. MK’s lawyers argued that the ANC approaching the court over its registration was a result of Zuma’s support for the party.  

Meanwhile, the EFF says its provincial election manifesto rallies are proof that the party has strong support ahead of the decisive 29 May elections. The party held rallies in seven provinces this month. A recent poll by Brenthurst Foundation found that the EFF’s support could remain at ten-percent, with uMkhonto weSizwe Party doing better and possibly getting 13-percent of the national vote. The EFF says at the centre of each message in the provinces were the commitments to provide land, create jobs, and end load-shedding.

# The National Sea Rescue Institute is continuing an extensive search operation for six fishermen who are missing at sea onboard a grey Ballistic rigid hull inflatable boat off Cape Town. The men are believed to be from Hout Bay and Hawston in the Western Cape. NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon says they are conducting an extensive search area in the deep sea south and south west of Cape Point, where it is believed the fishermen were fishing on Saturday:

# Motorsport: Mercedes’s Formula One boss, Toto Wolff, has admitted the team’s start to the season has been super tough and brutal. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell retired from the Australian Grand Prix, leaving the Silver Arrows fifth in the constructors’ standings after three races. Seven-time world champion Hamilton retired with an engine failure, while Russell crashed on the penultimate lap. Wolff says it is clear the car’s performance is below par at the moment:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-53-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-962-dollars-20-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-162-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….