News 11:00

BULLETIN 27 March 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# My Vote Counts says the current closed-party list system needs to change
# TLU SA says not enough is being done to protect farmers
# And the Junior Boks will kick off the Under 20 Rugby Championship against New Zealand

# My Vote Counts says the current closed party list system creates huge gaps between people and their representatives, as candidates are not directly accountable to the electorate. In its election manifesto, Rise Mzansi calls for a constituency-based electoral system to bolster the citizen to member of parliament link. My Vote Counts says the absence of an electoral system that facilitates direct accountability from representatives to the voters, and a political alternative that encapsulates the demands and hopes of citizens, is concerning.

# Agricultural union TLU SA is concerned that authorities are focusing more on crime statistics than on crime itself. According to its latest statistics, 18 farm attacks and two farm murders were reported during January and February. TLU SA’s General Manager, Bennie van Zyl, says a government that fails to realise that its greatest asset is indeed successful commercial farmers is extremely short-sighted:

# Two more people, including a police official, have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of cousins Zahraa and Bataviya Mohammed in North West. They were kidnapped while heading to school in Hartbeespoort on the sixth of this month, and were found alive in a house at New Stands in Klipgat on Monday evening. Provincial police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone, says the official arrested is a sergeant attached to Letlhabile detectives:

# A United Nations human rights expert says there are reasonable grounds to determine that Israel has committed several acts of genocide in Gaza. Francesca Albanese presented her report titled, Anatomy of a Genocide, to the UN Human Rights Council. Israel has dismissed the report, describing it as an outrageous distortion of the Genocide Convention. Albanese says the overwhelming nature and scale of Israel’s assault on Gaza, and the destructive conditions of life it has inflicted, reveal an intent to physically destroy Palestinians:

# Rugby: The Junior Springboks will kick off the inaugural Under 20 Rugby Championship against New Zealand on the second of May. The competition will also feature hosts Australia and Argentina, with three rounds seeing the teams playing each other once. The Junior Boks will face Australia on the seventh of May and finish the tournament against Argentina on the 12th. SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris says the championship will allow for a more defined pathway for younger players into senior and international rugby.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-96-cents and the euro at 20-rand-53-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-249-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-178-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….