News 11:00

BULLETIN 23 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An analyst says the MK Party will be a threat to the ANC, especially in KwaZulu-Natal
# The Institute of Race Relations urges Ramaphosa not to sign the Expropriation Bill into law
# And America notes allegations of war crimes in the Middle East

# A political analyst says the MK Party is going to be a major player in next month’s general elections, even possibly unseating the ANC in the fiercely contested KwaZulu-Natal. Professor Lesiba Teffo says if the ruling party does not get the required votes, a possible MK, IFP, and DA coalition could be in power in the province. Teffo says former president Jacob Zuma’s support is beginning to cut across the racial line, which will benefit the MK Party. KZN has the second-highest number of registered voters, after Gauteng.

# The Institute of Race Relations says it is encouraged that president Cyril Ramaphosa will consider its objections to the Expropriation Bill. The bill, which was recently passed in Parliament, allows for expropriation for public purposes in the public interest. The institute’s campaign manager, Makone Maja, says they believe the bill is unconstitutional and it was rushed through Parliament and hastily sent to Ramaphosa for signing: 

# City Power says it strongly rejects false claims about the tariff adjustments that are set to come into effect in July. According to reports, all prepaid electricity meter users will be charged an amount of 553-rand-73-cent, as part of the new tariff regime. City Power’s spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, says the public consultation process on the 2024/25 tariff changes is still ongoing, and therefore, no decision has been made:

# The US State Department’s annual report on human rights notes allegations of war crimes by Israel, Hamas, and other Palestinian militant groups. The report, which covers 2023, notes that human rights groups reported extensive and in many cases unprecedented conflict-related abuses. US secretary of State, Antony Blinken, says the abuses include the killings, torture, abductions, and sexual violence carried out by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and others on October 7:

# Rugby: Ireland will look to build on their back-to-back Six Nations crowns when they take on New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji, and Australia in their Autumn Nations Series in November. The opener in Dublin will be against the All Blacks, who knocked the Irish out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals last year. The series will be Andy Farrell’s last as Ireland’s head coach before he takes a hiatus to oversee the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2025. Farrell says it promises to be a series to remember.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-23-cents and the euro at 20-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-414-dollars-76-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-304-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….