News 11:00

BULLETIN 7 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The death toll in George has risen to five with 49 workers still missing
# Minister Zizi Kodwa says the DA’s flag-burning advert insults the country’s symbol of unity
# And an Israeli delegation is going to meet with negotiators with a view to a ceasefire

# The death toll from the George building collapse has risen to five, as rescue operations continue. Emergency services have managed to pull 26 people from the rubble, five of whom have died, while 49 others are still unaccounted for. A construction crew of 75 people was at the site at the time of the collapse of the multi-storey building at Victoria Street yesterday. George Municipality’s spokesperson, Chantel Edwards-Klose, says rescue efforts are focusing on three areas of the collapsed construction site:

# Sport, Arts, and Culture minister Zizi Kodwa has expressed his dismay at the DA’s political advertisement depicting the burning of the South African flag. Kodwa condemned the act as offensive and insulting, stating the flag represents the nation’s unity, aspirations and democracy. He criticises the DA’s leaders for their desperation and recklessness, stating attempts to divide South Africans using the flag will not succeed. The ministry’s spokesperson, Litha Mpondwana, says the South African flag should not be used to sow division:

# Business Leadership South Africa says while the gazetted draft Gas Master Plan contains many laudable principles and objectives, it does not address the major issue facing the economy. The current main source of supply, two gas fields in Mozambique operated by Sasol, will not supply South African clients from mid-2026, since Sasol will fully utilise the remaining gas itself. The organisation’s CEO, Busisiwe Mavuso, says the gas cliff is just 24 months away, leaving barely any time to develop the kinds of projects that will be needed to avoid it.

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will send a delegation of mediators to Cairo, Egypt, to exhaust the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The militant group has accepted the new proposed deal negotiated by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but Netanyahu says the proposal is far from Israel’s basic requirements. He says they need to ensure the release of all hostages, that Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed, and that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.

# Soccer: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes he is still the right person to continue the club’s rebuild. The Reds suffered a four-nil defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park yesterday evening. The loss leaves United eighth in the Premier League and out of the European places currently. Ten Hag says despite having ten first-team players out injured, it is clear the team is underperforming:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-602-dollars-69-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-320-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-34-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….