News 11:00

BULLETIN 28 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Forum for South Africa says South Africa is still confronted by the challenges of lawlessness and gender-based violence
# The Table Mountain wildfire remains uncontained
# And, Tennis: Alexander Zverev is through in Madrid, but Rublev’s defence is over

# Forum for South Africa says today, after 30 years of so-called freedom, South Africa is still confronted by the challenges of lawlessness, crime, corruption, unemployment, gender-based violence, and porous borders. FOSA president, Tebogo Mashilompane says the forum cannot call it freedom, when youth unemployment is above 70-percent and the general population feel unsafe in their own spaces:

# Education activist, Hendrick Makaneta, says education transformation remains a highly contested terrain of struggle since the establishment of the National Commission on Education by the late president Nelson Mandela in 1995. He says, although the doors of learning and teaching remain open for all, South Africa still has a long way to bridge the divide between public and private schools. Makaneta says the issue of overcrowding remains pervasive, especially in townships and rural areas:

# # Efforts to contain the wildfire currently burning in the central and southern sections of Table Mountain National Park continued overnight, with approximately 250 firefighters from multiple agencies working tirelessly throughout the night. The fire remains uncontained and is now close to Boyes Drive above St James and Kalk Bay. SANParks spokesperson, JP Louw says firefighters are continuing to focus on preventing the fire from reaching nearby communities:

# The Public Servants Association has condemned the action of the Department of Defence plan to spend 181-million-rand to purchase a reportedly dilapidated building in Midrand, Johannesburg. The association’s Claude Naiker says the plan to buy a building in Halfway Gardens, despite an inspection report indicating structural defects, smells of corruption and the Special Investigating Unit must immediately intervene:

# Tennis: The world number two, Alexander Zverev, was taken to the limit by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a gripping Madrid Open third round battle on Sunday, progressing 2-6, 7-6, 7-6. The two-time Madrid champion will face Francisco Cerundolo in the last 16, after the Argentinian overcame his compatriot Francisco Comesana in straight sets. Earlier, Andrey Rublev’s Madrid Open title defence hit the rocks in a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 defeat by the Kazakh, Alexander Bublik. He will face Jakub Mensik in the next round after the Czech 19-year-old eased past 12th seed Ben Shelton 6-1, 6-4.

Stay tuned for more news………….