News 13:00

BULLETIN 13 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A call for a moment of silence in remembrance of the George building collapse 
# The Joslin Smith disappearance case is postponed to 15 July 
# And rugby: All Blacks captain Sam Cane is to retire from Test rugby

# Today marks a week since the George building collapse at 2:09 in the afternoon, prompting a call for a moment of silence in remembrance. The George Municipality is calling on residents and all South Africans to observe this gesture at the specified time. It says the solemn act honours those lost in the tragedy and extends support to affected families. The death toll has risen to 24. The municipality says the community stands united in reflection, emphasizing solidarity amid grief.

Meanwhile, George Forensic Pathology Services says the process of identifying the victims will be tedious. A single formal identification process has been completed out of the bodies recovered on the site. The services’ assistant director, Floyd Herwels, says the bodies are in a state of decomposition and therefore they are fast-tracking the identification process:

# The case of missing Joslin Smith has been postponed in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court in the Western Cape to 15 July. The accused, namely the girl’s mother, Kelly, her boyfriend and two others, appeared again this morning. They will remain behind bars until the investigation is concluded. The state reported ongoing investigations, including cellphone and forensics data analysis. MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, says it’s been 84 days since the six-year-old’s disappearance, and urged the state to deliver a solid case for prosecution.

# The African Transformation Movement has asked the Electoral Commission of South Africa to reject any participation of Zanu-PF in the observation of South African elections. The ATM says Zimbabwe’s ruling party has a well-documented history of electoral malpractice and voter fraud in recent years, which seriously undermines the credibility of any electoral process they are involved in. The ATM’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshona, says allowing ZANU-PF to observe the elections risks tarnishing the legitimacy and credibility of the South African electoral process:

# Rugby: All Blacks captain Sam Cane has announced that he will call time on his international career at the end of the 2024 season. The 32-year-old flanker has decided to sign a three-year deal with Japanese side Suntory Sungoliath. He is currently on sabbatical with the Rugby League One side. Cane, who has played 95 Tests, 27 as captain, for New Zealand, says putting his family first was the main reason for this decision:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-919-dollars-74-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-341-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….