News 13:00

BULLETIN 8 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Constitutional Court declares Parliament’s impeachment rule unconstitutional in the Phala Phala case
# The DA wants to know if state funds were used for Ramaphosa’s visit to the Zimbabwean president’s private farm
# And the celebrated world-renowned environmentalist David Attenborough turns 100

# The Constitutional Court has ruled against Parliament’s decision in the Phala Phala case, finding its impeachment proceedings was unconstitutional and invalid. The matter relates to the ten-million-rand theft at president Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm. The court found the rule prevents the National Assembly from properly deciding on impeachment grounds. Chief justice Mandisa Maya set aside Parliament’s 2022 vote and orders the independent panel’s report be referred to an impeachment committee for consideration:

Meanwhile, the DA will submit parliamentary questions to the Presidency to determine whether state funds were used to pay for Ramaphosa’s visit to Zimbabwe. Ramaphosa visited Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa at his private farm on Sunday. They were joined by Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, who is under investigation by the Hawks for money laundering. The DA’s Ryan Smith says Ramaphosa’s meeting with Chivhayo is not some random event:

# UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has suffered major losses in local elections, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK making significant gains. About five-thousand seats were up for election on 134 councils across England, Scotland and Wales. Early results show Labour has lost control of eight councils and Reform has gained over 300 seats. Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, says the results are an endorsement of their record in local councils:

# Tennis: The big names in the men’s game start their Italian Open campaigns in Rome today after having a bye in the first round. The top-seed is world number one and local hero, Jannik Sinner, while Germany’s Alexander Zverev is the number two seed in the absence of Spain’s defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz. Six-time champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns after a lengthy injury-forced lay-off. The tournament is the final preparation for the claycourt Grand Slam tournament, the French Open, starting in Paris on 24 May.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-962-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-721-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 97-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The man who has brought the natural world and its wonders to millions of TV viewers across the world for many years, David Attenborough, is turning 100 today. He made his breakthrough with the 1979 TV series ‘Life on Earth‘ in the UK. Attenborough will mark the milestone with a BBC special, ‘Secret Garden’, a concert, nature walks, and tree planting. After more than 70 years of film-making, his instantly recognisable voice is synonymous with the story ‌of nature, and is still at the vanguard of environmental protection.

Stay tuned for more news………….