News 14:00

BULLETIN 3 May 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party will support Jacob Zuma at his disciplinary hearing 
# The UDM says the ANC government is willingly jeopardising the livelihoods of Post Office workers 
# And rugby: Leigh Halfpenny will make his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders tomorrow 

# The uMkhonto we Sizwe Party has announced its leader, Jacob Zuma, will present himself before the ANC’s disciplinary committee, affirming he has nothing to conceal. Following the ANC’s notification to appear at Luthuli House, Zuma faces allegations of breaching the party constitution by endorsing the MK Party and appearing on its candidate list. Despite the accusations, MK Party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, asserts Zuma’s dual membership isn’t contentious. With the hearing scheduled for next week, he says both parties await the committee’s decision.

# The United Democratic Movement’s deputy president, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, says the ANC government is actively and willingly jeopardising the livelihoods of thousands of families of nearly five-thousand Post Office employees, putting them at risk of financial hardship and hunger. The party has voiced its opposition to government’s approach to rationalising SAPO through their 3.8-billion-rand business rescue bailout. Kwankwa says the party advocates for SAPO to prioritise its main client base in rural areas by conducting market research to understand their needs:

# Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has highlighted the importance of infrastructure maintenance and investment to solve the ongoing water challenges. He addressed a council meeting and also cautioned councillors against service complaints if they fail to pay or acknowledge debt arrangements. He stresses the city’s revenue collection initiative to recoup outstanding funds while addressing ratepayer concerns. Gwamanda acknowledged a water crisis, citing rising demand and strained systems:

# Rugby: Welsh and British and Irish Lions fullback Leigh Halfpenny is expected to make his long-awaited Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders tomorrow. He was included in the starting team against the Reds in Christchurch after a three-month lay-off with a chest injury. Halfpenny joined the defending champion last year following his retirement from the international game. He played 101 Tests for Wales and four games for the Lions. The Crusaders are currently tenth on the log after only winning two out of their nine matches.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-52-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-207-dollars-40-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-299-dollars-84-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders warned of declining government support for press freedom as it unveiled its annual World Press Freedom rankings. Norway retained its top position, while Eritrea came last. Namibia dropped from 22nd to 34th, still having the greatest media freedom in Africa. South Africa dropped from 25th to 38th position on the list of 180 countries. Among the most significant declines were Afghanistan, which fell 26 places to 178th, Togo who is down 43 places to 113th, and Ecuador, down 30 to 110th. The bottom 10 included China Iran, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea.

Stay tuned for more news………….