News 14:00
BULLETIN 20 May 2 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The Constitutional Court rules that Jacob Zuma is not eligible for Parliament
# A teenager dies after being locked in a cold room overnight for stealing
# And tennis: Two movements among the men’s top ten in the latest world rankings
# The Constitutional Court has ruled that the former president and leader of the MK Party, Jacob Zuma, cannot return to Parliament. The court earlier found Zuma in contempt for disobeying a previous court order, which is considered a crime. Delivering the judgment, Justice Leona Theron says despite arguments Zuma’s sentence was reduced, the court maintained that the original sentence exceeded 12-months, disqualifying him from parliamentary eligibility in terms of the Constitution:
Meanwhile, insights from financial analysts have pointed to a surge in investor confidence ahead of the elections. Positive bets on the ANC’s potential victory are seemingly driving a cash influx, boosting bonds and stocks. According to Bloomberg, South African bonds absorbed the most cash in April and the trend is continuing in May. Stanlib CEO Derrick Msibi notes however that despite this, past disappointments make investors cautious, requiring strong evidence of positive change. Hopes remain high for sustained growth and stability, depending on political and economic reforms post-election.
# A 13-year-old boy died in Heidelberg, Gauteng, after allegedly being locked in a Shoprite cold room overnight for stealing a chocolate bar. The incident has sparked outrage, with the local community of Ratanda threatening to burn down the store. News24 reports Heidelberg councillor Mari Boshoff acknowledged the community’s anger, while police on the scene verified the child’s death. Authorities are working to control the situation outside the supermarket.
# Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of South Africa says it will take legal action against Pikitup in Johannesburg. Casual workers have been demonstrating since last week, saying they have been overlooked for permanent employment opportunities despite being contracted with the entity for nearly a decade. The union’s Meshack Ntshauba says Pikitup needs to be investigated for corruption:
# Tennis: The latest world rankings for men sees two changes among the top ten. Alexander Zverev of Germany leap-frogged Russian Daniil Medvedev into fourth place after winning the Italian Open yesterday. Hubert Hurkacz of Poland replaced Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in eighth position. Novak Djokovic is still first, followed by Jannik Sinner of Italy and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Andrey Rublev of Russia is sixth, Casper Ruud of Norway seventh, and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria tenth.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-19-cents and the euro at 19-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-16-dollars-65-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-442-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-78-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….