News 16:00

BULLETIN 7 June 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin: 

# President Cyril Ramaphosa appoints Maropene Ramokgopa as acting minister of Sport
# There is concern about the high number of spoiled votes in the elections 
# And cricket: Sri Lanka complains about its treatment at the T20 World Cup

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed minister Maropene Ramokgopa to serve as the acting minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture. Ramokgopa is currently serving as minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. She replaces Zizi Kodwa, who resigned this week after his court appearance on corruption charges. Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Ramokgopa will act in the portfolio until a permanent appointment is made under the new seventh administration:

# Several political parties have raised concerns about the high number of spoiled votes in last week’s elections. They are calling for increased emphasis on voter education to reduce wasted votes. BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane has advocated for incorporating voter education into the high school curriculum to better prepare future voters and ensure their votes count:

# A 40-year-old man accused of murdering his celebrity chef girlfriend, Thembekile Letlape, also known as the Pastry Princess, claims the killing was a mistake. Sibusiso Zitha made his second appearance at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng today, where the case was postponed to Thursday. Zitha faces a murder charge. Letlape’s body was found by her father, former South African Medical Association chairperson, Kgosi Letlape at Zitha’s Fourways home last week. She is being laid to rest today.

# The European Commission is set to recommend the start of European Union accession talks with Ukraine this month, signalling support for the war-torn country. Ukraine applied for EU membership following Russia’s invasion in 2022 and was granted candidate status shortly after. Belgium seeks agreement before Hungary’s presidency, since the country’s ties with Russia may result in objections to Ukraine’s accession, especially on language issues. Ukraine’s compliance with key criteria, including anti-corruption measures, will be declared today, advancing its path towards EU integration.

# Cricket: Sri Lanka has complained to the International Cricket Council over their T20 World Cup team’s treatment and conditions in co-host the United States. Sports minister Harin Fernando alleges other teams had it better and says Sri Lanka had lodged a formal protest after the squad was held up by a seven-hour flight delay at a Florida airport. He says they had also been given accommodation more than 90 minutes’ drive from the practice stadium when they reached New York. India’s team had been put up much closer.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-78-cents and the euro at 20-rand-47-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-5-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-913-dollars-20-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-336-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-21-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….