News 16:00

BULLETIN 6 May 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party condemns Tshwane’s mayor for an inhumane PR stunt amid a power cut at Weskoppies hospital
# SAMWU condemns the pre-dismissal of over 300 employees of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police
# And rugby: Manie Libbok returns for the Stormers after four months on the sidelines

# The MK Party in Gauteng has condemned, what it calls, Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya’s inhumane public relations stunt after electricity was cut to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital. The party says while the hospital may owe the city money, mentally ill patients and staff should not suffer due to administrative failures by the provincial Health Department. The party’s Abel Tau says the move violates constitutional rights and shows a lack of compassion for vulnerable citizens.

# Municipal workers’ union Samwu in Ekurhuleni has condemned the city’s decision to issue pre-dismissal notices to over 300 Metro Police workers. This follows their participation in an illegal strike and blockade of critical highways in March. Samwu’s Tshephang Langa says this draconian action represents not only a gross injustice but also a chilling assault on the fundamental rights of workers. He says the union is committed to exploring all available legal and industrial relations avenues to challenge this unjust decision and hold the city accountable.

# The African Union’s commissioner for Agriculture, Moses Vilakati, believes agriculture should be at the centre of accelerating development in the continent. He spoke during the launch of the strategy and action plan for the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Action Programme in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni. Vilakati told SABC News the AU member states should domesticate the plan to deal with hunger:

# Rugby: Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok will play his first match for the Stormers in four months in Saturday’s penultimate United Rugby Championship league match against the Dragons in Cape Town. He injured his knee in January. The match will be Bok player Damian Willemse’s 100th for the Stormers, while coach John Dobson also have the luxury of fit internationals Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Warrick Gelant. The Stormers are currently in sixth place on the log and the Dragons in 16th.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 20-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-42-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-783-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-376-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A researcher at the University of the Western Cape, Heike Hartnick, has interrogated the legal parameters of people being dismissed for misconduct outside of an employer’s premises and working hours. She says employers in South Africa should establish comprehensive and clearly articulated social media policies. Hartnick says these policies should define acceptable and unacceptable conduct, outline disciplinary consequences, and ensure employees are trained and informed about these expectations:

Stay tuned for more news………….