News 17:00

BULLETIN June 1st 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ace Magashule insists the demise of the ANC was well planned
# Hamas views Biden’s Gaza truce offer ‘positively’
# And, cricket: Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh is declared fit for T20 World Cup

# The African Congress for Transformation has commended the ANC’s decline after it failed to achieve 50-percent-plus-1 in the national elections. In addition, ACT president Ace Magashule has reiterated its stance calling for a recount following allegations of vote rigging in the Free State, Gauteng, and North West, urging the Electoral Commission to take action:

The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania claims the ANC is the biggest casualty in these elections. As parties prepare for coalition talks, PAC deputy president Victor Serakalala noted tensions between parties. He emphasises history is being made in South Africa as coalition agreements are discussed based on good governance and policy directions for the seventh Parliament:

Meanwhile, the ANC remains in the lead nationally as the Electoral Commission is nearly complete with processing the voting district results. Preliminary results show the ANC at 40.21-percent followed by the DA at 21.79-percent and the MK Party at 14.61-percent. In KwaZulu-Natal, MK is leading with 45.35-percent followed by the IFP at 18.06-percent and the ANC third with 16.99-percent. In Gauteng, the ANC leads with 34.78-percent followed by the DA at 27.53-percent and the EFF at 12.9-percent. In the Western Cape, the DA is maintaining its majority with 55.26-percent followed by the ANC at 19.57-percent and the Patriotic Alliance with 7.81-percent of the votes.

# Hamas says it regards US president Joe Biden’s ceasefire proposal positively, raising hopes of a halt to Israel’s eight-month war that has killed more than 36-thousand Palestinians in Gaza. Biden has called the new Israeli proposal for a truce “a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages”, adding “it is time to end this war”. Aljazeera reports Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nevertheless, insists on Hamas’ total destruction as part the plan to end the war.

# And, cricket: Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh has been declared fit for their opening match at the T20 World Cup on 6 June, but he will not be bowling. The all-rounder headed home from the Indian Premier League in April with a hamstring injury and only made his return this week in two practice matches in Trinidad. He did not field for the full innings in either game, with a timeline on his bowling return still unclear.

Stay tuned for more news………….