News 17:00

BULLETIN 3 June 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AZAPO says the low voter turnout is a protest against the political system 
# Premier Panyaza Lesufi is willing to continue serving Gauteng 
# And tennis: Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are to face off in the French Open quarterfinals 

# The Azanian People’s Organisation says the low voter turnout in this year’s elections is yet another indication of citizens protesting against the political system. Just over 16-million South Africans made their mark, translating into a voter turnout of 58.61-percent. This is much lower than the voter turnout of 66.05-percent in the 2019 elections. AZAPO’s spokesperson, Jabu Rakwena, says this sends a strong message to the ruling elite that the power of the citizens must never be undermined:

Meanwhile, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has expressed willingness to continue serving his province. He emphasised the importance of coalition talks after the ANC’s support in Gauteng dropped to 35-percent. Lesufi says despite leading the province for less than two years, he seeked to prioritise development, crime reduction, and cleanliness over political positions. He stresses the importance of finding alliance partners with a shared vision for progress and competitiveness. Lesufi says he is committed to serving the public interest regardless of his role.

# RISE Mzansi has called for adequate resources to assist over one-thousand-400 people affected by floods in Gqeberha and Kariega in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. The party expressed condolences to the families of the seven victims. Spokesperson Gugu Ndima urged the national government to adequately provide humanitarian support to displaced families:

# Tennis: Fourth seeded Elena Rybakina overpowered Elina Svitolina with a straight-sets victory to reach the French Open quarter-finals for the second time. The Kazakh former Wimbledon champion eased to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Ukraine’s Svitolina after just 69 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. Italy’s Jasmine Paolini reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final with a 4-6, 6-love, 6-1 victory over unseeded Russian Elina Avanesyan. Paolini faces Rybakina in die quarterfinals.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-21-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-562-dollars-12-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-333-dollars-45-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A study of 16 sub-Saharan African countries shows that increasing tobacco taxes could significantly reduce smoking among young people. Researchers found that a 10-percent rise in cigarette prices could cut youth smoking by 11.5-percent to 14.6-percent, with over half of this reduction due to quitting altogether. The study also revealed that young people are more likely to smoke if their parents do. The researchers urge African governments to raise and maintain higher tobacco taxes to improve public health.

Stay tuned for more news………….