News 17:00

BULLETIN 22 May 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum calls on president Cyril Ramaphosa to either deny or rebuild South Africa
# The Presidency clarifies Mcebisi Jonas’ US travel status
# And Olympic Games: The IOC is confident that Brisbane is on track for the 2032 Games

# AfriForum has warned president Cyril Ramaphosa to either confront South Africa’s growing crises or risk deepening international isolation. Ramaphosa met US president Donald Trump yesterday who criticised the Expropriation Act and “Kill the Boer” chant. AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel has urged Ramaphosa to stop denying the country’s problems as government policies are alienating minorities. He stressed that only honest leadership can restore trust and international relations:

The Presidency has meanwhile clarified recent commentary about the special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, confirming he holds a valid US visa. Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Jonas contributed to planning ahead of Ramaphosa’s meeting with Trump, including overseas consultations. Magwenya notes that initial misunderstandings on procedural matters were corrected and says no concerns regarding his professional duties have been raised. He confirms that Jonas’s absence from Washington yesterday was by personal request.

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi says the province is making progress in fighting crime and improving government transparency. He revealed that over 150 of the most wanted criminals have been arrested, and lifestyle audits on senior officials are underway, with some already completed. Lesufi says these efforts are part of building a safer and more accountable provincial government:

# Fifty-five men have been arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected paedophile ring operating via the Telegram messaging app. The suspects, aged 25 to 75, include a priest, a paramedic and a music teacher. The men exchanged messages on Telegram and were in contact with paedophiles who have been in prison since last summer. The large-scale operation began last summer with the arrest of people suspected of abusing children and posting images on Telegram.

# The International Olympic Committee has expressed confidence that the organisers are on the right path to host the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia. The third Brisbane 2032 coordination commission meeting, attended by IOC president-elect Kirsty Coventry, was held today. Local organising committee chief, Andrew Liveris, says it’s a relief to finally get a plan in place, even though no ground will be broken on the big new venues until the end of next year:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-4-cents and the euro at 20-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-265-dollars-14-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-312-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….