News 17:00

BULLETIN 11 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC is satisfied with the IEC’s explanation for the candidate list glitch 
# The ANC Youth League’s president advocates for the prioritising of ANC volunteers for the Nasi Ispani initiative
# And rugby: Saturday’s final round of the Six Nations will decide the winner 

# The ANC says it is satisfied with the Independent Electoral Commission’s explanation regarding a glitch in the release of its candidates’ list for the elections. The leaked lists also includes the uMkhonto weSizwe Party. The IEC is investigating the illegal release of the candidate lists and has pledged to identify those responsible. ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula told the media the IEC assured them it was an isolated incident and not indicative of broader issues with their system:

# ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji has advocated for the prioritising of ANC volunteers in Gauteng for the Nasi Ispani initiative. Despite previous denials of its political nature, the ANC-backed jobs programme, led by premier Panyaza Lesufi, faces criticism from opposition parties. Lesufi claims over 90-thousand employment opportunities have been created since its inception. Malatji insists on benefiting Gauteng residents and ANC supporters. He calls for the deployment of party volunteers first, to reflect the initiative’s values.

# Western Cape parents have been urged to apply online for Grade 1 and 8 learners for the 2025 academic year. The application process began today with seven-thousand-875 applications received. Education MEC David Maynier says pop-up admission sites have also been deployed. Parents should prepare certified documents of last school report card, identity documents, immunisation card for primary schools, and proof of residence. He says the applications close on 12 April:

# Portugal’s centre-right Democratic Alliance, led by Luis Montenegro, has emerged victorious following a tightly contested parliamentary election. With nearly 99-percent of the votes counted, both the Democratic Alliance and the Socialist Party secured around 28.67-percent of the vote, while the far-right Chega party obtained 18-percent. Montenegro reaffirmed his commitment not to engage with Chega, emphasising the importance of respecting the electorate’s wishes. Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos conceded defeat and congratulated the Democratic Alliance on their win.

# Rugby: Saturday’s final round of the Six Nations will decide the winner after some unexpected results this past weekend. Ireland is still on top of the log, but its loss to England at Twickenham now put the English in contention for the title. Italy is currently in fifth place and on course for its best-ever finish, while Wales is battling to avoid the wooden spoon. On Super Saturday, Wales hosts Italy in Cardiff, Ireland welcomes Scotland to Dublin and France faces England in Lyon.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-67-cents and the euro at 20-rand-41-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 72-thousand-328-dollars-80-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-178-dollars-94-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….