News 17:00

BULLETIN 16 April 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Kwazulu-Natal will have the highest number of voting stations in the country
# Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fight for a gratuity payment of ten-million-rand is postponed
# And cricket: Glenn Maxwell takes an indefinite break from the IPL 

# The Electoral Commission says KwaZulu-Natal will host the highest number of voting stations, totalling four-thousand-974, among the over 23-thousand stations for the upcoming elections. The Eastern Cape and Limpopo will accommodate four-thousand-868 and three-thousand-216 stations, respectively. Special vote applications, aimed at aiding voters unable to attend polling stations on election day, remain open until 3 May. In his media address chief electoral official Sy Mamabolo reminded travellers to notify the commission of their intended voting location by 22 April:

# Judge Colleen Collis of the High Court in Pretoria has postponed former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s gratuity case to Thursday. Mkhwebane is contesting the decision by the Public Protector’s office to withhold her ten-million-rand gratuity. She filed papers last month over the payment of the gratuity, which she argued was due to her. The judge says the postponement arises from disputes over the urgency of the case’s enrollment and cost concerns:

# Former president Thabo Mbeki has warned of an imminent famine in Sudan, driven by conflict-induced displacement and infrastructure destruction in Khartoum. With over eight-million people displaced, Mbeki emphasises the urgent need for humanitarian access and adherence to international law. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoes the plea for increased aid, highlighting that only six-percent of the UN’s funding appeal has been met. Mbeki urges Sudanese parties to facilitate aid delivery and halt attacks on civilians, including ethnic targeting and gender-based violence.

# Cricket: Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has announced an indefinite break from the Indian Premier League following a very disappointing season thus far for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He was only able to score 32 runs in six games. Maxwell says now is a good time to give himself a mental and physical breather to get his body right. RCB, captained by Faf du Plessis, is experiencing a horrible season, winning only one of their seven matches so far and sitting at the bottom of the ten-team table.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-3-cents and the euro at 20-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-860-dollars-24-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-373-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Motorists traveling on the N9 between Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg in the Eastern Cape have been urged to exercise caution due to overnight snowfall. The provincial Transport Department has clarified that while the snowfall was not heavy enough to necessitate road closures, drivers should remain vigilant. Spokesperson Unathi Binqose emphasises the importance of caution, particularly on that stretch of road. The weather forecast predicted sunny conditions, suggesting that any snow would likely melt away soon.

Stay tuned for more news………….