News 18:00

BULLETIN 6 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA leader dismisses claims of scaremongering in its election advert
# Eskom highlights power stations are key to sustaining the load-shedding-free period
# And rugby:  The Sharks’ flyhalf is a late bloomer at the age of 27

# The DA’s new elections advert, featuring the burning of the South African flag to warn of an ANC and EFF coalition, has sparked backlash on social media. Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela criticised it as ill-advised. While burning the flag is not illegal, the advert has been labelled as fear-mongering. DA leader John Steenhuisen defended the advert, citing existing cooperation between the ANC and EFF in some cities:

# Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa lauds several power stations for upholding South Africa during 40 days without load-shedding. The minister noted Eskom plants’ energy availability factor at an improved 58.99-percent. Ramogkopa noted that since the beginning the month no diesel or open cycle gas turbines have been used to reduce load-shedding. He also dispelled rumours of Eskom buying its way out of load-shedding:

# Garden Route District Municipality firefighters are attending to collapsed scaffolding at a construction site in Victoria Road in George. The municipality has closed its main building as a safety precaution until further notice. The public has been urged to avoid the area for safety reasons and allow emergency vehicles access. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes as Victoria Road access from York Street is blocked. Emergency services are on-site, with ambulances attending to multiple patients.

# Palestinians have begun leaving parts of eastern Rafah in Gaza after Israel urged 100-thousand people to move towards an expanded humanitarian zone. It comes ahead of an expected offensive on the city, where more than 1.4-million people are sheltering. The Israeli Defence Force says it is a limited scope operation and not a wide-scale evacuation of eastern Rafah. A Hamas official calls the evacuation orders a dangerous escalation. More than 34-thousand-700 people have been killed in Gaza since Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel on 7 October last year.

# Rugby: The Sharks will face Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final at Tottenham Stadium on May 24. Flyhalf Siya Masuku was named man of the match for a third consecutive game, after scoring 22 points to help the Sharks beat Clermont 32-31 in the semifinal. Masuku is a late bloomer at the age of 27, but coach John Plumtree says he keeps getting better:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-994-dollars-36-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-329-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….