News 18:00

BULLETIN 29 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Mashatile is proud of South Africa’s peaceful democratic elections
# The DA’s Western Cape premier candidate has confidence in the voter support
# And, experts predict interest rates could be cut by September 

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says South Africans should be proud of participating in the democratic election process. After voting in Gerhardsville, Tshwane, Mashatile called on voters to come out and vote for their preferred party in this historic event. He welcomed the largely peaceful process and said everyone has a democratic right to cast their ballot. He also welcomed the enhancement of security:

In the Western Cape, DA premier candidate Alan Winde says thousands of voters have turned out to support the party, aiming to keep the province under its leadership. He believes many are also voting to prevent an ANC, EFF and Patriotic Alliance coalition, which they fear could lead to governance issues and service delivery failures. According to Winde, the DA’s campaign has seen widespread support from residents:

# Experts are predicting interest rates could be cut by September. Independent economist Elize Kruger notes the easing of inflation in consumer goods over recent months. She believes the country has been building up towards this for some time. Kruger, however, also anticipates the Reserve Bank will for the moment keep the rate unchanged:

# Algeria has proposed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The resolution also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and an immediate halt to its military offensive in Rafah. Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama said the aim is to stop the killing in Rafah after Sunday’s attack on a displaced persons camp that killed at least 45. The council will meet today for its monthly session on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

# Tennis: The 1983 French Open champion, Yannick Noah will replace Swedish legend Bjorn Borg as captain of the Europe team for the 2025 Laver Cup. The 64-year-old Frenchman will captain the Europe team in the annual event against a World Team that will be skippered for the first time by eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi. Agassi replaces Borg’s great rival John McEnroe. Both Borg and McEnroe have been captain since the first edition of the competition in 2017.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-31-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-41-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-719-dollars-76-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-344-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….