News 18:00

BULLETIN 3 June 6 pm 

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Electoral Court reserves judgement on the MK Party’s leadership dispute 
# Cosatu supports Cyril Ramaphosa in leading the seventh administration
# And World Athletics launches a global championship from 2026

# The Electoral Court has reserved judgment in the MK Party’s leadership dispute. Expelled founder Jabulani Khumalo accuses former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, of forging his signature on a letter to the Electoral Commission to change the party’s leadership. Khumalo was also attacked by angry supporters outside the court, sitting at the High Court in Johannesburg. Zuma’s legal counsel, Dali Mpofu, has requested the court to dismiss the case:

Meanwhile, Cosatu has expressed its support for president Cyril Ramaphosa to lead the seventh administration. Following the elections, the federation believes there is a need for the new government to focus on the ANC’s election manifesto, uphold constitutional democracy, protect workers’ rights, address poverty, stimulate economic growth, and combat crime and corruption. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says they remain committed to collaborating with the incoming administration to improve the lives of all South Africans:

Ramaphosa has meanwhile extended his condolences to families in the Eastern Cape affected by floods in Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Kariega, and other areas. He mourns the loss of life and the destruction caused. Praising the collaborative rescue and recovery efforts, Ramaphosa urged citizens to heed weather alerts and exercise caution. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya encouraged safety during the winter season:

# World Athletics has launched a new season-ending three-day global championship starting in 2026 to fill the gap between the Olympics and the world championships. The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will take place every two years. It aims to attract the biggest names in track and field, starting from 11 to 13 September 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. Gold medallists will receive 2.8-million-rand each from an overall prize fund of 187-million-rand, the largest ever in the history of the sport. It will feature up to 16 of the world’s top-ranked athletes per discipline.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-56-cents and the euro at 20-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-757-dollars-39-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-332-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A study of 16 sub-Saharan African countries shows that increasing tobacco taxes could significantly reduce smoking among young people. Researchers found that a 10-percent rise in cigarette prices could cut youth smoking by 11.5-percent to 14.6-percent, with over half of this reduction due to quitting altogether. The study also revealed that young people are more likely to smoke if their parents do. The researchers urge African governments to raise and maintain higher tobacco taxes to improve public health.

Stay tuned for more news………….