News 18:00

BULLETIN 23 May 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA says South Africans are still living in fear despite the crime stats gains
# Action Society says a one-size-fits-all SAPS model cannot tackle local crime
# And soccer: UEFA apologises for running out of medals after the Europa League final

# The DA says the latest crime statistics show some progress, but too many citizens still live in fear. Between January and March this year, over six-thousand murders, nearly eleven-thousand rapes, and more than 43-thousand serious assaults were reported. The DA’s Ian Cameron says these figures reveal a system in crisis. He calls for urgent structural reforms:

Meanwhile, Action Society says public trust in police is collapsing as violent crime remains out of control. Reacting to the latest crime statistics, the organisation says the South African Police Service has failed communities. Spokesperson Juanita du Preez says it’s time for constitutional reform to allow provinces and municipalities to control policing locally:

# The Campaign for Free Expression has condemned Sport minister Gayton McKenzie’s recent directive to dismiss foreign nationals in the Sport, Arts and Culture Department. Director Nicole Fritz called the remarks unconstitutional and shameful, warning that McKenzie lacks the legal authority to enforce such action. She says the statement violates South Africa’s Constitution, labour laws, and global treaty commitments, urging adherence to constitutional values:

# US president Donald Trump has threatened technology company Apple with a 25-percent tariff if the iPhones it sells in the United States are not manufactured locally. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had informed Apple that he expect their iPhones that will be sold in the US will not be manufactured and built in India, or anyplace else. Trump’s sweeping tariffs on major US trading partners have roiled global markets and upended international commerce.

# Soccer: European governing body UEFA has apologised for running out of winners’ medals after Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester 1-0 in Wednesday’s Europa League final in Bilbao, Spain. More Tottenham players than expected, including injured players who didn’t feature in the match, lined up for the medals ceremony. This led to captain Son Heung-min and two teammates not receiving medals. Son then lifted the trophy without a medal around his neck. UEFA says it delivered the medals to Tottenham’s dressing room immediately afterwards.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-91-cents and the euro at 20-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-843-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-351-dollars-54-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….