News 18:00

BULLETIN 7 March 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# MK party supporters disrupt the presidential imbizo in Mpumalanga
# Action Society urges public vigilance amidst rising child abductions
# And the Springboks welcome a new member to their family

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that anyone instigating election violence will be arrested. This follows threats of bloodshed by the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party in KwaZulu-Natal if barred from the 29 May polls. Earlier today supporters of the MK party attempted to disrupt the opening of the presidential imbizo in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, ahead of the president’s arrival, singing provocative chants. Ramaphosa says those inciting unrest are enemies of democracy:

# Action Society says South Africa is facing a critical challenge in ensuring the safety of its children, citing Joslin Smith’s case to indicate the vulnerability of children. The organisation commends the police in the Western Cape for questioning persons of interest in Joslin’s disappearance. With over one-thousand-300 monthly kidnapping cases reported, Action Society’s Kaylynn Palm calls for equal attention to all cases, urging parental vigilance and a collective commitment to child safety:

# The City of Tshwane’s Emergency Services Department has advised communities to stay vigilant as a Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with strong winds, hail, and heavy rain has been issued. The city’s Lindela Mashigo says the impact may include flooding, vehicle accidents, power failures, falling trees, and damage from hail: 

# Cricket: England experienced another bad day in the Test series against India. The visitors were bowled out for just 218 on the first day of the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala. Zak Crawley’s 79 was the only highlight, while Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets and Ravichandran Ashwin four. India then reached 135 for one at stumps, thanks to 57 from Yashasvi Jaiswal and an undefeated 52 by captain Rohit Sharma. India already leads the series 3-1.  

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-77-cents and the euro at 20-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-298-dollars-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-155-dollars-94-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-9-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Springboks welcomed another baby in their midst with the news that double World Cup-winning scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and his wife, Miné, became parents. The couple announced on social media the girl, named Remi-Ré, was born on the 27th of last month already. They say she was born a bit early in the Rosepark Hospital in Bloemfontein. De Klerk currently plays for Yokohama Eagles and the family is expected to return to Japan shortly.

Stay tuned for more news………….