News 15:00

BULLETIN 25 March 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The fourth accused in the Joslin Smith case abandons her bail application
# A former Steinhoff executive is granted bail 
# And soccer: Cosatu calls for Israel to be expelled from all international activities

# The fourth accused in the disappearance of Joslin Smith has abandoned her bail application. A neighbour of the family, Lourentia Lombaard, appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court this morning, charged with human trafficking and kidnapping. The six-year-old girl vanished from her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay five weeks ago today. Lombaard’s case had been postponed to the 13th of May, when she will appear in court together with Joslin’s mother, Kelly, her boyfriend and another man.

# The former head of legal affairs at Steinhoff, Stéhan Grobler, has been granted 150-thousand-rand bail by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court after spending the weekend in custody. News24 reports Magistrate Nicca Setshogoe ruled Grobler was not a flight risk. Bail conditions include surrendering his passport and regular reporting to the Brooklyn police. Grobler, who resigned in 2018, faces charges of fraud and racketeering. He surrendered to the police the day after former CEO Markus Jooste died by suicide on Human Rights Day.

# The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has given the green light to the ministerial determination for the Richards Bay gas-to-power project in KwaZulu-Natal. This follows a dismissal of environmental impact assessment challenges by the North Gauteng High Court. Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the project is licensed for three-thousand megawatts generation. Ramokgopa also anticipates the Gas Master Plan’s imminent announcement:

# China says it supports a new draft resolution at the UN Security Council on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after it and Russia vetoed an earlier text proposed by the United States. China says it hopes the Security Council will pass it as soon as possible and send a strong signal for the cessation of hostilities. The council has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the October 7 attacks, approving only two of eight resolutions, with both dealing mainly with humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile in soccer news, Cosatu is calling upon governing bodies SAFA and CAF to demand from FIFA and UEFA to immediately suspend and move to expel Israel. The federation says this will prevent Israel participating in any international activities until the war against the Palestinian people has ended and Palestine is freed. Cosatu’s acting spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says the federation cannot condone normal relations and will continue to support calls to boycott, divest and sanction Israel:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-96-cents and the euro at 20-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-875-dollars-89-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-171-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-21-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….