News 13:00

BULLETIN 3 April 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AZAPO calls on Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to hand herself over to police
# Cosatu welcomes the National Prosecuting Authority’s action to deal with incitement to violence
# And rugby: The Hurricanes’ All Blacks scrumhalf is out of action for six months

# The Azanian People’s Organisation is calling on National Assembly speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to be exemplary and hand herself over to police and save herself from further embarrassment. The party highly commends Judge Sulet Potterill’s decision in the High Court in Pretoria to strike Mapisa-Nqakula’s urgent application off the role when she tried to interdict law enforcement authorities from arresting her. AZAPO’s spokesperson, Jabu Rakwena, says the courts have spoken and she has an obligation to do what is right:

# Cosatu has welcomed the National Prosecuting Authority’s action to deal with attempts to incite violence in the run up to the 29 May elections. This follows after senior uMkhonto weSizwe Party member Visvin Reddy was charged after he threatened violence if the Electoral Commission and the courts take unfavourable decisions against former president Jacob Zuma. Cosatu’s acting spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says the country cannot afford political violence:

# The City of Tshwane says it remains committed to collaborating with relevant stakeholders to implement targeted strategies aimed at reducing road accidents and fatalities. During the Easter long weekend, the metro recorded 15 deaths in 12 motor vehicle accidents and three incidents involving pedestrians. Mayoral committee member for Community Safety, Grandi Theunissen, says in the same period last year, the metro recorded only three fatalities:

# At least seven people were killed and more than 700 injured by today’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan. Officials say the quake was the strongest to shake the island in decades, and warned of more tremors in the days ahead. Strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the earthquake-prone island, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. The quake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around two-thousand-400 people.

# Rugby: All Blacks scrumhalf Cameron Roigard will be out of action for at least six months. His Super Rugby team, the Hurricanes, confirmed he sustained a serious knee injury during last weekend’s game against the Highlanders and he has already undergone an operation. The 23-year-old was included in New Zealand’s World Cup squad last year and impressed in the few games he played. The injury means he will miss the remainder of the Super Rugby season, the All Blacks’ July Tests and most of the Rugby Championship.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-80-cents and the euro at 20-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-479-dollars-69-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-270-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….