News 14:00

BULLETIN 3 April 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The sole survivor of the Limpopo bus crash is discharged from hospital and airlifted to Botswana
# Minister Blade Nzimande says four Educor Colleges still have an obligation to award students their qualifications
# And rugby: The Hurricanes’ All Blacks scrumhalf is out of action for six months

# The sole survivor of the fatal Limpopo bus crash, eight-year-old Lorraine Atlang Siako, has been released from Mokopane Hospital and airlifted to Botswana. This follows last week’s crash as a bus carrying members of the Zion Christian Church to Moria for an Easter Pilgrimage crashed and caught fire near Mmamatlakala. Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba commended the Botswana high commission for its prompt assistance in ensuring Lorraine’s safe return:

# Higher Education, Science and Innovation minister Blade Nzimande says the four Educor colleges, City Varsity, Damelin, Icesa City Campus and Lyceum College still have an obligation to award the students their qualifications during the period of registration and during the phase-out period. The department’s spokesperson, Veli Mbele, says they are also required to ensure they conclude the remaining examinations or assessments for the remainder of the current academic year:

# The City of Cape Town’s enforcement agencies made 305 arrests in the past week, down from the previous Easter period. The city’s Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded two-thousand-725 incidents over the Easter long weekend, a nearly 20-percent increase from last year. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says drunk driving arrests showed a remarkable decline year-on-year, from 80 last year to just 25 in the past week:

# 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 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-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-312-dollars-48-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-271-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….