News 09:00

BULLETIN 16 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The government warns against the incitement of violence and personal attacks during the election
# The Gauteng Education MEC is concerned by the deaths of learners during school excursions
# And 89 gender-based violence cases were struck off the roll within six months

# Government says as the country approaches the general elections, citizens are urged to be respectful towards one another and avoid name-calling and personal attacks. The elections will be held on the 29th of next month. Government warns that individuals who use social media and digital platforms to send threatening messages, incite violence, or cause harm may be criminally charged under the Cybercrimes Act. It adds that the Electoral Commission is ready to hold free and fair elections.

# The High Court in Pretoria will hear former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s challenge over the non-payment of her ten-million-rand gratuity today. After being found guilty of misconduct and incompetence by a parliamentary inquiry, she was removed as Public Protector in September last year, seizing her right to a gratuity payment. Mkhwebane wants the court to set aside a decision by the Office of the Public Protector not to pay her a gratuity, and for it to make an order for a just and equitable remedy for this gratuity.

# Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is calling for a swift investigation into the drowning of two learners from Daveyton Skills School in Benoni. The two learners, aged 13 and 16, were attending a discipline camp when they drowned at Hennops River. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says the camp was facilitated by the non-governmental organisation Rising Stars Generation in Pretoria. He says the MEC is concerned about the deaths of learners during school excursions:

# Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, has called for improved service delivery in the police service to curb crime. This stance comes after statistics reveal 243 cases were dismissed due to SAPS inefficiencies between April and September 2023. Of these, 89 were related to gender-based violence. Allen emphasises the need for police improvement plans to prevent recurrence, stressing the importance of credible and trustworthy policing to serve and protect crime-affected individuals:

# Soccer: Everton has lodged an appeal against their two-point deduction for a second breach of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. The Toffees had a ten-point deduction reduced to six on appeal in February for breaching the rules. Last week, the club was handed another penalty after admitting it breached its allowed spending of a 3.4-billion-rand loss over three seasons by 390-million-rand. The Premier League says the appeal case will be heard urgently and a decision made before the end of the season.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-3-cents and the euro at 20-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-689-dollars-18-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-386-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….