News 07:00

BULLETIN 29 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Cele says efforts are being made to deal with the rising political killings
# Bantu Holomisa will stand as Eastern Cape UDM premier candidate
# And a total of 158 civil servants in the national government are paid in full while being suspended

# Police minister Bheki Cele says next month’s general election will be policed within the relevant prescripts and laws and officers will enforce the law accordingly. The minister was part of the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security Cluster briefing yesterday on election readiness. Cele says efforts are being made, including forming a special task team, to deal with the rising concerns of political killings in the country:

Meanwhile, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa will contest the elections as the Eastern Cape’s premier candidate. The UDM’s deputy president, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, says Holomisa has been repeatedly pressurised by traditional leaders, religious groupings, civil society organisations, and many individuals, to consider candidacy. This has also been the desire of the party’s structures in the province:

# Public Service and Administration minister Noxolo Kieviet has revealed that 158 civil servants in the national government received a total of 21.8-million-rand in pay while on suspension between 2019 to this year. She was responding to questions from the DA. Furthermore, 237 suspended officials in provincial governments received a total of 107-million-rand. The officials were suspended for allegations ranging from fraud and corruption to harassment. Kieviet also revealed that civil servants earned almost three-billion-rand in incentives, including performance bonuses and 13th cheques during the same period.

# A 40-year-old suspect is set to appear before the Lulekani Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo today in connection with several rape cases between October last year and January. He was arrested on Thursday after being linked to six separate cases in Lulekani, Phalaborwa, and Hoedspruit. Police spokesperson Hlulani Mashaba says the suspect would allegedly offer his victims lifts at hiking spots and bus stops:

# US Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has reiterated that former presidents, including Donald Trump, are not immune from criminal prosecution. The Supreme Court is currently considering whether Trump is entitled to broad immunity from federal prosecution. This is concerning the four criminal charges he is facing over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. McConnell, who is a senior Republican, says former presidents are not immune from being accountable by the criminal justice system or facing civil litigation.

# Golf: Belgium’s Manon De Roey won the South African Women’s Open by four shots at the Erinvale Country and Golf Estate, to claim her second Ladies European Tour title. The 32-year-old, went into the final round with a three-stroke lead, eventually signing off on 72 to win on 14 under par overall. England’s Gabriella Cowley finished second tied with New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori on ten-under-par. Nicole Garcia finished as the leading South African in fourth place on eight under par.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-77-cents and the euro at 20-rand-12-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-52-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-76-dollars-35-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-328-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….