News 17:00

BULLETIN 17 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Lusikisiki mass murder case is postponed for further investigations
# Tennis: Daniil Medvedev hopes Jannik Sinner’s case will lead to a fairer system
# And chocolate will become more expensive due to rising cocoa prices

# The trial of eight men accused of murdering 18 people in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape last year, has been postponed to the tenth of next month for further investigations. The case will be transferred to the High Court in Mthatha. The National Prosecuting Authority’s regional spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, says all accused, including the latest suspect, Songezo Vuma, remain in custody, facing charges of murder and illegal possession of firearms:

# Deputy minister of Higher Education, Buti Manamela, has condemned reports of landlords demanding sexual favours from students for accommodation. He welcomed NSFAS’s commitment to blacklist offenders and called for stricter oversight. Manamela assured students that NSFAS is addressing funding delays and ensuring smooth registration. He will visit several provinces to assess progress. Students facing exploitation or funding issues are urged to report them immediately.

# The South African National Christian Forum is urging Finance minister Enoch Godongwana to increase social grants at a minimum to match the rising cost of living. The minister is set to deliver the budget speech on Wednesday. The forum’s president, Marothi Mashashane, says the starting point for the minister should be helping the poor, and working to address the economic and social factors that contribute to poverty and inequality:

# Tennis: Russian player Daniil Medvedev hopes world number one Jannik Sinner’s settlement with the World Anti-doping Agency will set a precedent. The Italian accepted a three-month ban after testing positive for minute traces of a banned substance a year ago, thus possibly escaping a much longer ban. Medvedev says Sinner was probably able to reach the settlement because he can afford good lawyers, which most players on tour can’t. He says the incident will hopefully lead to all players having the right to represent themselves.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-43-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-319-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-896-dollars-87-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The price of chocolate is set to rise as cocoa-producing regions, including West Africa and Brazil, struggle with increasing aridity. Experts warn that dry conditions, worsened by climate change and deforestation, threaten cocoa crops and global food security. Experts warn that without urgent action, cocoa shortages may become more common, increasing the cost of chocolate, while affecting the agriculture sector. Experts call for sustainable solutions to combat land degradation and protection of future harvests.

Stay tuned for more news………….