News 16:00

BULLETIN 5 March 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Two of the accused in the Joslin Smith trial allege the police forced them to confess
# The ANC’s new leadership in KwaZulu-Natal vows to fight corruption and factionalism
# And Canada also files a complaint against Trump’s tariff increase at the World Trade Organisation

# Two of the accused in the disappearance of West Coast girl Joslin Smith allege police forced them to confess. Jacquin Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn are standing trial together with Joslin’s mother, Kelly Smith. The men denied they were ever involved in the alleged crime. Their lawyers told the High Court sitting in Saldanha Bay police tortured their clients before their arrests and they admitted they had Joslin sold because they were afraid they would be killed. The trio face charges of kidnapping and human trafficking.

# The ANC’s provincial task team in KwaZulu-Natal has pledged to tackle corruption and internal divisions as part of its renewal efforts. The newly appointed leadership stated that no member will be allowed to misuse their position for personal gain. They also committed to rebuilding party structures, restoring public trust, and uniting members. The team’s convener, Jeff Radebe, told the media their focus is preparing for next year’s local government elections and improving service delivery:

# The Western Cape is lagging in Sassa’s migration process from gold cards to Postbank black cards. According to News24, only 23-percent of grant recipients have migrated, compared to the national average of 30-percent. Postbank and Sassa continue to face challenges, including a lack of service points and security concerns. The DA’s Wendy Kaizer-Philander says currently there are limited active sites where beneficiaries can go to replace their cards:

# Canada has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation against the United States over president Donald Trump’s dramatic tariff increases. A WTO official confirmed to AFP that Canada initiated dispute proceedings against the US on the additional tariffs, following a similar complaint filed by Beijing over fresh US levies on Chinese goods. Shortly after Trump returned to office he announced, and then paused, blanket 25-percent tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

# Soccer: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique hailed the work done by Liverpool boss Arne Slot. He says Slot had built an almost perfect team since taking over from Jurgen Klopp. Two of Europe’s best sides this season meet tonight as PSG hosts Liverpool at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. PSG is coasting towards another French title, while Liverpool sits 13 points clear in the Premier League. Liverpool has lost on both their previous visits to PSG, in 1997 and 2018.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-371-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-918-dollars-37-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….