News 09:00

BULLETIN 16 March 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom’s ongoing collaboration with law enforcement leads to six arrests for procurement fraud
# The DA condemns the SAPS for failing to fix the forensic lab issues despite repeated warnings
# And motorsport:  Norris is in pole position for the Australian Grand Prix ahead of Piastri and Verstappen

# NATJOINTS Energy Safety and Security Priority Committee, in collaboration with Eskom, are continuing to make strides in combating corruption and theft within Eskom’s operations. Over the last two days, six individuals were arrested for their involvement in a fraudulent procurement scheme at Kusile Power Station. Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena says among those apprehended are a former Kusile procurement officer and a procurement manager:

# The DA is calling for a full forensic audit of the South African Police Service’s DNA processing and forensic laboratories following a shocking 140-thousand-case backlog. The party blames outdated equipment, poor management, and the mishandling of DNA evidence for delaying justice, especially in gender-based violence cases. The DA’s Ian Cameron warns that failures in DNA processing allow criminals to walk free:

The Public Servants Association of South Africa also says it is disturbed by the reported backlog in DNA samples. This hampers the efficiency of the justice system as many criminal cases may be withdrawn from the roll owing to a lack of evidence. The association’s Claude Naiker says the PSA has called for proper resourcing of the SAPS Forensic Laboratory Division:

# The Trump administration is considering issuing travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban, according to Reuters who cites an internal memo. The memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into separate groups. The first group of ten countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea would be set for a full visa suspension. In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan — would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas.

# And motorsport: Lando Norris of Mclaren and team mate Oscar Piastri surged to pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne today. Norris edged out Piastri by 0.084 seconds to secure the front row in the qualifying rounds yesterday. Reigning champion Max Verstappen wound up in third, while George Russell was fourth for Mercedes ahead of an impressive fifth place for Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls machine. Lewis Hamilton, who is competing for Ferrari for the first time, came in eighth.

Stay tuned for more news………….