News 15:00

BULLETIN 19 March 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Build One South Africa says the Public Service Commission Bill does not stop cadre deployment
# The DA slams the Gauteng Treasury for 230-thousand-rand’s wasteful expenditure
# And rugby: Georgia wants to replace Wales in the Six Nations

# Build One South Africa says political appointments in government should be outlawed to protect citizens from incompetent leadership. BOSA deputy leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster argues the Public Service Commission Bill doesn’t do enough to prevent cadre deployment. She believes ending political appointments is key to improving service delivery, and is calling on government to close loopholes that could undermine progress:

# The DA has criticised the Gauteng provincial Treasury for wasting 230-thousand-rand due to control failures, calling it a gateway to corruption. The DA’s Mike Moriarty says weak internal controls allowed an incorrect service provider to be paid, delaying service delivery. He calls for stronger accountability and a criminal investigation into mismanagement:

# Ukraine has accused Russia of effectively rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes hours after Moscow agreed to pause attacks on energy facilities. In a call with US president Donald Trump yesterday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said a comprehensive deal would be contingent on the West halting all military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. The call resulted in a scaled-back commitment to halt attacks on energy infrastructure. According to the Kremlin, Putin has already ordered a pause to strikes against Ukraine’s power grid for 30 days.

# Rugby: Georgia’s head coach, Richard Cockerill, believes his team should play Wales to determine who would be the sixth team in next year’s Six Nations. The Welsh could not win a single match in the competition for the second year running. Cockerill, who played hooker for England in 27 Tests in the 1990s, believes his team is good enough to play at Europe’s highest level after clinching the Rugby Europe Championship title for the eighth consecutive year. Georgia beat Wales in Cardiff in 2022.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 19-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-717-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-36-dollars-67-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-14-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South African National AIDS Council CEO, Thembisile Xulu has called for stronger partnerships and awareness programmes on TB. Speaking in Johannesburg, she highlighted the high TB prevalence among South Africa’s 7.8 million people living with HIV, with over 50-percent affected. Six people die from TB in South Africa every hour. Xulu warns of rising TB/HIV co-infections, drug-resistant TB, and stigma preventing men from seeking treatment:

Stay tuned for more news………….