News 13:00

BULLETIN 24 March 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The NPA is confident it is ready for former ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe’s corruption trial
# Soccer: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini return to court for a corruption case
# And Jonathan Butler receives an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University

# The National Prosecuting Authority says it is confident the 27-million-rand tender corruption case against former ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe is trial-ready. Mabe and six co-accused appeared at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng today, facing 16 counts, including fraud and money laundering. The charges stem from a 2017 contract for 200 waste-management vehicles. NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane expressed confidence in the thorough investigations:

# The Institute of Race Relations urges Parliament to either adopt the No More Race Laws Bill or reenact the apartheid-era Population Registration Act. They have begun lobbying members of Parliament to pass the bill and launched a public petition in support. The institute’s Hermann Pretorius argues that despite the repeal of the act in 1991, race-based laws persist, creating legal uncertainty and discrimination. Pretorius states Parliament must decide if it wants to allow racial classification or commit to equality.

# The Department of Social Development, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, will host the Africa children’s summit in Johannesburg from 4 to 7 April. The event will bring together one-thousand-300 children from across the continent, with 300 attending in person and one-thousand joining virtually. The department’s spokesperson, Bathembu Futshane, says the summit will focus on children’s rights, gender-based violence, and inclusive representation for marginalised groups:

# Soccer: Former world governing body Fifa president Sepp Blatter and former French great Michel Platini will stand trial in a corruption case in Switzerland from today. Eighty-nine-year-old Blatter is accused of paying 69-year-old Platini over 41-million-rand from Fifa’s coffers in 2011, described as a consultancy fee. Although they were acquitted of corruption by a lower Swiss court in 2022, prosecutors appealed, leading to the new hearing. Both men were suspended by Fifa in 2015, ending Platini’s hopes of succeeding Blatter as Fifa president.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-27-cents and the euro at 19-rand-71-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-59-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-696-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-21-dollars-44-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Stellenbosch University has awarded internationally acclaimed South African musician, composer and songwriter, Jonathan Butler, with an honorary doctorate. He was honoured for his musical influence and contributions to arts and culture, and his dedication to creating platforms that ensure access to the arts for young people from marginalised communities. In his acceptance speech, Butler said this moment is a dream fulfilled, one that has come through beyond anything he could ever ask, think or imagine:

Stay tuned for more news………….