News 13:00
BULLETIN 3 April 1 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The death toll in the Marry Me killings rises to seven
# COSATU says the NPA is to blame for Timothy Omotoso’s acquittal
# And Motorsport: Sergio Perez hopes to return to Formula One next season
# The death toll in the Marry Me informal settlement killings in Soshanguve, Pretoria, has risen to seven after another community patroller died in hospital. The night patrollers who volunteered to fight crime and ensure safety in the community, were assaulted last month. Residents are demanding the area be formalised to curb crime. During a community imbizo, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi announced a specialised task team to tackle crime in the area and pledged increased police presence to restore safety in Soshanguve and surrounding townships.
# Cosatu says it is appalled and deeply disturbed that the National Prosecuting Authority failed to secure a conviction in the Timothy Omotoso case. The televangelist and his co-accused, Lusanda Solani and Zikiswa Sitho, were found not guilty on all 32 charges against them, including rape, sexual assault, racketeering and human trafficking. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Zanele Sabela, says the federation is especially outraged that this judgment comes after the tragic death of whistleblower and victims’ rights advocate, Pamela Mabini:
# The bail application of alleged diamond scammer Louis Liebenberg has been postponed to 2 July by the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court. His defence requested more time to consult with their client. Liebenberg and eight co-accused face charges of fraud, racketeering, money laundering, and violating the Companies Act. Liebenberg allegedly ran a diamond scheme worth 4.5-billion-rand. He remains in custody and has requested a transfer from the C-Max-section of the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria for private consultations.
# Motorsport: Mexican driver Sergio Perez hopes to be back in Formula One next season after leaving Red Bull at the end of last year. The 35-year-old couldn’t win a single race in 2024 after ending second behind Dutch teammate Max Verstappen in 2023, making last year his worst season since joining Red Bull in 2021. Perez says he’d been approached by a few teams and will make a decision once he knows all his options. He promised only to return if he’s happy about the prospect.
# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-79-cents and the euro at 20-rand-73-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-649-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-128-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-97-cents a barrel.
# And finally: Experts say the record low winter sea ice in the Arctic is signalling a major climate change crisis. The Arctic sea ice has reached a maximum extent of 14.33-million square kilometres, the lowest since records began 47-years ago. The National Snow and Ice Data Centre’s Julianne Stuva told Reuters the extent of the Arctic sea ice is expected to continue its decline, due to a combination of higher temperatures, warm seas and wind breaking up ice, all exacerbated by the climate crisis:
Stay tuned for more news………….