News 15:00

BULLETIN 25 April 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The High Court in Pretoria is temporarily closed amid power outages
# The Postbank confirms SASSA gold cards will be valid beyond the end of next month
# And motorsport: Marc Marquez returns to his home race, aiming to continue his strong start to the season

# The Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria has been temporarily closed today due to a power outage. The Office of the Chief Justice announced that court operations are suspended for the day, and affected parties will be contacted regarding alternative arrangements for scheduled matters. The City of Tshwane has been experiencing multiple power outages, including a fire at the Waltloo Substation. This caused widespread power outages in Rooiwal, Pyramid, Phumulani, Waltloo, and Koedoespoort.

# Free State High Court Judge Phillip Loubser has ruled that former premier Ace Magashule’s former personal assistant Moroadi Cholota’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction over her US extradition, will be handled in a trial within a trial. Cholota, together with Magashule and others, face charges in the 255-million-rand asbestos case. She says her extradition was unlawful. Loubser found the state failed to justify continuing the main trial before resolving her special plea:

# The DA says it has submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act application to the National Treasury. This is to determine which enforcement recommendations of the Mpati Commission into the Public Investment Corporation are being implemented. A 2020 commission of inquiry led by Justice Lex Mpati exposed significant governance, operational, and ethical failures within the PIC. The DA’s Andrew Bateman says the commission made a series of recommendations to rectify deficiencies and restore public trust:

# The Postbank has confirmed that SASSA gold cards will remain valid beyond 31 May. Grant beneficiaries can continue receiving payments and using their cards at ATMs, retail stores, and for purchases. CEO Nikki Mbengashe assured there will be no disruptions during the transition to black cards. The bank warns against misinformation and urges beneficiaries to rely only on official updates. It confirmed that the distribution of new black cards was temporarily paused, but essential services remain available.

# Motorsport: Six-time MotoGP world champion, Marc Marquez, says he is excited for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, his home race. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider has been impressive this season, winning three of the opening four races. He currently leads the riders’ standings by 17 points ahead of his younger brother Alex. Marquez, who has won in Jerez three times, says although it’s a particularly special race for him, it’s just as important as the others and requires careful preparation:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-83-cents and the euro at 21-rand-40-cents. One British pound costs 25-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-131-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-295-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….