News 17:00

BULLETIN 30 April 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa moves to uncover the truth behind delays in prosecuting TRC cases
# The Public Servants Association sounds the alarm on widespread sleep deprivation in South Africa’s workforce
# And, the UAE foils a weapons shipment intended for the Sudanese army

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says a judicial commission of inquiry will be set up to investigate delays in the prosecution of apartheid-era crimes handed over by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The move follows a legal case by victims’ families, who claim efforts were made to block justice. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the government also wants the commission to look into other unresolved matters, like possible rights violations and compensation:

# AfriForum has called for a stop to the proposed National Health Insurance Fund regulations until court cases against the NHI are resolved. The organisation submitted comments highlighting flaws, including lack of an interim board, no clear budget, and confusing wording. AfriForum’s Louis Boshoff says implementing the NHI now is financially impractical. He insists that regulations should support private healthcare to benefit more South Africans:

# The Public Servants Association says chronic sleep deprivation among nearly half of South Africa’s workforce is now a serious occupational hazard. A recent study links fatigue to reduced productivity, costly errors, and long-term health risks. The union blames excessive workloads and staff shortages, urging employers to prioritise employee wellness. The PSA’s Reuben Maleka calls for national action to include sleep health in workplace safety regulations and restore work-life balance across sectors.

# The United Arab Emirates says it had foiled a weapons shipment intended for the Sudanese army, which has accused the Gulf state of backing rival paramilitaries in the country’s two-year war. The statement did not list the suspects arrested, but said members of the cell included former Sudanese intelligence chief, Salah Gosh, as well as several Sudanese businessmen. It said the arrests were made “during an inspection of ammunition in a private aircraft” loaded with around five-million machine gun rounds.

# Rugby: Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton says his team is looking forward to meeting the physical challenge of Argentina when the two teams clash in the opening round of the U20 Rugby Championship at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tomorrow. The 2025 Under-20 Rugby Championship is the second edition of the tournament, which was staged for the first time last year in Australia. New Zealand and Australia open the tournament in the first match of tomorrow’s double-header. Kick-off is at 2pm.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-61-cents and the euro at 21-rand-15-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-81-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-449-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-305-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….