News 15:00

BULLETIN 2 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DJ Warras murder case is delayed as the court verifies accused two’s details
# Trump plans to sue Grammy host Trevor Noah over his Epstein remarks
# And tennis: Djokovic still believes he can win a 25th Grand Slam title

# The Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court has postponed the case of the second accused in the murder of Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock to next Monday, giving the state time to verify his address and immigration status. The 25-year-old Mozambican national, Armindo Joaquim Pacula, believed to be the shooter, was arrested in Marathon informal settlement in Primrose on Gauteng’s East Rand. He faces murder and Immigration Act charges. It is alleged Stock’s assassination was valued at around 25-thousand-rand, with the shooter receiving seven-thousand-rand.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has expressed confidence that the National Prosecuting Authority will see strong leadership as Andy Mothibi begins his term as National Director of Public Prosecutions. OUTA’s Stephanie Fick told Newzroom Afrika Mothibi faces an enormous task restoring public trust under intense scrutiny. While concerns remain over prosecutions linked to state capture, she believes Mothibi’s track record offers hope for renewal in the NPA:

# Seventy-seven-percent of South African hoteliers struggle to recruit and retain staff, while 58-percent report stagnant or declining profitability. That’s according to a Hospitality Asset Management Company South African Hoteliers report. Rising labour and electricity costs, regulatory red tape, and funding constraints are limiting growth. The organisation’s CEO, Anton Gillis, calls for urgent coordinated action from government and industry bodies. He says nearly half of hoteliers would prioritise workforce investment if infrastructure challenges were resolved.

Moving abroad:

# US president Donald Trump has threatened legal action against Trevor Noah following the comedian’s comments at last night’s 68th Grammy Awards. Trump claims the South African’s remarks about him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were false and defamatory. Speaking on Truth Social, Trump labelled Noah a talentless loser and says his lawyers would pursue legal action. Noah had joked about Trump’s interest in Greenland and Epstein, drawing criticism from Trump, who denied all allegations and vowed to respond legally.

# Tennis: Thirty-eight-year-old Novak Djokovic still believes he can win a record 25th Grand Slam title. The Serb lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final, with the Spaniard completing a career Grand Slam. Djokovic, who last won a major at the US Open in 2023, says it’s great that he was able to beat Italian Jannik Sinner in the semifinals and battle Alcaraz in the final:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-99-cents and the euro at 18-rand-98-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-624-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-746-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….