News 14:00

BULLETIN 23 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mugabe and Matonze’s bail applications are postponed following delays in their court arrival
# Western Cape police hunt gunmen after six people were murdered in Milnerton
# And rugby: Ireland improves to third in the world rankings after hammering England at Twickenham

# The Alexandra Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg has postponed the bail applications of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son and his co-accused to next Tuesday. Bellarmine Mugabe and Tobias Matonze face charges including attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice over a missing firearm after a gardener was shot at Mugabe’s home in Hyde Park. Lawyer Sinenhlanhla Mnguni says the delay followed because the accused were taken to Randburg Magistrate’s Court:

# Western Cape police have launched a manhunt following the murder of six people in the Milnerton area in Cape Town within just two days. This morning, two men and a woman were shot dead in the Ekuphumleni informal settlement. Spokesperson André Traut says on Saturday, three people were killed in Joe Slovo informal settlement, including two found inside a bullet-riddled vehicle:

# The Cape Winelands District Municipality Fire Services reports a wildfire orginated in the mountains above Rooiberg Cellars near Robertson. The fire, which began late yesterday afternoon, continues to burn in the rugged mountainous slopes. The municipality’s Jo-Anne Otto says fire crews are actively monitoring the blaze while coordinating with residents and property owners:

Moving abroad:

# One of the most powerful storms in a decade is moving in over the north-east coast of America. Fifty-nine-million people have been placed under weather warnings, and states of emergency have been declared in multiple states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Several have instituted travel restrictions or bans and thousands of flights have been cancelled. The US National Weather Service reports much of the north-east had already been blanketed in thick snow.

# Rugby: The world rankings changed significantly due to the weekend’s Six Nations results. Ireland improved two positions to third, behind South Africa and New Zealand, after hammering England 42-21 at Twickenham. France dropped one place to fourth despite beating Italy 33-8 in Lille, while England is now in fifth postion. Argentina stays in sixth, while Scotland improved from ninth to seventh after narrowly beating Wales 26-23 in Cardiff. Australia dropped one place to eighth, with Fiji ninth and Italy completing the top-ten.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-98-cents and the euro at 18-rand-85-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-58-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-290-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-146-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-95-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….