News 07:00

BULLETIN 2 March 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Iran forms a transitional council to lead the country after the killing of Khamenei
# A legal expert says O’Sullivan’s walk-out did not breach Parliamentary law
# And, the South African TV personality Ian von Memerty has died

# A three-person temporary leadership council has been formed to govern Iran, in the wake of the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. The council includes Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, and a confidant of Khamenei. The council will govern the country until an 88-member panel, the Assembly of Experts, chooses a new leader. Iranian Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that a new supreme leader may be selected in a day or two.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, says the US-Israeli strikes against Iran, and the retaliatory action from Tehran targeting multiple countries in the Middle East, are a grave threat to international peace and security. Causalities have been reported in Iran, Israel, Dubai, Kuwait, Doha, and Bahrain. Meanwhile, three US service members were killed in action during the operation in Iran. Guterres says everything must be done to prevent wider escalation of war across the Middle East:

# Legal expert Lufuno Nevondwe says forensic expert Paul O’Sullivan committed no offence by walking out of Parliament’s ad hoc committee amid cross-examination, as he volunteered to testify and was not formally summoned. Speaking to SABC News, Nevondwe confirmed that the Powers, Privileges and Amenities of Parliament Act rule does not apply. He notes that O’Sullivan could have handled his departure carefully; however, legally, he remains protected as a voluntary witness:

# Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile says the province is operating within a constrained economic environment marked by slow growth, high unemployment, and cost-of-living pressures. At the end of January, provincial departments spent 144.4-billion-rand, which represents 82.2-percent of the 175.6-billion-rand adjusted budget. Maile says the province is treating the water crisis with utmost seriousness, even though it has not been budgeted for:

# Golf: Local favourite Casey Jarvis won the SA Open by three shots in Stellenbosch, claiming back-to-back European Tour victories after winning the Kenyan Open last Sunday. The 22-year-old carded a three-under 67 in the final round. Spaniard Francesco Laporta, Frederic Lacroix from France, and South African Hennie du Plessis shared second place. Jarvis, who has booked his place at The Masters and The British Open as a result of this win, says playing at Augusta will be special:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand and the euro at 18-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-52-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-605-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-332-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-94-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South African television personality, Ian von Memerty, has died by suicide at the age of 61. In February, he revealed in the digital series, Dying for a Better Life, that he had chosen to end his life on his own terms. He set a date, which he kept private. Best known as the host of Strictly Come Dancing and a judge on SA’s Got Talent, he cited extreme financial stress, the realities of ageing, and the emotional toll of witnessing his parents’ painful deaths as central to his reasoning.

Stay tuned for more news………….