News 17:00

BULLETIN 3 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa hails the Nelson Mandela and OR Tambo statues as historic tributes
# The Police Ministry extends the leadership of the acting head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate
# And soccer: SAFA is in continued talks to retain Hugo Broos for continuity amid retirement plans

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the unveiling of the statues of former president Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activist OR Tambo in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal as a historic occasion. Ramaphosa said the monuments preserve South Africa’s heritage, honour their contributions to freedom, and serve as a public reminder of the nation’s journey. He also emphasised on the lessons to future generations about the struggles and principles these leaders represented:

# The acting minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, has extended the term of the acting head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Hlengani Bila. Ministry spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi says the extension, supported by Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police, is aimed at ensuring stability and continuity at the police watchdog while the process to appoint a permanent executive director continues:

# Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile says illegal firearms and youth involvement are fuelling violent crime in the province. Releasing the latest provincial crime statistics today, Patekile said murders dropped slightly to one-thousand-157 between October and December, but attempted murders and sexual offences have increased, with rape cases rising to one-thousand-370. He told the media that Cape Town remains the epicentre of killings, accounting for over 80-percent of murders, while extortion linked to protection rackets continues in suburbs.

# America has closed two embassies in the Middle East and reduced its consular presence in several other countries as strikes continue. The embassy in Saudi Arabia was closed today after it was struck by two suspected Iranian drones, while the embassy in Kuwait was also closed. The US State Department earlier urged Americans to immediately leave 14 countries in the region due to serious safety risks. It also asked non-emergency US government personnel and their families to leave Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates.

# Soccer: South African governing body SAFA’s president, Danny Jordaan, says discussions are underway with Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos about his future. Broos, whose contract ends in June, plans to retire after this year’s World Cup. Jordaan says SAFA hopes to retain him to maintain stability, citing long-term coaching success similar to Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis’ decade-long tenure:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-122-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-174-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….