News 15:00

BULLETIN 9 March 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Suliman Carrim says he was misled by Matlala and Mogotsi in the SAPS tender deal
# Tehran threatens to confiscate property of Iranians abroad who back attacks on their country
# And rugby: Three teams still have a shot at clinching the Six Nations title

# North West businessman Suliman Carrim told the Madlanga commission he was taken advantage of by controversial businessmen Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala and Brown Mogotsi. Carrim invested ten-million-rand in a medical services tender after Matlala claimed to have secured a contract linked to the Police Service. Carrim says promises of repayment were not honored. He also rejects claims of knowing suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu:

# Eastern Cape MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Nonceba Kontsiwe says the province has vaccinated over 63-thousand cattle against foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in one week. The first 150-thousand doses of Argentinian vaccine arrived in the province last week. Kontsiwe says the department has placed an order for one-million-and-50-thousand vaccines with the Onderstepoort Biological Products, following the 55-million-rand emergency funding allocated by provincial treasury last month:

# A researcher at Stellenbosch University, Rebecca Selkirk, says repeating Grades 10 and 11 may not always help learners. Her study in the Western Cape found that while repeating Grade 11 was linked to better matric results, the effect became weaker when fewer learners repeated in 2020. She says other support methods could work just as well, and policymakers should rethink the focus on repetition and placing too much emphasis on matric pass rates:

Moving abroad:

# The Iranian government warned citizens living abroad they could have property confiscated and face other legal penalties if ​they express support for the United States and ‌Israel. The warning from the Iranian prosecutor general’s office comes as some members of the Iranian diaspora who want political change ​in Tehran, took to the streets of ​European and American cities to celebrate the ⁠killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran today named ​55-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father.

# Rugby: France, Scotland and Ireland all still have a shot at clinching this year’s Six Nations crown. France is still on top of the standings, with the Scots now second, also on 16 points, but with a smaller points difference than Les Blues. Ireland is just two points adrift. Italy is fourth on nine points, followed by England on six and Wales on one. The competition concludes on Saturday when Ireland hosts Scotland in Dublin, Wales play Italy in Cardiff and France faces England in Paris.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-76-cents and the euro at 19-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-38-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-510-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-82-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 101-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….