News 08:00

BULLETIN 10 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa urges all parties involved in the Middle East conflict to cease hostilities
# Donald Trump says the war in Iran will be over soon
# And, the body of one of the five miners trapped underground at the Ekapa mine has been recovered

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated his concern about the renewed conflict in the Middle East. The conflict, now in its second week, has continued to escalate, with fresh Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, US bases across the Middle East and energy infrastructure in the Gulf. Speaking during his state visit to Brazil yesterday, Ramaphosa urged all parties involved to cease hostilities and return to the negotiation table immediately:

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump says they have made major strides in the war against Iran, suggesting their military operations in Tehran could end soon. The US military has struck over five-thousand targets since the conflict began, while Iran has retaliated, striking Israel and US bases across the Middle East. The death toll in Tehran has risen to one-thousand-332. Trump says the US has so far held off on hitting the most important targets in Iran:

# Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee will today hear testimony from acting deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection and Divisional Commissioner for Detective and Forensic Services, Hilda Senthumule. Suspended deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has accused her of financially benefiting from criminal kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Senthumule has denied the allegations. The committee, which is investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system, will also engage further with member of Parliament Fadiel Adams.

# Search and recovery efforts at the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, Northern Cape, will continue today. This follows the recovery of the body of one of the five miners trapped underground since last month. The workers were reported missing following an underground flood and mud rush at the Du Toitspan Joint Shaft at the mine. Teams have been struggling to reach the areas underground where the miners were working due to concerns regarding structural integrity. Meanwhile, Ekapa Minerals and Ekapa Resources have applied for liquidation.

# Rugby: The University of Pretoria-Tuks thrashed Central University of Technology 78-17 to remain the only unbeaten team in the Varsity Cup after round four. Defending champions, the University of Cape Town-Ikeys produced a ruthless attacking display in their 87-28 victory against the University of Johannesburg. University of Stellenbosch-Maties got their campaign back on track with a morale-boosting 55-20 win over debutants the Emeris. North West University-Eagles returned to winning ways, securing a crucial 45-31 bonus point victory over University of the Free State-Shimlas.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-97-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-95-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-164-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….