News 14:00

BULLETIN 16 March 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga commission explains its decision for witness F’s public testimony
# The South African mining council is concerned as exploration investment falls to a seven-year low
# And rugby: England’s coach Steve Borthwick insists he is the right man for the job

# The Madlanga commission has clarified why Witness F will now testify publicly rather than in camera. Chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga says the order was changed after the witness’s name, Fannie Nkosi from the Gauteng police’s Organised Crime Unit, was repeatedly revealed during earlier testimony and evidence. Madlanga says the situation made it impractical to continue hiding the witness’s identity, prompting the decision that his testimony resume in open session:

Meanwhile the family of Witness D, Marius van der Merwe, has welcomed the arrest of a suspect in his murder outside his Brakpan home after implicating Ekurhuleni Metro Police officials. Speaking outside the local Magistrate’s Court, his sister, Natasha, described the ordeal as traumatic, saying the case has taken a severe emotional toll on the family, especially the children:

# The Freedom Front Plus in Johannesburg says there is no political will to acknowledge or resolve the metro’s dire financial predicament. Opposition parties joined forces last Thursday and prevented the ANC from pushing through the 2025/26 adjustment budget. Much of the opposition to the budget was due to 1.35-billion-rand overspending on employee-related costs. The FF Plus says the budget does not serve the purpose for which it is intended.

# The Minerals Council South Africa has raised concerns about the mining sector’s future as investment in mining exploration has fallen for a seventh consecutive year. According to data from Statistics South Africa, exploration spending dropped 5.3-percent to 738-million-rand in 2025. The council says exploration is the lifeblood of mining, and warns the decline threatens future projects, as countries like Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo attract more exploration funding.

# Rugby: England’s coach, Steve Borthwick, remains adamant he is the right man for the job. England lost four games in the Six Nations for the first time to finish fifth, their worst-ever performance in the competition. France was crowned champions. Borthwick, who is set to face a review on his team’s performance, says he is the right man to lead the team heading into the 2027 World Cup:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-82-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-442-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-984-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….