News 16:00

BULLETIN 26 March 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Auditor-general warns of the slow pace in government improvement
# The DA takes legal action over Johannesburg’s alleged 10-billion-rand political payout
# And cricket: Kohli and Suryavanshi will light up the IPL as those who died in the stampede are remembered

# Auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke says progress in improving government performance remains too slow. Presenting the 2024/25 report, Maluleke highlighted a gap between commitments and delivery, urging greater urgency from leaders and institutions. Maluleke says while some gains are noted, implementation of recommendations lags. She warned that weak procurement practices risk criminality, stressing consistent, faster action is needed to strengthen accountability and service delivery:

# The DA launched an urgent interdict to halt a ten-billion-rand politically facilitated agreement between the City of Johannesburg and the South African Municipal Workers Union. The DA’s Helen Zille says the deal, which benefits SAMWU members at the expense of essential services, bypassed proper council processes and is illegal. With Johannesburg already in financial crisis, she warns that the agreement could further threaten water, electricity, and service delivery budgets:

# Cape Town’s gang violence crisis is worsening, with fresh mass shootings in Khayelitsha leaving at least three dead and several injured over 24 hours, pushing the city’s murder toll above 30 this month. Two young men were killed in Site C’s Taiwan informal settlement, while a separate attack in a spaza shop claimed one life and injured two. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg says the circumstances surrounding these incidents are under investigation as they await SANDF deployment to crime hotspots next week.

# The former president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, will try to convince a federal judge today that the US government is interfering with his ability to defend himself. Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, said last month the government of Venezuela is not allowed to pay his legal fees. He said a license permitting this was initially granted and then revoked. Pollack said this violates Maduro’s constitutional right to defend against the charges.  Maduro and his wife were captured in Caracas in early January and have pleaded not guilty to gun and drug-related charges.

# Cricket: The Indian Premier League roars into action on Saturday but with sombre memories of the 11 fans who died in a stampede celebrating Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers wearing black armbands.  Although he retired from tests and T20 internationals, Kohli guided RCB to their maiden title last year, and would want to do so again. The spotlight will also be on teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He turns 15 on Friday, and will open batting for Rajasthan Royals this season.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-7-cents and the euro at 19-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-216-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-437-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 101-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….