News 14:00
BULLETIN 9 April 2 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Breaching the Whistleblower Bill could lead to imprisonment
# Pope Leo leaves for a tour of four African countries
# And roadrunning: Fordyce warns athletes not to be fooled by the Two Oceans Marathon’s slow start
# Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi says the draft Whistleblowers Bill will criminalise breaches such as suppressing evidence, unlawfully revealing identities and victimising whistleblowers. Speaking during its release for public comment, Kubayi says offenders could face sentences of up to 15-years imprisonment, depending on the severity. She emphasised deliberate exposure of a whistleblower’s identity will carry serious consequences, as government protects individuals who report corruption and wrongdoing:
# The Gauteng Education Department estimates a refurbishment cost of 45-million-rand for the fire-gutted Riverlea Secondary School in Johannesburg. The fire broke out on Tuesday, disrupting classes for approximately 700 learners. This follows previous fires, including one last April and another in 2007, highlighting a worrying pattern. MEC Lebogang Maile states structural inspections were in progress and advised against temporary classrooms. He emphasises the urgenct addressing of the school’s infrastructure challenges:
# The Public Servants Association welcomes amendments to the Public Service Act, calling them a step toward stronger governance and accountability. The union’s Claude Naicker highlights reforms that promote merit-based appointments and the separation of politics from public service. He stresses the need for more engagement on dismissed employees and overpayments. Naicker says consultation, proper rollout, training, and clear communication are key to protecting public servants’ rights and improving service delivery:
News from abroad:
# Pope Leo leaves for a visit to four countries in Africa over ten days on Monday to urge global leaders to address the needs of the continent where more than a fifth of the world’s Catholics live. This will be his first major overseas trip this year. The pontiff will travel nearly 18-thousand kilometres to visit eleven cities and towns in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Vatican officials and African church leaders say the tour is a personal priority for the first American pope.
# Roadrunning: South African long-distance ace Bruce Fordyce warned athletes not to be fooled by the slow start to this weekend’s Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town. He had completed the race over 56 kilometres 32 times and the half-marathon over 21.1 kilometre another five times, while also winning the iconic Comrades Marathon a record nine times. Seventy-year-old Fordyce says runners should start slow over the easy first half and save energy for the tough second half, including Chapman’s Peak and Constantia Nek.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-46-cents and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-421-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-738-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 95-dollars-70-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….