News 11:00

BULLETIN 19 April 11am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA welcomes the arrest of Mkhwanazi and calls for his immediate dismissal
# Iran tightens control over the Strait of Hurmuz
# And in rugby, mixed results for the Springbok Women’s Sevens in Hong Kong

# ActionSA in Ekurhuleni has welcomed the arrest of Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi on charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice. The party further called for an immediate termination of his employment with the City. ActionSA’s spokesperson, Tumelo Tshabalala says they acknowledge the Madlanga Commission’s decisive action in responding to the allegations and testimonies presented before it:

The Activists and Citizens Forum meanwhile says Mkhwanazi’s arrest is long overdue. Spokesperson Dennis Bloem says they have said that the serious allegations from various witnesses before the Madlanga Commission have painted a very disturbing and dangerous picture of Mkhwanazi, as a criminal in police uniform:

# City Power in Johannesburg has urged all residents to respect the law, protect public infrastructure, and allow technicians to perform their duties without intimidation or interference. This follows the recent arrest of three suspects for vandalising infrastructure at the Inner-City Service Delivery Centre. Spokesperson Isaac Mangena says acts of violence and vandalism will not be tolerated and have serious consequences, including delays to critical operations and extended response times to outages affecting other communities. He says the utility will continue to ensure that all reported outages are addressed fairly.

# Iran said it was tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz yesterday warning shipping companies the vital energy route was again closed. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said Tehran could not blackmail America by shutting the waterway. Tehran said it was responding to a continued US blockade of Iranian ports, calling it a violation of their ceasefire, while the government said Iran’s navy ‌was ready to inflict “defeats” on its enemies. Shipping sources said at least two vessels reported coming under fire and being hit while trying to transit the waterway.

# Tennis: Tennis: Andrey Rublev from Russia and Frenchman Arthur Fils have set up a heavyweight final at the Barcelona Open after both secured hard-fought comeback victories yesterday. Rublev rallied past Serbian Hamad Medjedovic 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach his first final of 2026. Soon after, Fils notched his 100th tour-level win by overcoming home favourite Rafael Jodar also in three sets. The championship match is scheduled for this afternoon at 4 pm.

# And finally, Rugby: The Springbok Women’s Sevens team finished their Pool B fixtures on a strong note in Hong Kong on Saturday, beating Great Britain, one of the core teams in the Sevens Series, by 19-5 at Kai Tak Sports Park. But they missed out on a potential quarter-final against Spain, who had a better points difference over the two days, which saw them finish third in their pool. The South Africans then faced Great Britain again in the ninth-place semi-final later yesterday but this time the Bok Women lost by 19-14.

Stay tuned for more news………….