News 15:00

BULLETIN 24 April 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa calls for global unity to tackle inequality
# The state seeks jail time for Robert Mugabe’s son and his co-accused
# And rugby: The teenage star Markus Muller is set to make his debut for the Stormers tomorrow

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says no country can address inequality alone, and called for global cooperation. He revealed to the consultative council of the founding committee of the international panel on inequality in Johannesburg, that the richest one-percent captured 41-percent of new wealth between 2000 and 2024, while half the world gained one-percent. Ramaphosa warned inequality threatens democracy, economies, and climate resilience. He says nations must work together to confront a growing global emergency:

# Union federation SAFTU hopes Puleng Dimpane’s appointment as acting national police commissioner has been subjected to rigorous vetting and integrity checks. Spokesperson Asive Dyani says there is an immediate need for the strengthening of vetting, lifestyle audits, and anti-corruption mechanisms within the Police Service. She adds the rebuilding of the service as a professional, accountable institution that serves the people, not criminal syndicates, is required:

# The state has requested prison sentences for former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, Bellarmine, and his co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze, in the Alexandra Regional Court in Gauteng for shooting their employee in their Hyde Park home in Johannesburg. The state is seeking 12-months each for the pointing of a firearm and the immigration charge against Mugabe. It wants Matonhodze to serve five-years for attempted murder and various sentences for other crimes. The case was postponed to Wednesday for sentencing proceedings.

# The Freedom Front Plus in Gauteng strongly opposes the Emfuleni Municipality’s decision to send five delegates to the World Cities Summit in Singapore in June. An initial cost estimate for the trip is approximately 970-thousand-rand. The FF Plus’s Gerda Senekal says the argument that such trips yield long-term benefits does not hold, particularly in the absence of any clear, funded or credible plan to make improvements at local level:

# Rugby: Teenage star Markus Muller could make his debut for the Stormers tomorrow after being included on the bench for the United Rugby Championship clash with Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town. The 18-year-old centre still played school rugby for Paarl Gim last year, and could join fullback Damian Willemse as the only players to represent the Stormers before turning 19. Willemse replaces Warrick Gelant in the number 15 jersey in one of six changes coach John Dobson made to the team that lost to Connacht last weekend.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-54-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-32-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-257-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-710-dollars-86-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 98-dollars-80-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….