News 15:00

BULLETIN 11 May 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Senior police officials and a businessman are released on twenty-thousand-rand’s bail
# ActionSA raises concern over the Phala Phala farm allegations
# And rugby: High stakes for three South African teams in the final United Rugby Championship group matches

# Police’s Counter-Intelligence head Feroz Khan, Gauteng Hawks head Ebrahim Kadwa, and businessman Tariq Downes have been released on twenty-thousand-rand bail each in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court in Gauteng. They face charges of the illegal possession of precious metal and defeating the ends of justice. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says Downes was allegedly found with gold worth over 62-thousand-rand at OR Tambo International Airport in 2021:

# ActionSA has raised serious concern over reports alleging that up to 15-million-rand may have been stolen from president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm, contradicting earlier claims of about 8.75-million-rand. The party’s Michael Beaumont says key institutions have failed to ensure full accountability, and questions delays in releasing related reports. Beaumont argues Parliament and oversight bodies must intensify scrutiny and pledges to pursue accountability through parliamentary processes:

# The National Energy Regulator says it does not issue confirmations, licences, exemptions or any other form of correspondence to wholesale licence applicants who do not own petroleum storage facilities regulated under the Petroleum Pipelines Act. NERSA has received numerous requests from various entities seeking confirmation of storage licences. Spokesperson Charles Hlebela says the regulator will only consider applications relating to facilities that are planned to be constructed within the next six months and for which approved building plans and other prescribed requirements are in place.

# Rugby: The three South African teams still in with a chance of reaching the United Rugby Championship’s play-offs have all to play for this coming weekend. The Stormers are currently second on the log and certain of qualifying, but victory over Cardiff in Wales on Friday will hand them a home quarterfinal. The Bulls are now fourth and the Lions fifth, and victories in the final group round will secure qualification. The Bulls face Italian side Benetton at Loftus while the Lions are away to Munster in Ireland.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-32-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-33-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-143-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-672-dollars-63-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 101-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment deputy minister Bernice Swarts has officially launched the Presidential One Billion Trees Programme at the South African National Biodiversity Institute in Pretoria. The initiative is under the theme, “My Tree, My Oxygen. Plant Yours Today.” Swarts says as part of the Presidential Ten-Million Trees Programme, the campaign encourages all sectors including government, business, and individuals to pledge and plant trees to combat climate change. She called on collaboration in planting ten-million trees later this year on Heritage Day, 24 September.

Stay tuned for more news………….