News 17:00

BULLETIN 14 May 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An alleged interference claim emerges at the Aeroton drug bust inquiry
# Nandipha Magudumana’s legal battle over an alleged disguised extradition reaches the Constitutional Court
# And: Russia pounds Ukraine in the heaviest wartime drone attack over two days

# Hawks official, Nkoana Sebola, told the Madlanga Commission that suspect warrant officer Marumo Magane, linked to the Aeroton drug bust in Gauteng, called a senior officer during his arrest at the scene. Sebola said the caller identified himself as a brigadier Shibiri who requested an amicable solution. Sebola testified that he rejected any discussion and confirmed the arrest. He reported the call to senior management as potential interference in the investigation:

# Disgraced doctor Nandipha Magudumana maintains her handover to South African authorities from Tanzania in 2023 was not a lawful deportation but an unlawful and unconstitutional extradition that violated due process. Magudumana is challenging the process in the Constitutional Court after losing an appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal. Her legal counsel, Anton Katz, described the mission, involving senior police officials and Interpol, as a ruse rather than a lawful process:

# Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, says the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey results paint a sobering picture of the state of the labour market in South Africa. The unemployment rate in the country has increased by 1.3 percentage points to 32.7-percent in the first quarter of this year, as 301-thousand people lost their jobs. The Ministry spokesperson, Thobeka Magcai, says they acknowledge the difficult socio-economic realities confronting millions of citizens, who continue to search for sustainable employment opportunities:

# Russia carried out its largest aerial attack since the start of its war in Ukraine, pounding the capital of Kyiv ‌and other cities with hundreds of drones. Ukrainian officials say Moscow had launched over one-thousand-560 drones since yesterday, with at least 11 people killed. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says it was definitely not the actions of those who believe the war was coming to an end. The hostilities, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged swathes of Ukraine, has continued since February 2022 despite a US-backed peace push.

# Rugby: SA Rugby spent a quarter of its total income directly on the Springboks, Springbok Women, Springboks Sevens, Junior Boks and other national teams last year. This according to the annual financial statements presented at today’s annual general meeting in Cape Town. CEO Rian Oberholzer notes the investment had borne immediate on-field dividends with the Boks’ continued success mirrored by other national teams. SA Rugby’s group revenue increased by 29-percent from 1.5-billion-rand in 2024 to two-billion-rand in 2025, with 500-million-rand spent directly on the various national teams.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-43-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-787-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-692-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 102-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….