News 17:00

BULLETIN 22 May 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The murder rates drop according to the latest crime statistics
# Polio virus strains are detected in Cape Town wastewater
# And roadrunning: The Cape Town Marathon attracts a combined total of 44-thousand-500 entries

# Acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia says South Africa’s latest fourth-quarter crime statistics show progress in reducing violent crime, despite challenges linked to organised criminality. National contact crimes declined by 4.6-percent, with seven-thousand-405 fewer cases reported compared to the same period last year. Murder cases also dropped by 9.5-percent, from five-thousand-727 to five-thousand-181 cases. He says the figures reflect on improved policing efforts and cooperation between communities and law enforcement:

# The National Institute for Communicable Diseases says two polio-related virus strains have been detected in wastewater sampled from a treatment plant in Cape Town. The finding comes from routine environmental monitoring, and no human cases have been detected, with no outbreak reported. The department’s Foster Mohale says surveillance has been stepped up, urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected symptoms to healthcare facilities:

# The GOOD Party says the City of Tshwane’s 2026/2027 draft budget signals the continued improvement of the metro’s financial position. The budget, which includes operating revenue of 57.1-billion-rand and expenditure of 55.6-billion-rand, prioritises financial stability, economic revitalisation and investment attraction, among others. GOOD’s Sarah Mabotsa says the recovery and rise of Tshwane is most clearly demonstrated by the increased investor confidence of the private sector:

# China is building networks of robot training centers where instructors spend hours teaching humanoid machines how to sort goods, stock shelves and perform associated tasks. The country installed more than 290-thousand industrial robots in 2025, accounting for over half of global deployments. State-backed forecasts estimate China’s humanoid robot market could reach 13.78-trillion-rand by 2050. The effort reflects China’s industrial strategy to dominate emerging technologies and strengthen its position in global supply chains.

# Roadrunning: The Cape Town Marathon will see 27-thousand runners line up for Sunday’s race, including a field of world-class elite runners and wheelchair athletes. A further 17-thousand 500 athletes will take part in the accompanying ten-kilometre and five-kilometre Peace Runs, as well as tomorrow’s Cape Town Trail Marathon over 22-kilometre and 11-kilometre. This means a combined field of 44-thousand-500 participants, making it one of the largest running events in Africa.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-41-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-5-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-398-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-525-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-55-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….