News 15:00

BULLETIN 28 May 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Joe Sibanyoni and his co-accused are granted 70-thousand-rand bail each
# Eskom plans to introduce a new prepaid electricity option
# And tennis: Djokovic says the French Open’s heat rules need to be changed

# Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni and his three co-accused have been granted 70-thousand-rand bail each by the Delmas Magistrate’s Court. The case was previously struck off the roll after the state prosecutor failed to appear in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court. Sibanyoni, Bafana Sindane, Phillmon Msiza and Daniel Masilela face charges of extortion and money laundering for allegedly forcing a businessman in Nkangala to pay approximately 2.2-million-rand in protection fees between 2022 and last year. The case has been postponed to September 1.

# The DA has called for criminal investigations into former Social Development minister Sisisi Tolashe to continue despite the ANC instructing her to resign as a Member of Parliament and as ANC Women League president. Tolashe faces allegations linked to ethics breaches, undisclosed benefits and irregular appointments. The DA and ActionSA laid complaints with Parliament’s Ethics Committee and opened criminal cases. The DA’s Nazley Sharif told SABC News accountability must prevail:

# Eskom plans to introduce a new prepaid electricity system called Easy Electricity, allowing customers to buy power in either rand or kilowatt-hours. It says the new option will simplify electricity purchases and help households better manage consumption. Eskom also revealed the new electricity units will not expire after 12 months, unlike current prepaid tokens. The utility says the system is based on existing residential tariffs and is aimed at improving customer convenience as more South Africans become familiar with monitoring their electricity usage.

Moving abroad:

# The Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced African nationals in possession of a valid passport will be allowed visa-free entry from 1 January 2027. President Denis Sassou Nguesso says the move aims to strengthen African unity, trade and regional integration. The decision was announced in Brazzaville alongside the African Development Bank meetings. Congo joins a growing number of African countries easing travel restrictions for fellow Africans to boost tourism, investment and cross-border movement across the continent.

# Tennis: Three-time champion Novak Djokovic believes the French Open’s heat rules need to be changed. The Serb played local player Valentin Royer in the middle of the afternoon yesterday, as Paris experienced temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Djokovic has suggested that Roland Garros could either suspend play during the day, like at the Australian Open, or start matches later, even if it means competing late into the night when it’s cooler:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-36-cents and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-275-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-388-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….