News 17:00

BULLETIN 2 June 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# FOSA slams government over rising fuel prices and the cost-of-living crisis
# Karl Sander tells the Madlanga Commission that officers must never destroy exhibits
# And, two people are shot dead amid Kenyan protests against an American plan for an Ebola quarantine centre

# The Forum for South Africa has criticised the latest fuel price adjustment, accusing the government of failing to protect citizens from rising living costs. The organisation says high fuel prices are being driven not only by global factors, but also by excessive taxes and levies. The forum’s Tebogo Mashilompane argues that repeated fuel increases are pushing up transport and food costs, placing more pressure on households and businesses:

# Warrant officer Karl Sander of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal has told the Madlanga Commission that investigators are not permitted to destroy exhibits, stressing that all evidence must be properly preserved and accounted for. Sander’s testimony forms part of an investigation into the 2021 theft of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine from a Hawks storage facility in Port Shepstone. He raised concerns about the handling of evidence and alleged corruption within law enforcement structures:

# The Alexandra Magistrate’s Court has struck off the roll the fraud and corruption case against Johannesburg Development Agency boss and acting Johannesburg Social Housing Company CEO Themba Mathiba. The 29-year-old was arrested in January over alleged procurement irregularities linked to his time at JOSHCO. The National Prosecuting Authority had been granted five months to analyse electronic devices seized during the investigation. However, prosecutors failed to gather evidence and requested additional time. The court ruled that sufficient time had already been provided.

# Two people have been shot dead in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki amid protests against US plans to establish an Ebola isolation centre at a nearby military base. Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets on Monday, blocking roads and burning tyres while police fired tear gas to disperse them. The US plan has sparked public concern about cross-border infection risks. The 50-bed isolation centre staffed by US medics is intended to treat US citizens affected by the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

# Soccer: Kaizer Chiefs has appointed French coach Fernando Da Cruz as their new head coach on a two-year deal with an option to extend. The 53-year-old is expected to arrive with four members of his coaching staff as part of a revamped technical team. This follows the departure of co-head coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef after their two-year contracts came to an end, despite guiding the team to their best league finish in six years.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-22-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-948-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-515-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….