News 16:00
BULLETIN 22 March 4 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority confirm arrests in the Steinhoff case
# The DA questions the funding source of the billion-rand BELA Bill
# And rugby: The Sharks are ready for a season-changer against Ulster
# The Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed the arrest warrants for Markus Jooste and Stephanus Johannes Grobler in connection with the Steinhoff scandal. These warrants, issued on Wednesday, allege fraud, racketeering, and contravention of the Financial Markets Act related to Steinhoff International Holdings. Grobler appeared in court this morning, while Jooste took his own life yesterday after being informed of the warrants. To prevent the suspects from fleeing, exit routes were secured before informing the defence about the arrest warrants.
# The Democratic Alliance has criticised the Basic Education Department’s funding of the Basic Education Law Amendment Bill. This follows a briefing by the Finance and Fiscal Commission to the Western Cape standing committee on Education, revealing serious financial implications. The commission found significant gaps in the department’s costing, estimating it would require at least 17.7-billion-rand in new funding. DA provincial education spokesperson Deidré Baartman emphasises the lack of resources to pay for BELA’s costs:
# The Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign urges a mass meeting tomorrow to discuss ongoing Khampepe commission hearings on the Usindiso building fire. The president of union Giwusa, Mametlwe Sebei, says the fire that claimed 77 lives highlights systemic housing failures. Sebei says the meeting will address the commission’s reports, the housing crisis in Johannesburg, nationwide mobilisation for housing rights, and efforts to demand accountability and justice for victims:
# The Commission for Gender Equality is alarmed by the uptick in gender-based violence cases involving e-hailing drivers. Recently, former Bolt driver Emmanuel Mudau received two life terms plus 60 years imprisonment for raping and kidnapping female passengers. Mudau targeted customers using the Bolt app from Cosmo City in Johannesburg, committing multiple crimes between January and February 2022. The commission urges passengers to report such incidents, noting that some e-hailing service providers have assisted police investigations.
# Rugby: The Sharks host Ulster in Durban in a United Rugby Championship clash tomorrow that’s shaping up to be a season-changer for them. Lukhanyo Am leads the team to take on the Irish giants. Rugby World Cup-winning prop Vincent Koch is set to make his debut for the Sharks off the bench where he joins Ox Nché. SA Rugby Player of the Year Eben Etzebeth partners with Gerbrandt Grobler in the second row. Curwin Bosch and Francois Venter is expected to make an impact off the bench.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-97-cents and the euro at 20-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-334-dollars-48-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-173-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-90-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….