News 17:00
BULLETIN 4 April 5 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is granted 50-thousand-rand bail
# Saftu says Corruption Watch’s report exposes deep-rooted corruption
# And rugby: Jake White again says overseas-based Springboks must return home
# Former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been granted 50-thousand-rand bail by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. She is accused of receiving kickbacks of more than two-million-rand. The state did not oppose bail, citing her medical condition and voluntary surrender to police. Magistrate Anna Oosthuizen granted bail, stating Mapisa-Nqakula satisfied the court that her release was in the interest of justice:
Meanwhile, union federation Saftu says the escalating corruption crisis is deeply troubling, as evidenced by the recent Corruption Perception Index report. The latest findings reveal corruption has remained high for 12 years, with over two-thousand complaints registered last year, spanning sectors like mining, policing, and business. Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku says from illegal mining activities to bribery within law enforcement, corruption’s pervasive nature threatens socio-economic stability. He calls for urgent action to restore public trust in governance and institutions:
# Rescuers in Taiwan are working to reach more than 600 stranded people, a day after the island experienced its worst earthquake in 25 years. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit near the eastern county of Hualien, killing nine people and injuring more than a thousand. Some stuck in tunnels and near a national park have been rescued by helicopters, but 34 people are still missing. The earthquake was followed by more than 200 aftershocks, dozens of which were at least 6.5 magnitude or more, hindering search and rescue efforts. More aftershocks are expected in the next few days.
# Rugby: The Bulls are preparing to host French club Lyon in a Champions Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday. They will hope to bounce back quickly after a heavy defeat to Leinster in Dublin last Friday. Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, once again called for overseas-based Springboks to return to South Africa to make the domestic game stronger:
# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-68-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-288-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-287-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-30-cents a barrel.
# And finally: The first man to receive a genetically modified kidney from a pig has been discharged from hospital. The 62-year-old Richard Slayman of Weymouth was sent home two weeks after the ground-breaking surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Organ transplants from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the success of this procedure so far has been hailed by scientists as a historic milestone. Slayman had been battling end-stage kidney disease, but after the transplant he no longer needs dialysis.
Stay tuned for more news………….