News 17:00

BULLETIN 5 April 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# IPID launches investigations into police’s shootings of suspected criminals
# The DA says the ANC is to blame for the retrenchments at the SA Post Office
# And, soccer: Coach Ellis is confident as Banyana faces the Super Falcons in a crucial Olympic qualifier

#  The Independent Police Investigative Directorate says it’s investigating killings in shootouts between police and suspected criminals. In the last two days, IPID received reports of nine suspected criminals killed in KwaZulu-Natal, and six in Mpumalanga. While the law permits police to defend themselves and others, the police watchdog is concerned about the increasing number of suspects killed in such situations. IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping says the rise in reported cases is impacting the speed of investigations:

# The DA says the retrenchments at the South African Post Office are a result of the ANC’s continued gross mismanagement of state-owned enterprise. Some four-thousand-700 workers have received their retrenchment letters to date, as part of the business rescue plan. The DA’s Natasha Mazzone says since 2014, SAPO has received more than ten-billion-rand from taxpayers:

# Israel’s Defence Force has apologised for this week’s deadly attack on aid workers in Gaza, calling it a grave mistake. It also fired two senior officers. Six employees of World Central Kitchen and their Palestinian driver were killed in the airstrike. The IDF ascribes the incident to a serious failure due to mistaken identification, saying its soldiers were convinced they were targeting armed Hamas operatives. The charity’s CEO, Erin Gore, describes the apology as cold comfort for the victims’ families and colleagues.

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana is playing Nigeria’s Super Falcons in Abuja this afternoon, aiming to secure a spot in the Olympic Games in France. Coach Desiree Ellis anticipates a tough battle in this first leg against the formidable Nigerian side. South Africa seeks their third Olympic appearance, while Nigeria aims to return after missing out since 2008. Ellis says the team is looking forward to a positive result:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-69-cents and the euro at 20-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-53-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-795-dollars-17-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-286-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

# And, a leading mathematical model of HIV/Aids in South Africa, Thembisa model, revealed that a significant number of people living with HIV are not receiving treatment. According to the latest statistics, last year saw 50-thousand deaths attributed to HIV-related illnesses. Among the 7.8-million citizens living with the virus, one in four were not on anti-retroviral treatment. Of these, just under 5.9-million were on treatment, representing a treatment coverage of 75-percent. An estimated 237-thousand citizens started treatment for HIV/Aids last year, indicating progress in combating the disease.

Stay tuned for more news………….