News 18:00
BULLETIN 4 April 6 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The state wants to include an additional accused in Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption case
# Saftu says a Corruption Watch report exposes deep-rooted corruption
# And rugby: The Springbok Women’s Sevens believe they can still make the top eight
# The National Prosecuting Authority has disclosed its intention to add another accused in the corruption case against former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. Following her resignation, she appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, where she was granted 50-thousand-rand bail. She stands accused of soliciting over two-million-rand in bribes during her tenure as minister of Defence and Military Veterans. The court postponed the matter until 4 June. State prosecutor Bheki Manyathi says the state won’t restrict Mapisa-Nqakula in the country, but she must surrender her passport by Monday:
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:
# Labour minister Thulas Nxesi has launched the 23.8-billion-rand UIF-Labour Activation Programme, Training for Employment and Entrepreneurship. This collaboration with the private sector aims to enhance employability and foster entrepreneurship. Nxesi says the Unemployment Insurance Fund plays a crucial role, funding labour activation programmes through employer and employee contributions. The programme targets both contributors and non-contributors, running between 12 to 36 months. He says the UIF is set to recoup investments through contributions and investment returns.
# Rugby: The Springbok Women’s sevens team is facing a tough group in this weekend’s world series tournament in Hong Kong, playing Ireland, Fiji and Australia. They are currently in tenth place in the standings after five tournaments. Head coach Renfred Dazel says his players have no illusions about the steep challenges in Hong Kong, but after their sixth-place finish in Los Angeles their confidence grew. He says they believe they can still make the top eight to qualify automatically for the next season.
# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-62-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-607-dollars-16-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-296-dollars-56-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-22-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………….