News 06:00

BULLETIN 25 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Zane Dangor highlights the importance of the G20 Presidency
# SASSA welcomes the arrest of an eleventh fraud suspect
# And motorsport: Ferrari accepts the disqualification of both its drivers from the Chinese Grand Prix

# South Africa’s G20 Sherpa, and Department of International Relations and Cooperation director-general, Zane Dangor, says the country‘s G20 Presidency comes at a crucial time as the world is facing a global polycrisis. The theme for the upcoming G20 meeting is Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability. Addressing the United Nations in New York, Dangor says South Africa has a significant moral obligation and responsibility to advance these ideals:

SASSA has welcomed the arrest of the eleventh suspect in the 250-million-rand SASSA card fraud case. The suspect surrendered to police and will appear in court soon. Ten others, including seven SASSA employees, appeared in the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court last week. The case was postponed to April 1 for a formal bail application. SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi condemned the fraud and called for swift prosecution:

# The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union is demanding justice following the brutal killing of five Community Safety Forum members in Soshanguve, in Pretoria. The patrollers were attacked on Saturday, while on duty in the Marry Me informal settlement, where they were shot, stoned, and partially burnt by unknown assailants. The union’s Richard Mamabolo urges the community to help law enforcement find the culprits and improve safety for security personnel:

# Greece has warned the political situation in neighbouring Turkey was “worrying” in the wake of the arrest of Istanbul’s powerful opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. A government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis says the undermining of the rule of law and civil liberties cannot be tolerated. He added that Ankara would have to provide convincing answers for any alleged violation of these principles. Marinakis also warned that current conditions would complicate the organisation of an upcoming meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan.

# Motorsport: Formula One team Ferrari says there was no intention to gain any advantage after both its drivers were disqualified from Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Charles Leclerc ended fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth, but both were informed afterward they had technical infringements which made their results null and void. The team says Leclerc’s car was just one-kilogram underweight because their one-stop strategy meant his tyre wear was very high, while they misjudged the consumption of Hamilton’s rearward skid. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri won the race.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-24-cents and the euro at 19-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-58-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-152-dollar-50-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-11-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

# And finally: According to the latest World Happiness Report launched at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa ranks 99th globally in happiness and 4th in Africa. The university made history by being the first African institution to host the event. The report highlights that African nations like Mauritius lead in happiness, with strong community values such as Ubuntu contributing to well-being. While South Africa faces challenges like donated money and voluntary time, it excels in trust and governance.

Stay tuned for more news………….