News 06:00

BULLETIN 17 April 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The National Prosecuting Authority says Malema’s sentence will serve as a deterrent
# The Tongaat Hulett liquidation hearing is postponed after a funding deal is extended
# And, Donald Trump says Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire

# The National Prosecuting Authority says EFF leader Julius Malema’s five-year direct imprisonment sentence will have the desired effect of deterrence against would-be offenders in firearm-related offences. His case stems from a 2018 incident in Mdantsane, where he fired a rifle during the party’s fifth birthday rally. The East London Magistrate’s Court granted Malema leave to appeal his prison sentence but not his conviction. The NPA’s Luxolo Tyali says the sentence underscores the principle of equality before the law:

Meanwhile, AfriForum says the sentencing shows that no one is above the law. Malema was found guilty on several charges under the Firearms Control Act, including the unlawful discharge of a firearm in a public space. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk credits civil society pressure for helping bring the case to court:

# The High Court in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, has postponed the provisional liquidation hearing of Tongaat Hulett to June after a new funding agreement was reached. The Industrial Development Corporation has increased post-commencement funding from 2.3-billion-rand to 2.5-billion-rand, extending the support period to the end of June 2026 to help sustain the company’s operations. The agreement aims to provide short-term financial relief while stakeholders continue negotiations on a possible long-term rescue deal.

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya says the revelations of malfeasance coming out of the Madlanga Commission are not surprising, as they confirm that the issues identified by the Auditor-General in the metro are real. The metro’s top officials, including chief financial officer Gareth Mnisi and deputy police chief, Umashi Dhlamini, have been suspended after being implicated in tender irregularities at the commission. Moya says reforms are already underway to strengthen oversight, controls, and consequence management, and to address the issues being examined by the commission:

# US president Donald Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire. Over two-thousand people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March. Officials from both countries held their first direct talks in decades earlier this week in Washington. In a post on Truth Social, Trump says US vice president JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will now work with the two countries to achieve a lasting peace.

# Rugby: Ruan Vermaak will start on the bench in his 50th match for the Bulls in tonight’s United Rugby Championship match against the Dragons in Wales, with Cobus Wiese wearing the number-four lock jersey, alongside Ruan Nortjé. This is coach Johan Ackermann’s only change to the forwards pack, while Handré Pollard and Embrose Papier remain the half-back pairing. Canan Moodie moves from outside centre to wing in the absence of injured Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheswill Jooste. The Bulls are currently eighth on the log.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-889-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-796-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-95-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….