News 06:00

BULLETIN 15 March 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ace Magashule refutes being responsible for the backlog at the ANC Integrity Commission
# Rugby: Eben Etzebeth and Canan Moodie win big at the SA Rugby Awards
# And World Sleep Day highlights the significance of a good night’s rest

# Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule says the ruling party is trying to find excuses to field candidates that are tainted for public positions. This comes after the ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, blamed Magashule for a backlog of reports currently with the party’s Integrity Commission. The party has come under criticism for admitting candidates, including those implicated in state capture, to its list for public office after the upcoming elections. Magashule, says he was no longer in the office at the time the State Capture Commission completed its work and final reports.

# The DA accuses the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of allocating two-billion-rand to middleman organisations in the community works programme, depriving 180-thousand unemployed South Africans of potential job opportunities. This comes after the department revealed payments exceeding 2.8-billion-rand to what it calls implementing agents over five-years, raising questions about the programme’s effectiveness and transparency. The DA’s Eleanore Bouw-Spies calls for urgent action to address these concerns and ensure that funds reach those in need:

# The Freedom Front Plus in Gauteng is demanding the immediate resignation of Mogale City Municipality mayor, Danny Thupane, and council speaker, Lucky Sele. Areas including Krugersdorp, Magaliesburg, and Muldersdrift have been without water for over ten days, as a result of water levels at the municipality’s reservoirs are still dangerously low. FF Plus’, Danie Toerien, says there has been a lack of communication from the mayor and the speaker about the water supply crisis in the municipality:

# Namibian president Nangolo Mbumba has acknowledged the need for economic relief and job creation for Namibians during his State of the Nation Address in parliament. Mbumba also said that the country is working on the transition to green hydrogen through various plans, including the recommencement of operations in some of the country’s mines. Mbumba delivered his first State of the Nation Address during the committee stage of the debates on the annual Appropriation Bill:

# Rugby: Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth was named 2023 men’s Player of the Year at the SA Rugby Awards in Johannesburg. He is only the second player to win the award back-to-back. Bok wing Canan Moodie won Young Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Libbie Janse van Rensburg walked away with the Springbok Women and Provincial Player of the Year awards. Ricardo Duarttee won Springbok men’s Sevens Player of the Year, and former Bok coach Jacques Nienaber won Coach of the Year.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-75-cents and the euro at 20-rand-41-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-777-dollar-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-162-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-20-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Today is World Sleep Day, a day to highlight the significance of good quality sleep for the overall well-being of an individual. This year’s theme is Sleep Equity for Global Health. According to the American Sleep Association, over 50- to 70-million people have some type of sleeping disorder. The World Sleep Society says today people are encouraged to reflect on their sleeping patterns and make suitable possible changes to take rest. It says this can include creating a new sleep schedule and doing some relaxation exercises before bedtime.

Stay tuned for more news………….