News 08:00

BULLETIN 19 April 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to be reformed
# The Special Investigating Unit obtains an order freezing a director’s assets worth over R16-million in UIF TERS fraud
# And, inclement weather conditions in large parts of the country will likely continue until Tuesday

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to be reformed and not  to continue to represent Western interests only. Ramaphosa was addressing the Global Progressive Mobilisation Plenary during a working visit to Spain. He says the two institutions must address the debt burden that holds back many developing economies and must reform the financial architecture and close the financing gap for development:

Ramaphosa further said the laws and norms that have long defined relations between nations are willfully violated. He says institutions of global governance are being undermined or maliciously repurposed. He adds that the principles of solidarity, cooperation and friendship are being challenged by the resurgence of narrow nationalism, prejudice and intolerance:

# The Special Investigating Unit has secured an order from the Special Tribunal to freeze the assets of Nhlakanipho Mngomezulu following the unlawful receipt of Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme funds worth over 16.3-million-rand. Spokesperson Selby Makgotho says the order follows an SIU investigation, which revealed that Lubelo Hlomuka Holdings, trading as SA Scrum Assembly, of which Mngomezulu is the director, unlawfully received the money. Makgotho says between 2020 and ’22, he and his company acquired four immovable properties, primarily in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, using the misappropriated funds.

And now on to sports news:

# Rugby: On an emotionally charged day following the passing of their long-standing team manager Chippie Solomon, the Stormers squandered a 10-7 lead at half-time to go down 33 – 24 against Connacht in their United Rugby Championships match in Cape Town. Despite tries from Evan Roos, Ntuthuko Mchunu, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the hosts’ error-strewn performance allowed the Irish side to mount a late comeback. Five tries, including a late score by Sean Naughton, handed Connacht their first-ever win in Cape Town, denting the Stormers’ hopes of reaching the top of the URC table.

# Cricket: The Proteas and India’s women face off in the second of five T20s in Durban today after the hostesses won the first encounter at the same venue by six wickets on Friday. The visitors were restricted to 157 for seven after Ayabonga Khaka took three wickets. South Africa reached the target in the final over after captain Laura Wolvaardt contributed 51 runs and Annerie Dercksen an undefeated 44. The next two matches will be played in Johannesburg, and the final one in Benoni next Monday.

# And finally, the South African Weather Service says the inclement weather conditions are expected to continue in some parts of the country until Tuesday. The weather service has issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms, cold, wet and windy weather conditions for large parts of the country. Forecaster Tokelo Chiloane says daytime maximum temperatures are expected to drop significantly, with some high lying areas in the western interior and adjacent regions possibly experiencing daytime temperatures between ten and 12 degree Celsius:

Stay tuned for more news………….