News 09:00

BULLETIN 2 April 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The High Court will today rule on Mapisa-Nqakula’s request to interdict her arrest
# The ACDP condemns an ANC poster accusing parties of supporting the killing in Gaza
# And soccer: Adidas stops the sale of the German number 44 jersey over its Nazi symbolism

# National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will find out in the Pretoria High Court today, whether her urgent court application to block her arrest has been successful. She is accused of accepting bribes worth millions from a military contractor while she was Defence and Military Veterans minister. Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 charges of fraud and corruption. In her interdict application, she claimed irregularities in the investigation, saying the Investigating Directorate had undermined her dignity and good reputation.

# The African Christian Democratic Party says it notes with distaste, a poster in which the ANC accuses it, along with other political parties, of supporting the killing of men, women and children in Gaza. Officials of the ACDP undertook a peace mission to Israel last month. The party’s, Marie Sukers, says the actions by the ANC over the last decade, and in its role in the Israel-Gaza conflict, shows they have lost its moral compass and its credibility as a sincere broker of peace:

# The Emfuleni Municipality in Gauteng says they are waiting for the last batch of tests to confirm whether the water contamination has been dealt with. This comes after the municipality announced at the weekend that water in some parts of the Vaal area including Sebokeng Zone 7, Palm Springs, Beverley Hills, Lakeside, and Everton has been contaminated. Technicians believe a collapsed sewer pipeline is the cause of the contamination. The municipality says residents are still urged to boil water before consumption.

# Soccer: Adidas has banned soccer fans from buying the German national shirt customised with the number 44, over concerns it resembles the Nazi ‘SS symbol. The Schutzstaffel was responsible for numerous crimes against humanity under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. Adidas has denied that the kit’s resemblance to the Nazi symbols was intentional, saying as a company they are committed to opposing xenophobia, antisemitism, violence, and hatred. The new kits were launched last month ahead of the European Football Championship in Germany, kicking off on the 14th of June.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-93-cents and the euro at 20-rand-32-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-560-dollars-77-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-256-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

# And, finally: The Mangosuthu University of Technology says at least 270 deserving students can now register for the 2024 academic year after it secured more funding from donors. In 2020, the Student Representative Council created a fund to help students with historical debt. This year 500 students applied to the SRC trust fund. The university’s doctor Mthoko Ntuli, says in February this year, they received 1.1-million-rand from the Motsepe Foundation:

Stay tuned for more news………….