News 11:00

BULLETIN 3 April 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The police in KwaZulu-Natal kill nine suspects in a shootout in Mariannhill
# A political analyst says the corruption allegations against deputy president Mashatile could influence the public trust in government
# And cricket: The Protea women take on Sri Lanka in the T20 series decider tonight

# Nine suspected criminals have been killed during a shootout with police in Mariannhill, KwaZulu-Natal, in the early hours of this morning. Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says they pounced on a group of eleven suspects who have allegedly been terrorising residents of Mariannhill and surrounding areas. He says the suspects were also sought in connection with the rape of a young girl during a house robbery. Netshiunda says a manhunt is underway for the remaining two suspects:

# The recent allegations against deputy president Paul Mashatile could influence public trust in government’s ability to combat corruption effectively. This is the view of political analyst from North West University, Sysman Motloung. Mashatile has until tomorrow to answer to Parliament’s Ethics Committee on the corruption allegations against him. The Hawks are currently investigating him and his son-in-law regarding an almost 30-million-rand home in Cape Town, and the source of those funds. Motloung says the allegations paint a bleak picture of the state of governance in the country.

# Hashtag NotInMyName has expressed concern over South Africa’s ongoing struggle against gender-based violence and femicide, despite government efforts. This follows reports of a police member allegedly stabbing his colleague and girlfriend, capturing her dying moments on video. The movement says Police minister Bheki Cele’s quarterly crime statistics which revealed alarming figures, should prompt for more action to combat gender-based violence and femicide. The movement also demands transparency in fund usage and urges collective action to ensure safety for women and children.

# ActionSA says it wants clarity from Defence and Military Veterans minister, Thandi Modise, on the deployment of South African National Defence Force soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The deployments, as part of the Southern African Mission in the DRC, are said to be operating at severe operational risk due to dire conditions. ActionSA’s Mohammed Rafeek Shah says the deployment raises some critical questions of serious concern:

# Cricket: The T20 series between the Proteas women and Sri Lanka will be decided at Buffalo Park in East London tonight. After the Proteas won the opening game in Benoni by 79-runs, the visitors levelled the series with an impressive seven-wicket victory in Potchefstroom. Pace bowler Tumi Sekhukhune says the Proteas must win their home series:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-81-cents and the euro at 20-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-417-dollars-41-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-275-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-5-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….