News 11:00

BULLETIN 3 May11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions commends the State’s handling of the Joslin Smith case
# Save The Children calls for community child protection following the Joslin Smith verdict
# And, the Correctional Service Department will commence with policy amendments on education in prisons

# The Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Nicolette Bell, has hailed the prosecutor and her team in securing the conviction of Kelly Smith and her co-accused in the Joslin Smith case. Bell says this is a landmark case in human trafficking law. Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno Van Rhyn were found guilty of kidnapping and trafficking after the 2024 disappearance of Joslin Smith in Saldanha Bay. Pre-sentencing proceedings begin next Friday. Bell says the search for Joslin must continue, despite the significant legal victory.

Save The Children also commented on the Joslin Smith case, saying they welcomed the guilty verdict. CEO Gugu Xaba says it a reminder that child protection is a shared community responsibility and collective vigilance is crucial:

# The Correctional Services Department will revise its education policies after the Constitutional Court ruled that banning personal computers in prison cells is unconstitutional. The court found the restriction infringes on inmates’ right to further education. The department has 12 months to implement a new policy allowing offline-only personal computers for inmates enrolled in approved study programmes. Spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo says the department supports proper inmate education:

# A Peruvian navy vessel has collided with an oil platform in the Amazon River, killing at least two people and leaving one missing. The collision in the early hours of Friday morning at the junction of the Napo and Amazon rivers, caused severe damage but it is not clear whether oil has leaked into the river. There are hundreds of gas and oil blocks in areas of Peru, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador covered by the Amazon rainforest. Oil spills have had a devastating impact on the region’s indigenous communities and wildlife.

# And finally some motorsport: Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli powered to pole position in Friday’s qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race. The 18-year-old Antonelli stormed to the front of the grid for today’s race with a fastest lap of 1 minute 26.482 seconds to leave the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third. The rookie, who only passed his driving test in January, entered F1’s record books last month when he became the youngest driver to lead a race, breaking a record held by Max Verstappen from back in 2016 in Japan.

Earlier, McLaren’s championship leader Piastri was fastest in the opening practice session for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Australian’s fastest lap of 1 minute 27.18 seconds was 0.56 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with Max Verstappen of Red Bull third quickest. British driver Oliver Bearman of Haas spun and crashed into the barriers on turn 12 with the red flag bringing an end to the only practice session of the weekend.

Stay tuned for more news………….