News 12:00

BULLETIN 26 February 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# One suspect in the Zanzou nightclub case has been arrested in Yeoville
# An education activist says mediation is required to end the hunger strike by Wits students
# And rugby: Finn Russell returns for Scotland against England

# A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Zanzou nightclub assault case. Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says the man was accosted in Yeoville after Johannesburg Metro Police noticed him resembling one of the bouncers from the club in Hatfield, Pretoria, they have seen on videos on social media. Eight people are sought for the ill-treatment, torture, and sexual assault of patrons at the establishment. Muridili says the Metro Police stopped the man and placed him under arrest:

# Education activist Hendrick Makaneta is calling on minister of Higher Education and Training, Nobuhle Nkabane, to send a mediation team to help end the hunger strike at the University of the Witwatersrand. Students have been on a hunger strike for about a week, calling for the institution to allow them to register despite historic debt. Wits is currently sitting with 1.42-billion-rand in unpaid student fees. Makaneta says the students’ demands are legitimate:

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to conduct an intensive operation in the occupied West Bank. This comes after three empty buses exploded in a suspected terror attack in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv. According to reports, one of the unexploded devices carried a message saying “Revenge from Tulkarem”, referring to a recent Israeli military counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank. Netanyahu has also ordered the police and the Security Agency to increase preventative activity against additional attacks in cities.

# Rugby: Scotland co-captain Finn Russell has been passed fit to play against England in tomorrow’s Six Nations at Twickenham following a concussion. The fly-half and wing Darcy Graham collided, clashed heads and had to leave the field during Scotland’s 32-18 second-round loss to Ireland. Kyle Rowe replaces Graham on the wing. Former skipper Jamie Ritchie replaces Matt Fagerson at lock and Pierre Schoeman takes over from Rory Sutherland in the front row. Sutherland and Fagerson are both on the bench in a 6-2 split.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-35-cents and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-197-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-923-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South Africa’s music sensation, Tyla, has made history by becoming the first African solo artist to hit one-billion streams on Spotify, with her 2023 breakout hit Water. The song won the inaugural best African music performance award at the 2024 Grammys, top Afrobeats song at the Billboard Music Awards, and best Afrobeats video at the MTV Video Music Awards. Spotify says this historic moment cements Tyla’s place as one of the most influential new voices in music, solidifying the growing global impact of African artists.

Stay tuned for more news………….