News 12:00

BULLETIN 5 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The SANDF troop withdrawal from the DRC is to be finalised by month-end
# The Eastern Cape Transport Department is urging families to assist in identifying the R63 crash victims
# And a collective memorial service will be held tomorrow for the Free State police members who died in the Hennops River

# The chief of the Defence Force, Rudzani Maphwanya, says the complete withdrawal of South African troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo will be finalised by the end of the month. Maphwanya says security measures are in place to ensure a smooth, systematic process following an agreement with the M23 rebels and the DRC government. He warns against misinformation that could endanger troops during the sensitive withdrawal phase:

# The Eastern Cape police, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, is calling on families whose relatives may have been travelling from Qonce to Cape Town on Saturday, to come forward for identification. This follows a devastating head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a bakkie on the R63 near Maqoma, Fort Beaufort, which claimed 15 lives. The department’s spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, says the deceased are at the Maqoma Government Mortuary:

# A collective memorial service will be held at Bobbies Park in Bloemfontein tomorrow for three Free State police constables whose bodies were recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion, Gauteng, last week. Boipelo Senoge, Cebekhulu Linda, and Keamogetswe Buys went missing while traveling from Bloemfontein to their deployment in Limpopo for Operation Vala Umgodi. Preliminary investigations suggest their vehicle veered off the road into the river, with no foul play suspected. Their funerals are scheduled individually between Thursday and Saturday.

# The Department of Transport says a permanent solution to the frequently faulty license printing machine will be announced soon. Spokesperson Collen Msibi told the SABC News that the department is also finalising a temporary relief measure to ease the current backlog. The ongoing breakdowns have caused frustration among motorists waiting for their driving licenses. Msibi assures the public that resolving the issue remains top priority.

# Golf: World number one Scottie Scheffler put on a dominant performance to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas, his first victory of the year. The American carded an eight-under-par 63 to finish on 31 under, eight clear of South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen, to capture his 14th PGA Tour title. Van Rooyen matched Scheffler’s 63 to finish at 23 under, three shots ahead of American Sam Stevens. Scheffler was full of praise for van Rooyen:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-33-cents and the euro at 20-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-36-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-554-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-271-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….