News 12:00

BULLETIN 12 June 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Special Investigating Unit freezes property in Limpopo related to the National Lotteries Commission probe
# RISE Mzansi says the suspension of police officials cost over eight-million-rand in the 2023/24 financial year
# And soccer: Mexico races to upgrade the iconic Azteca Stadium in time for the World Cup opener

# The Special Investigating Unit has secured a preservation order from the Special Tribunal to freeze immovable property in Limpopo linked to its investigation into the National Lotteries Commission. The freezing of portion 15 of Zandrivierspoort farm is part of the probe into the misappropriation of funds intended for the construction of old-age homes. The SIU says they are focusing on three non-profit organisations which together received more than 66-million-rand under false pretences. The probe revealed that a defunct NPO, Matieni Community Centre, was fraudulently revived to apply for funding. 

# RISE Mzansi says South Africa needs a virtuous and effective Police Service, led and staffed by skilled and ethical professionals. During the 2023/24 financial year, a total of 163 police officials were suspended after being charged with a plethora of serious allegations. These include robbery, corruption, extortion, sexual harassment, and kidnapping. RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana says these suspensions have placed a financial burden of over 8.2-million-rand on the police’s budget:

# The City of Cape Town has listed 922 properties as problem buildings, with 35-percent under active investigation. These include new cases, recommended closures, and closed files monitored for two years. The Problem Building Unit seeks to enforce compliance with the 2020 by-law which defines problem buildings by legal, safety, health, or maintenance concerns. Challenges include untraceable owners and unresolved deceased estates.

Up north, the City of Johannesburg says its unique Smart City Innovation Challenge is empowering residents to become architects of their own urban future. Each year, the initiative invites residents, small business owners, students, and city employees to submit their boldest ideas for addressing Joburg’s most pressing challenges. This is from traffic congestion and waste management to housing and digital inclusion. The metro’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says the tangible impact of this initiative is already being felt:

# Soccer: Co-host Mexico is engaged in a race against time to upgrade the iconic Azteca Stadium before the opening match of next year’s World Cup. The country will become the first to host the international showpiece for the third time when the tournament kicks off on the 11th of June next year. The stadium in the capital of Mexico City is being enlarged from 87- tot 90-thousand seats, and upgrades, centred on meeting world body Fifa’s standards, also include new changing rooms and bigger hospitality zones.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 20-rand-56-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-824-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-356-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….