News 12:00

BULLETIN 6 March 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD Party says the Khampepe commission must subpoena Mbeki and Zuma
# Two more foot-and-mouth disease cases are pending in the Garden Route District
# And soccer: The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is postponed

# The GOOD Party is calling for the Khampepe commission to subpoena former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma to give evidence. The commission is looking into allegations regarding efforts or attempts made to stop the investigation or prosecution of Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says the evidence of former senior prosecutors paints a damning picture of political manipulation to stop investigations into apartheid-era human rights violations:

# The Garden Route District Municipality in the Western Cape says two more foot-and-mouth disease cases are pending in Mossel Bay, increasing the number of pending test results to five. The municipality has recorded five confirmed FMD cases with 74 farms vaccinated. Spokesperson Herman Pieters says when a vaccinated animal is exposed to FMD, it gets less sick, shows milder clinical signs, and recovers faster:

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana warns sustained higher oil prices resulting from the Middle East conflict may push up South Africa’s inflation and affect economic outlook. The price of Brent crude jumped almost 16-percent this week as shipping flows ground to a halt in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of the world’s oil. Godongwana told Bloomberg Television South Africa has the resources to withstand the impact of the war:

Meanwhile, president Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has received a request from the US to help fend off Iranian drone attacks in the Middle East. During its war with Russia, Kyiv has developed a range of drone interceptors. The aerial craft is designed to hit incoming attack drones mid-air. Zelensky says he has given the order for equipment to be provided along with Ukrainian experts to guarantee the necessary security in the region. He adds he will ensure providing this assistance won’t weaken Ukraine’s own defences.

# Soccer: The African governing body has postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which was set to kick off in Morocco on the 17th. This follows weeks of speculation that Morocco wants to get out of its commitment of hosting the tournament. CAF says Wafcon had to be rescheduled in light of unforeseen circumstances and to ensure the success of this important women’s competition. Wafcon, which this year doubles up as a qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, has been rescheduled to July.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-60-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-960-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-112-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….