News 12:00

BULLETIN 18 March 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa congratulates the medical team on the successful separation of conjoined twins in Limpopo
# The Madlanga commission orders in-camera protected testimony for Witness G
# And golf: Louis Oosthuizen is not putting pressure on his team for the first-ever LIV event in Africa

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated the medical team who separated conjoined twins at Mankweng Hospital near Polokwane in Limpopo. The identical twins, born on 28 January, were joined at the abdomen and shared a liver and other vital organs. The delicate seven-hour operation was led by professor Nyaweleni Tshifularo. Ramaphosa said during a telephone call the operation represents a historic moment for Limpopo and South Africa’s public health care sector:

# The Madlanga commission has ruled that Witness G will testify remotely and off-screen for safety reasons. The Crime Intelligence official involved in high-risk, covert operations’ lawyer, Tshepo Matlala, cited risks to both the official and informants. He is believed to have been the handler of controversial informant Brown Mogotsi. Witness G also requested voice-altering technology. Evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson supported the request for in-camera testimony, but noted limitations in voice-altering technology.

# The Advertising Regulatory Board has ruled an advertisement for Checkers’ grocery delivery service, Sixty60, is misleading. The advert shows a helicopter branded with the Sixty60 logo delivering groceries to two men on a houseboat on the West Coast. The board says the advertisement creates an inaccurate impression of the service’s delivery capabilities. Checkers argued the advert was not intended to represent Sixty60’s actual delivery methods or geographic coverage, but rather to convey the brand’s playful, aspirational tone.

# The DA is calling on minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, to be transparent about the state of South Africa’s fuel reserves. Mantashe recently assured the country there’s no need to panic about potential shortages of fuel due to the Middle Eastern conflict. The DA’s James Lorimer says by law there are supposed to be two months’ supply of transport fuel held in reserve at any one time:

# Golf: Captain Louis Oosthuizen says he is not putting himself or any of his Southern Guards GC teammates under any extra pressure, as LIV Golf comes to South Africa for the first time this week. Over 90-thousand spectators will attend the tournament in Steyn City in Johannesburg from tomorrow until Sunday. The team’s South African contingent also consists of Charl Schwartzel, Dean Burmester, and Branden Grace. Oosthuizen says they want to make their home advantage count:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-65-cents and the euro at 19-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-20-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-989-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 99-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….