News 12:00

BULLETIN 12 May 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The N1 at Worcester is closed as a severe storm lashes the Western Cape
# Minister Motsoaledi says over 90 hantavirus contact cases were identified in South Africa to date
# And soccer: SAFA will soon begin the process of finding Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos’ successor

# The N1 at Worcester remains closed due to severe storm conditions affecting the Western Cape. Provincial government spokesperson Kristoff Adelbert says motorists who must travel towards Cape Town should only use alternative routes as a last resort and with extreme caution. He warns flooding, strong winds, and poor visibility make travel dangerous, urging drivers to avoid unnecessary movement while emergency teams monitor and respond to the worsening weather situation.

The inclement weather also continues to disrupt Eskom’s network in the province, leaving thousands of customers without electricity. Spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says repair teams have been deployed to affected areas, but the unsafe conditions make some infrastructures inaccessible. She says the utility is working with provincial disaster management to assess the extent of the damage and restore supply safely:

# Health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says South Africa is working closely with the World Health Organisation to trace contacts linked to the hantavirus. The outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius claimed three lives. Two primary cases managed locally were a Dutch woman who died after arriving at OR Tambo International, and a Briton remaining hospitalised in Johannesburg. Motsoaledi told the SABC 97 contacts have been identified and 90 are being monitored:

# The Independent Police Investigative Directorate says members in Pretoria are among those linked to rape allegations involving members of the Police Service. IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping confirmed by the end of the reporting period on 31 March, the directorate recorded 116 new rape cases nationally, with 21 in Gauteng. She says the findings have raised growing public concern about trust, accountability and internal misconduct within law enforcement, particularly in institutions meant to protect communities and uphold justice.

# Soccer: Local governing body SAFA will soon begin the search for a new Bafana Bafana head coach. Hugo Broos, who is now in his fifth and final year with the national team, has indicated he will step down after the World Cup, starting in North America next month. The chairperson of SAFA’s Technical Committee, Jack Maluleke, says they aim to have the new coach ready immediately after the World Cup:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-55-cents and the euro at 19-rand-43-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 80-thousand-776-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-697-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….