News 13:00

BULLETIN 30 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu says crime cannot continue to be normalised in South Africa
# Steveno van Rhyn is to appeal his life sentence in the Joslin Smith case
# And rugby, the Sharks make five changes for the URC quarter-final against Munster

# Cosatu says it is concerned by the horrific levels of violence many workers have been exposed to, in particular women, at many workplaces. The federation says it recently held a protest at Kopanong Mine in North West after female workers were subjected to illegal strip searches of the most invasive type. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks says crime cannot continue to be normalised in the country:

# One of the three people convicted in the Joslin Smith case, Steveno van Rhyn, will seek leave to appeal his life sentence. The Western Cape High Court sentenced Van Rhyn, Kelly Smith, and Jacquen Appollis to life for human trafficking and ten years for kidnapping. All three will be listed in the Child Protection Register. Van Rhyn’s lawyer, Nobahle Mkabayi, insists he is innocent:

# Ex-president Joseph Kabila was back in the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday, meeting local leaders in Goma, an eastern city seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia. Kabila’s appearance comes despite the former president facing the possibility of a treason trial over his alleged support for the M23. Felix Tshisekedi, his successor as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s president, accuses Kabila of being the brains behind the armed group, which has seized swathes of the resource-rich Congolese east with Rwanda’s help.

# Rugby: Head coach John Plumtree has made five changes to the Sharks side that defeated Scarlets last week for their quarter-final clash with Munster in Durban tomorrow. Jason Jenkins starts at lock with Emile van Heerden moving to the bench. James Venter returns to action at flank, while two-time Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi returns to the starting line-up at eighthman, replacing Phepsi Buthelezi, who will provide energy off the bench. Jordan Hendrikse starts at flyhalf and Lukhanyo Am is back for his 100th international game for the Sharks.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-88-cents and the euro at 20-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-313-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-296-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Half the global population endured an additional month of extreme heat over the past year because of manmade climate change. A new study underscores how the continued burning of fossil fuels is harming health and well-being on every continent, with the effects especially under-recognised in developing countries. The analysis, conducted by scientists at World Weather Attribution, Climate Central, and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, was released ahead of global Heat Action Day on Monday, which this year spotlights the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Stay tuned for more news………….