News 13:00

BULLETIN 28 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF says Paul O’Sullivan faces a fine or jail time for contempt of Parliament
# Geordin Hill-Lewis officially enters the race for the DA leadership
# And cricket: Sri Lanka’s captain says their mental health suffered because of relentless criticism

# The EFF says forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan’s alleged contempt of Parliament carries a possible fine, imprisonment, or both after he walked out of the ad hoc committee’s hearings. Deputy secretary-general Leigh-Ann Mathys was speaking outside Cape Town Central police station after opening a case. She confirmed a legal opinion had been submitted to National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza, and the committee will meet on Monday to decide the next steps:

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has entered the race to succeed John Steenhuisen as DA leader. He will contest the position at the party’s 11 April elective congress. Hill-Lewis says he is seeking a mandate to build a stronger DA, arguing that a stronger party will help build a stronger South Africa. He pledged to prove the DA governs effectively and delivers for all citizens:

# The Mitchells Plain Regional Court in Cape Town has sentenced learner transport driver Mninikhaya Mvuli to five-years imprisonment after six learners died in a crash in 2023. He was convicted on six counts of culpable homicide after losing control of the vehicle, striking a tree and traffic lights before colliding with a bus. Evidence showed Mvuli was driving at 101-kilometres-per-hour despite medical warnings prohibiting him from driving due to seizures. Four years of his nine-year sentence were suspended and he is banned from driving until 2036.

# The Cape Winelands District Municipality says firefighters have made good progress on the fire burning between Montagu and Barrydale. Very cool overnight temperatures significantly aided firefighting efforts. The municipality’s Jo-Anne Otto says fire and ground crews worked through the night as the fire burned towards properties and infrastructure. She says at this stage, there are no active flames on private land:

# Cricket: Sri Lanka’s captain, Dasun Shanaka, says the players’ mental health had been damaged by the relentless criticism on the T20 World Cup co-hosts. They failed to qualify for the semifinals after losing to New Zealand in the Super Eight stage on Wednesday. Shanaka says they were already under pressure before the tournament when they lost five of six white-ball matches to England. He apologised to their supporters for their embarrassing performance, but says the negativity had increased to such an extent that the authorities should intervene.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-91-cents and the euro at 18-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-64-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-179-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….