News 13:00

BULLETIN 29 May 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Busisiwe Mkhwebane Foundation urges an American probe into the stolen dollars on Phala Phala farm
# Tshwane activates a plan to manage Rand Water’s maintenance shutdown
# And: Blue Origin’s rocket experienced an anomaly and exploded during a test in Florida

# The Busisiwe Mkhwebane Foundation has approached the FBI and other United States authorities to investigate whether money stolen during the 2020 Phala Phala burglary violated American anti-money laundering and currency smuggling laws. Foundation spokesperson Shirley Willemse says the request focuses on the origin, storage and movement of US dollars allegedly kept at president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo game farm. The matter continues to attract political scrutiny, with renewed calls for transparency and accountability over the handling of the foreign currency.

# Union federation Cosatu says the Border Management Authority must be applauded for intercepting a drug consignment worth nearly one-billion-rand at the Beitbridge border post in Musina, Limpopo. Three suspects were arrested during the operation. Investigations are currently underway to determine the intended destination of the substance and whether the syndicate forms part of a broader transnational criminal network operating within the region or globally. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says this is a decisive blow against organised crime syndicates:

# The City of Tshwane says it has initiated a coordinated operational response plan to manage Rand Water’s maintenance shutdown, which starts today. The maintenance on the Palmiet and Zuikerbosch water systems is expected to affect supply to 69 reservoirs across Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, and place significant strain on the metro’s water distribution network. Mayoral committee member for Utility Service, Frans Boshielo, says residents may experience low water pressure and intermittent outages until next Tuesday:

# Blue Origin has described the explosion of its New Glenn rocket while undergoing a test on a Florida launchpad as an anomaly. A massive fireball engulfed and destroyed the launchpad seconds after the start of the scheduled test. No personnel were harmed. Blue Origin’s founder, Jeff Bezos, says work is underway to determine the root cause of the explosion. He added that they will rebuild and get back to flying. This is a major setback for the company in its efforts to challenge Elon Musk’s dominant SpaceX.

# Tennis: Twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, is reportedly planning to make a comeback on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in London next month. The 44-year-old American has requested a wild card to play doubles with Canadian Victoria Mboko, after completing six months in the anti-doping testing pool. Williams has not competed since the 2022 US Open, branding her departure as evolving away from the sport rather than a retirement. Mboko refused to confirm the reports:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-23-cents and the euro at 18-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-767-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-524-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-87-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….