News 13:00

BULLETIN 1 June 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An expert links the Woolworths blasts to an extortion pattern, but terrorism is not ruled out
# Six suspects are arrested after a kidnapped victim was rescued in Bloemfontein
# And cricket: The teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scoops five IPL awards

# The Institute for Security Studies’ Willem Els says last week’s two bomb blasts at Woolworths stores in Gauteng and the Free State highlight broader concerns about organised crime and extortion in South Africa. The first explosion took place at Woolworths Menlyn Park in Pretoria on Thursday, and the second less than 24-hours later at the Preller Square branch in Bloemfontein. The Hawks are investigating the incidents. Els says it is too early to determine the motive and who was behind the attacks, but terrorism cannot yet be ruled out.

# Six suspects have been arrested and a kidnapping victim rescued during a police operation in Bloemfontein. Free State police acted on intelligence that led them to the location where the victim was being held. The person was found unharmed and safely recovered. The suspects are expected to appear in court soon. Authorities say investigations are continuing to determine the motive for the kidnapping and whether additional suspects may have been involved in the crime.

# The DA says the success of Cape Town’s expanding drone programme strengthens the case for devolving policing powers to capable local governments. The party’s Lisa Schickerling says the City of Cape Town will complete one-thousand drone flights by this month compared with 238 conducted by the Western Cape police’s Air Wing during the 2024/25 financial year. She says the drones are used for crime prevention and other situations:

# Cricket: Fifteen-year-old local batting sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, won five Indian Premier League awards after yesterday’s final in Ahmedabad. The Rajasthan Royals player won for the most valuable player, the orange cap for most runs with 776, best emerging player, super striker and the super sixes award, finishing with 72. Gujarat Titans’ South African fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, won the purple cap for topping the wickets chart, taking 29 in 17 games. Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully defended their IPL crown with a five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-23-cents and the euro at 18-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 72-thousand-925-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-497-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-87-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has encouraged young women and girls to remain alert and take necessary precautions when using e-hailing platforms. This is amid growing concerns over commuter safety and gender-based violence. Spokesperson Cassius Selala says transport operators, technology platforms, law-enforcement agencies and communities all have a role to play in creating safer environments for women and girls, including persons with disabilities:

Stay tuned for more news………….