News 14:00

BULLETIN 18 October 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A Limpopo police sergeant, her daughter and her sister appear in court over insurance murders
# An Overberg schoolgirl’s alleged murderer applies to be sent for psychiatric evaluation
# And rugby: The Stormers and Sharks want to bounce back in the URC

# Limpopo police sergeant Rachel Kutumela, her daughter, and her sister appeared in the Polokwane Regional Court today over insurance-related murders. Kutumela faces six counts of murder and 12 of fraud, while her relatives face money laundering charges. Authorities allege she fraudulently took out insurance policies on victims, claiming ten-million-rand. Acting senior magistrate Godfrey Netshiozwi postponed their bail applications to the end of this month:

# The Magistrate’s Court in Caledon in the Western Cape will on the 25th consider an application by a teenager accused of murdering a 16-year-old schoolgirl to be sent for psychiatric evaluation. Deveney Nel was murdered at Hoërskool Overberg in the town in August, and the 17-year-old learner from the same school was apprehended shortly after attending her memorial. Later it transpired that he was accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in 2020, when he was 13, but wasn’t prosecuted because it was found he lacked criminal capacity.

# South African Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago has called for lowering the country’s three to six-percent inflation target, arguing it could bring long-term benefits in reduced interest rates. Speaking at Stellenbosch University, Kganyago said a shift to a lower target could be achieved with minimal cost. He emphasised that South Africa’s relatively high inflation is not inevitable, but a policy choice. The Reserve Bank’s next interest rate decision is scheduled for 21 November.

# The agriculture organisation TLU SA has noted with great concern the increasing number of mining applications targeting agricultural land. TLU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl says this development has serious implications for the sustainability of agriculture and the future of food production in South Africa. He says mining activities, such as gas extraction, have a direct impact on the availability of agricultural land and lead to the pollution of water sources:

# Rugby: The Lions and the Bulls want to maintain their unbeaten runs in the United Rugby Championship this weekend, while the Sharks and Stormers want to bounce back from defeats. The two coastal teams return to the field in front of their faithful home crowds and are boosted by a number of returning Springboks. The Scarlets host the Bulls in Wales this evening. Tomorrow Zebre Parma take on the Lions in Italy, the Sharks host defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors in Durban, and the Stormers face Munster in Cape Town.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-55-cents and the euro at 19-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-89-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-852-dollars-21-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-712-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….