News 14:00

BULLETIN 6 March 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF in Gauteng rejects the maintenance agreement between Tshwane and AfriForum
# Five men accused of the AKA and Tibz murders make a second court appearance
# And the South African doping laboratory is confident it will regain its WADA accreditation 

# The EFF in Gauteng says it rejects the covert agreement facilitated by the DA-led government in Tshwane, aiming to establish a partnership with AfriForum. The partnership will see the lobby group assist the metro with issues such as maintenance and community safety. The EFF’s spokesperson, Naledi Chirwa-Mpungose, says the DA’s action not only underscores their failure in governing Tshwane but also reveals their inherently racist character as a party:

# Five men accused of the murder of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane made a second appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today. The men face charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and unlawful possession of firearms. National Prosecuting Authority KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, says the state has also added money laundering charges: 

# The minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says government welcomes the release of the latest gross domestic product figures by Statistics South Africa. There is a slight growth of 0,1-percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, which she says reflects resilience and gradual economic recovery amidst ongoing challenges. Government’s spokesperson, Nomonde Mnukwa, says this growth is particularly encouraging as it surpasses pre-pandemic levels:

# South African Doping Control Laboratory in Bloemfontein is confident that it will get its World Anti-Doping Agency accreditation back. The facility, Africa’s only accredited drug-testing laboratory, has been suspended for six months. This is due to the facility’s multiple non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories. The University of the Free State, which houses the lab, says the facility will effectively address the corrective actions required by WADA within the suspension period.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-87-cents and the euro at 20-rand-53-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-2-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-533-dollars-88-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-127-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Western Cape MEC of Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie, is meeting young jobseekers from Strandfontein in Cape Town today, who benefitted from the Getting YOU to Work travel voucher. The initiative offers jobseekers free travel to job interviews using Golden Arrow Bus Services. Mackenzie says unemployed jobseekers simply don’t have money for transport, which makes it a significant struggle to look for work and attend interviews. He says the free travel voucher removes this initial barrier, with 12 free trips included in the voucher, helping jobseekers find the work they so desperately need.

Stay tuned for more news………….