News 14:00

BULLETIN 5 August 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The petrol price drops tomorrow, but diesel sees a further hike
# Stellenbosch University confirms meningococcal meningitis as the cause of a student’s death
# And Olympic Games: The organisers say preparations for the Winter Games are progressing well

# Petrol users will see some relief at the pumps from midnight, with the price of both 93- and 95-octane unleaded fuel dropping by 28-cents a litre. The price was increased by 52-cents last month. The bad news however is that diesel prices will increase by up to 65-cents a litre. This follows an increase of 82-cents last month. The price of illuminating paraffin will increase by 43-cents per litre. LP-gas will drop by 78-cents per kilogram in the Western Cape and 69-cents in the rest of the country.

# Stellenbosch University has confirmed that second‑year theology student Chris Scheffers died from meningococcal meningitis. Scheffers’s body was found in his Dagbreek residence room over the weekend. University officials say contact tracing is underway to identify those who had close contact with Scheffers over the past ten days. Preventative medication will also be issued within 24 hours. The university says no further cases have been confirmed, and it will closely monitor all contacts. It has also postponed general events at the residence.

# A 26-year-old security guard has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Roodepoort, Gauteng. Mpho Antonio Lebona, who was tasked with the protection of a residential complex, raped the girl in January 2021. He claimed their interaction was consensual. The National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, says magistrate Thelma Simpson deemed life imprisonment the only befitting sentence, reflecting the court’s commitment to justice for such heinous acts:

Meanwhile, a 37-year-old alleged online dating serial rapist and killer, who has been linked to over ten cases in Eersterust, Pretoria, was arrested in Limpopo. The man is suspected of using a popular dating site to lure his female victims to his residence. Police spokesperson, Malesela Ledwaba, says he allegedly raped some of his victims, until the recent incident where the victim was raped and killed, and buried in a shallow grave:

# Olympic Games: The organising committee for next year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Italy says preparations are progressing steadily and according to their timeline. The Olympic opening ceremony is on February sixth, and the Paralympics’ a month later on March sixth. The Games are using a host of existing venues to save costs. Committee CEO Andrea Varnier says as with any complex global event, challenges are part of the process, but they are moving forward with confidence:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-5-cents and the euro at 20-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-743-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-357-dollars-1-cent a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-93-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….