News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 March 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Iranians will bid farewell to the late Supreme Leader at a ceremony in Tehran
# The Madlanga commission slams Brown Mogotsi’s vague medical certificate
# And rugby: The new All Black coach is excited about the Greatest Rivalry Tour against the Springboks

# Iranians will bid farewell to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ​at a ceremony in Tehran from later today. Iran’s Islamic Propagation Council says the farewell ceremony would continue ​for three days and the funeral ⁠procession will be announced later. It says the public will be able ​to pay their respects to the body of the Ayatollah at Tehran’s ​Imam Khomeini Prayer Hall. Khamenei was killed on Saturday, aged 86, in air strikes ⁠by ​Israel and the US.

Union federaton Saftu condemns any military aggression, covert destabilisation, or regime-change agenda directed at Iran by the US and Israel. Over 700 people have been killed since the attacks started on Saturday. Saftu’s Asive Dyani says history has shown that so-called interventions in the name of democracy have left behind destruction, instability, and suffering for ordinary people, never liberation:

# The Madlanga commission has termed North West businessman Brown Mogotsi’s medical certificate as vague. Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga raised concern over an increasing number of medical certificates submitted by witnesses. He stresses certificates stating only medical conditions disrupt proceedings. Madlanga warns such notes are unacceptable and they are considering referring unclear certificates to the Health Professions Council of South Africa for professional review:

# Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has warned that global upheavals are reshaping energy and sovereignty. Speaking at the Africa Energy Indaba 2026 in Cape Town, Ramokgopa stressed Africa’s central role in critical minerals and renewable potential. He says the continent stands at the centre of the energy transition as the global economy faces evolution and change. Ramokgopa has called for regional cooperation, industrialisation, localisation of energy infrastructure, and lower capital costs to ensure Africa benefits from the global green transition.

# Rugby: New Zealand’s new head coach, Dave Rennie, says he is excited about the Greatest Rivalry Tour in South Africa later this year. In the maiden edition, the Springboks will host the All Blacks in August and September, with four Tests scheduled across Johannesburg, Cape Town and a historic first in the USA. Rennie says he is relishing the prospect of six intense weeks on South African soil:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-495-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-191-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-88-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….