News 15:00

BULLETIN 6 May 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# BOSA wants the minister of Basic Education to explain the breakdown of the national education budget
# The NPA is to appeal the granting of bail to the PSL general manager Ace Ngcobo and his wife
# And rugby: The veteran James O’Connor could play for the Wallabies against the Lions

# BOSA is calling on Parliament’s portfolio committee on Basic Education to summon minister Siviwe Gwarube to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the 330-billion-rand national education budget. It wants to know how much is paid to teachers, administrators, and education officials across the country. BOSA’s spokesperson, Roger Solomons, says instead of providing a full and transparent response to the party about the funds in the National Assembly, the minister passed the buck, telling Parliament to ask the provinces instead:

# The National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape will appeal the granting of bail to Premier Soccer League general manager and ex-FIFA referee Ace Ngcobo and his wife Salome. The Bellville Magistrate’s Court granted 50-thousand and 30-thousand-rand bail respectively during their appearance on fraud and money laundering charges. The Hawks’ Zinzi Hani says the charges relate to a 15-million-rand donation from PetroSA for school construction projects in the Eastern Cape 12-years ago:

# The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition will impose safeguard duties on hot-rolled steel imports following the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa’s final recommendation. Duties will start at 13-percent in year one, eleven-percent in year two, and nine-percent in year three. The department says the move aims to protect local producers from a recent surge in cheaper imports. The temporary measure allows the local industry time to recover and become more competitive. Exemptions apply to developing countries with minimal import volumes.

# The north-eastern Kharkiv region of Ukraine was hit by Russian drone attacks overnight. Among the places hit was the Barabashovo market in the city of Kharkiv, most of which burned down. This follows a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow which caused the temporary closure of the city’s airports. It is the second night in a row that Ukraine has attacked Moscow – and comes three days before a major parade in the city, marking Victory in Europe in World War Two.

 # Rugby: Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt says 34-year-old James O’Connor will be considered for this year’s series against the British and Irish Lions. He played flyhalf against the Lions in 2013, and Schmidt says he would bring versatility because he can also play at centre. The other possible number tens are Noah Lolesio and Tom Lynagh. Schmidt, who departs after this year’s Rugby Championship, says he is determined to leave a legacy that would set the Wallabies up for a successful World Cup at home in 2027.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-26-cents and the euro at 20-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-40-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-909-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-381-dollars-16-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….