News 15:00

BULLETIN 23 March 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fannie Nkosi is questioned on the reasons for the possession of Matlala’s bank card
# The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry asks for a ceasefire amid escalating Middle East conflict
# And rugby: The Bok Women qualify for the Sevens World Championship Series

# Fannie Nkosi of the SAPS Organised Crime Unit in Gauteng has told the Madlanga Commission that police questioned him about businessman Vusimuzi Matlala’s bank card during a raid on his home. Nkosi says he wrote a statement on the same day after being asked about Matlala’s whereabouts. He confirmed the statement was given freely, as investigators probed links to a bank card reportedly found in a speedboat:

# The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. CEO Alan Mukoki warns the conflict is disrupting global trade, raising oil prices, and threatening supply chains. He says the war could fuel inflation and interest rate hikes, impacting South Africa’s economy. He has urged all parties to pursue diplomacy and called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to support international peace effort:

# The National Livestock Farmers Association has called for urgent water investment to protect food security. This comes as the continent marks 2026 as the Year of Water and Sanitation. The association’s Florence Nherera says limited water access during droughts is driving animal starvation, reduced meat supply, and rising prices. Nherera emphasised that livestock contributes up to 60-percent of agriculture gross domestic product, but suffers from low investment. She stresses the need for improved water infrastructure, irrigation systems, and clean water access to sustain production.

# Cuba’s power grid has collapsed for the third time this month, leaving the country in darkness with no electricity. The cut came as the communist government continued to battle with a US imposed oil blockade and decaying infrastructure. A total blackout occurred across the island on Saturday. It was caused by an unexpected failure of a generating unit at theNuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camaguey province. On Sunday the grid operator and state utility Union Electrica said microsystems were operational in all territories, with work underway to restore the rest of the grid.

# Rugby: The Springbok Women’s Sevens have qualified for the season-ending three-tournament Sevens World Championship Series in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux. South Africa finished third in Montevideo, Uruguay, winning three of five matches over the weekend. Argentina, Germany and the USA have also qualified for the championship. Bok Women coach Cecil Afrika says he is happy with the overall performance of his team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-87-cents and the euro at 19-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-51-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-695-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-381-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….