News 16:00

BULLETIN 20 March 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Johannesburg Metro Police Department suspends an officer amid an investigation into the Molefe incident
# The foot-and-mouth disease vaccination gains significant momentum across all districts of North West
# And tennis: Joao Fonseca books a clash with Carlos Alcaraz in Miami

# The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department will lay charges against officer Johannes Makgatle for misusing state resources on alleged crime boss Katiso “KT” Molefe. An internal investigation found Makgatle breached vehicle policy, driving a departmental car to Molefe’s home while off sick, allegedly disrupting investigators and failing to file an occurrence book entry or seek superior approval. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla says Makgatle has been suspended pending formal charges:

# Engineering industry leaders have warned that ageing infrastructure and a 30-billion-rand maintenance backlog threaten economic growth. Speaking at the Consulting Engineers South Africa Infrastructure Indaba in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, experts highlighted a shortage of qualified engineers and low investment levels. CESA CEO Chris Campbell stressed the need for collaboration and strong policy direction. He emphasised that infrastructure is key to job creation, but requires urgent reform, investment and improved governance to drive inclusiveness.

# North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is pulling out all the stops in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease. The department’s director of Veterinary Services, Langa Majyibi, says the vaccination campaign has surged across all local municipalities, marking a decisive step in protecting the province’s livestock and agricultural economy. Majyibi urged farmers to ensure their animals are tagged with permanent identification numbers to speed up vaccination and tracking:

# Tennis: Brazilian teenager Joao ‌Fonseca said he was looking forward to playing Carlos Alcaraz for the first time as he prepares to meet the world number one at the Miami Open, a week after pushing second-ranked Jannik Sinner hard at Indian Wells. The 19-year-old delivered a first-round victory over Fabian Marozsan in Miami yesterday. Fonseca attracts supporters by the thousands at events, with the atmosphere often resembling soccer matches, and fans can now look forward to seeing how he fares in his maiden meeting with the Spaniard.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-85-cents and the euro at 19-rand-51-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-449-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-680-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 103-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Sports, Arts and Culture minister Gayton McKenzie has accused Morocco of holding the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations hostage amid uncertainty over hosting arrangements. The tournament, initially set for March 5, was postponed shortly before kickoff to Tuesday due to logistical challenges. Speaking in Steyn City, McKenzie criticised what he called unequal treatment of women’s football, saying such delays would not affect men’s tournaments, and reaffirmed South Africa’s readiness to host.

Stay tuned for more news………….