News 16:00

BULLETIN 25 March 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A former SAPS Special Task Force member denies his involvement in the murder of Witness D
# Minister Kubayi leads the expansion of court services to advance access to justice in rural areas and townships
# And rugby: The trailblazer Hollie Davidson is to referee the French Top 14 game

# A former SAPS Special Task Force member, Matiphandile Sotheni, who appeared in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court today, has denied allegations of the assassination of Marius van der Merwe, known as Witness D – a witness at the Madlala Commission before his death in December last year. Van der Merwe was shot outside his home in front of his family in Brakpan. Bail proceedings have been postponed to May 14, to allow Sotheni to prepare for his defence. Addressing the court he claimed wrongful arrest for the crime:

# Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, says her department has taken a significant step in advancing access to justice. This is through the extension of additional services at selected courts across the country, which will come into effect from next Tuesday. The ministry’s spokesperson, Terrence Manase, says the department has identified 18 courts to offer expanded services, bringing justice closer to communities and improving the efficiency of the justice system:

# The Public Servants Association says it is dismayed by revelations regarding the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority Administrator’s decision to extend the organisation’s building lease. This is despite it being flagged as irregular by parliamentary oversight structures. PSA’s Claude Naicker says parliamentarians stated unequivocally that no extension should have been authorised, given the legal and financial risks associated with maintaining an unlawful lease arrangement:

# If the price of oil hits 150-dollar a barrel it will trigger a global recession. Larry Fink, the boss of US financial giant BlackRock has told the BBC if Iran remains a threat and oil prices stay high it will have profound implications for the world economy. Fink believes if the conflict is settled and Iran becomes internationally accepted again, the price could fall back to below pre-war levels. If not, the oil price could stay close to 150-dollars, which will have profound implications for the economy with possibly a steep recession.

# Rugby: Scottish referee Hollie Davidson will become the first woman to officiate a French Top 14 game when she takes charge of the Lyon-Clermont match in April. The 33-year-old also made history in this year’s men’s Six Nations, becoming the first women to referee a game in the Championship when she was officiating in Ireland’s victory over Italy on 14 February. Davidson was named the World Rugby referee of the year in 2025 and has already taken charge of games in the United Rugby Championship and the Challenge Cup.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-92-cents and the euro at 19-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-67-cents and Bitcoin trades at 71-thousand-298-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-544-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 96-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….