News 17:00

BULLETIN 19 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Families urge action for the men detained in Equatorial Guinea amid Human Rights Day commemorations
# The Activists and Citizens Forum say the proposed bail fund will increase crime and worsen overcrowding
# And cricket: Mumbai’s captain Hardik Pandya is serving a one-match ban at the start of the IPL

# The families of Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham are urging government to intensify diplomatic efforts for their release from unlawful detention in Equatorial Guinea. This plea comes as South Africa commemorates Human Rights Day on Friday. Despite a United Nations ruling in 2024 declaring their imprisonment arbitrary, the two engineers remain behind bars. Their families have appealed for clemency, emphasising South Africa’s commitment to human rights. The families confirmed that a petition for their release has gathered nearly 16-thousand signatures globally.

# The Activists and Citizens Forum has rejected the proposed bail fund, warning it will worsen crime and prison overcrowding. They argue that using taxpayer money to fund lawyers for criminals is wrong and will not solve the root causes of crime. The forum’s spokesperson, Dennis Bloem, calls the bail fund a recipe for disaster and urges government to find alternative solutions to overcrowding:

# Zimbabwean war veteran Blessed Geza has called for nationwide protests on 31 March demanding the resignation of president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Geza describes the planned demonstration as an uprising. The former Secret Service officer accuses Mnangagwa of political killings and corruption. He also voiced support for vice president Constantino Chiwenga’s presidential ambitions. Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast warns of a possible coup d’état:

# Hamas says it remains open to negotiations while calling for pressure on Israel to implement a Gaza truce after its deadliest bombing since the fragile ceasefire began in January. Israel carried out fresh air strikes on Gaza today, killing 13 people, according to the territory’s Civil Defence Agency. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday’s raids were only the beginning. The United Nations and countries around the world condemned the high civilian death toll in the new strikes, which have reportedly killed more than 400 people.

# Cricket: Captain Hardik Pandya won’t be able to lead Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League opener against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. He is serving a one-match ban for a third consecutive slow over-rate in last year’s competition. Pandya says the situation was out of his control after they’ve bowled the last over one-and-a-half or two minutes late, and they didn’t realise the consequences at the time. Suryakumar Yadav will lead Mumbai against Chennai.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-12-cents and the euro at 19-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-49-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-232-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-34-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….