News 17:00

BULLETIN 2 May 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Western Cape Police Commissioner welcomes the guilty verdict in the Joslin Smith case
# Seven rugby teams still in the hunt for the SA Cup semi-finals
# And, SANParks closes parts of Augrabies Falls as water volumes surge to record highs

# Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile has welcomed the guilty verdict against Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn in the Joslin Smith case. The Western Cape High Court in Saldanha Bay found the trio guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking. The commissioner says investigations continue, and hopes Smith will finally reveal what happened to six-year-old Joslin, who vanished on 19 February last year:

# According to Statistics South Africa, business liquidations dropped by eight-percent in March this year compared to the same time last year. While company closures rose slightly, there were 21 fewer close corporation liquidations. Stats SA’s Onica Mushwana says overall, the first quarter of this year saw a three-percent decline in total liquidations, pointing to a slight improvement in business stability:

# British comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared in a London court today to face five charges of rape and other sexual offences. The 49-year old became known internationally as the husband of pop star Katy Perry after forging a career in Britain with his risque comedy routines. The celebrity, dressed casually in a dark coloured open-necked shirt and jeans, spoke only to confirm his details before being ordered to appear in court again on 30 May. Brand faces two counts of rape, two of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.

# Rugby: Seven teams are still in with a shout of reaching the semi-finals of the SA Cup with only two rounds of league action remaining. The action kicks off at 6 pm in George, where the SWD Eagles host the defending champion Griquas. The other four matches are all scheduled to start at 3pm tomorrow: Boland Kavaliers welcome log leaders, the Pumas, to Wellington; the Valke travel to Potchefstroom to take on the Leopards; the Cheetahs host the Border Bulldogs in Bloemfontein; and Eastern Province take on the Griffons in Gqeberha.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-38-cents and the euro at 20-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-49-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-904-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-255-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Augrabies Falls National Park in the Northern Cape is seeing a rare and strong increase in water flow, with the Orange River now flowing at nearly four-thousand cubic metres after heavy rains and dam releases. Some parts of the park, like the picnic and game viewing areas, are closed for safety, but three viewing decks are still open. South African National Parks encouraged visitors to witness this breathtaking natural event, expected to continue for several weeks.

Stay tuned for more news………….