News 17:00

BULLETIN 11 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The minister of Health suspends three senior officials pending investigations
# Richard Shibiri admits he had contact with Matlala before the arrest
# And cricket: The Proteas earned prize money of 12.8-million-rand in the T20 World Cup

# Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has placed three senior officials in the national Health Department on precautionary suspension following their arrest on fraud and theft charges amounting to one-million-rand. Director general Sandile Buthelezi, deputy director general Percy Mahlati and chief financial officer Phaswa Mamogale will remain suspended until their matters are finalised or their contracts expire. The department’s Foster Mohale says Nicolas Crisp has been appointed acting director general for three months:

# The suspended head of SAPS Organised Crime Unit Richard Shibiri has admitted communicating with businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala a week before Matlala’s arrest. Speaking during proceedings, Shibiri acknowledged records showing he phoned Matlala on 9 May 2025. Shibiri says he was in Mpumalanga at the time searching for evidence in another investigation and could not fully recall the reason for the call:

# The DA in Gauteng warns the provincial budget allocates only 63-million-rand to combat the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, raising concerns for farmers facing unsold livestock, rising feed costs, and economic uncertainty. The party’s Bronwynn Engelbrecht says the Department of Agriculture receives just 742-million-rand overall. She stresses urgent vaccinations, clear disease-control plans, stronger veterinary services, and immediate communication with farmers are crucial to protect livelihoods and food security:

# At least six people have died and others were injured when a bus caught fire in a town in western Switzerland. The incident took place in the town of Kerzers in the Fribourg canton, about 20 kilometres from the capital of Bern. Police say at least three people were taken to hospital. The cause of the fire is not yet known but an investigation is underway into whether it was deliberately started. In a post on X, Swiss president Guy Parmelin expressed his shock and sadness at the loss of life.

# Cricket: The Proteas won 12.8-million-rand for reaching the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The amount will likely be split between the 15 players and team management. England received the same amount as South Africa after being eliminated by India in the penultimate round. The losing finalist, New Zealand, earned 26-million-rand, while India received 48.7-million-rand for lifting the trophy for the third time. The total prize purse of 219-million-rand is an increase of 20-percent from the previous tournament in 2024.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-40-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-546-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-180-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 89-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….