News 17:00

BULLETIN 17 April 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is appointed to lead a national crime-fighting task team
# Robert Mugabe’s son and his co-accused plead guilty to various charges in the Hyde Park shooting case
# And golf: Jon Rahm isn’t worried about LIV Golf’s future

# KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been appointed to head a new national project targeting organised crime across South Africa. He will continue in his provincial role while coordinating a multi-agency task team focused on syndicates, drug networks and internal corruption within law enforcement. Mkhwanazi says the initiative aims to strengthen national crime intelligence, including the political killings task team, while maintaining stability in KwaZulu-Natal policing operations:

# Former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, Bellarmine, and co-accused Tobias Matonhodze have pleaded guilty to various charges at the Alexandra Regional Court in Johannesburg. Represented by defence lawyer Laurence Hodes, Mugabe has pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and contravening immigration laws, while Matonhodze pleaded guilty to attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, illegal immigration and possession of ammunition. The case stems from a shooting incident at a Hyde Park residence in February, where an employee was shot and injured. The case was postponed to next Friday.

# Suspended Tshwane chief financial official Gareth Mnisi has denied allegations that he shared internal metro police information with suspended organised crime sergeant Fannie Nkosi. Testifying at the Madlanga commission, Mnisi described Nkosi as a trusted friend during a difficult divorce, saying their relationship was personal. He admitted discussing general work frustrations, but denied any wrongdoing or involvement in tender manipulation:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is seeking to deepen trade and investment ties with Spain. Speaking at the Spain–South Africa business forum in Madrid, Ramaphosa highlighted opportunities in renewable energy, manufacturing, critical minerals and electric vehicles. He also invited Spanish investors to partner in a one-trillion-rand pipeline of projects, as South Africa is positioning itself as a gateway to Africa’s wider market:

# Golf: One of LIV Golf’s biggest name, Spaniard Jon Rahm, isn’t too concerned about the future of the breakaway league. This follows rumours the league may lose the financial backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. LIV’s latest tournament in Mexico teed off yesterday, with Rahm scoring a first round total of 65, three behind leader Victor Perez of France. Rahm says it doesn’t make sense to waste time thinking about the rumours until the people in charge confirm whether they were valid or not.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-21-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-820-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-869-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….