News 17:00

BULLETIN 24 June 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# March and March leader slams the 600-million-rand policing budget for the 30 June protests
# Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala is to face a separate trial in the Medicare24 case
# And: America releases an experimental Ebola drug for DRC outbreak trials

# Anti-illegal migration group March and March has criticised the government’s decision to spend around 600-million-rand on policing the 30 June protests. Acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia earlier announced the money was redirected from the South African Police Service budget to ensure operational readiness during the demonstrations. The group’s leader, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, told the media the spending shows that police have sufficient resources to deal with wider safety concerns:

# The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court has ruled that alleged crime kingpin Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala will be tried separately from his co-accused in a case linked to the awarding of a multimillion-rand Medicare24 contract. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago did not confirm if a deal has been reached yet. He says Matlala will appear in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court tomorrow to face charges of corruption, fraud amongst others:

# Suspended KwaZulu-Natal Correctional Services Commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele has been granted 50-thousand-rand bail in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court. Nxele faces charges of fraud and money laundering. The charges relate to allegations spanning the period between 2004 and 2023. Nxele was placed on precautionary suspension in May 2025 over corruption and procurement-related allegations. He has maintained that he was targeted after raising concerns about allegedly inflated prison food supply contracts involving National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale.

# Experimental Ebola drugs are being shipped to Democratic Republic of Congo after the United States released a treatment for clinical trials in a widening outbreak that has caused more than one-thousand cases and over 250 deaths. The World Health Organisation and US officials confirmed MBP134 will be used for compassionate purposes in the DRC. No approved vaccines or treatments exist for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for the outbreak. Ninety-seven-percent of the outbreak is concentrated in the northeast of the country with a small number of cases and deaths in neighbouring Uganda.

# Rugby: Moana Pasifika’s Super Rugby participation has ended after a last-minute bid failed to secure financial backing. The team, based in Auckland, New Zealand, was established in 2020 to provide top-level opportunities for players from Pacific heritage. The owners announced their withdrawal earlier this year after failing to ensure a sustainable commercial base. SuperSport reports the governments of New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa tried in vain to broker a lifeline. Moana Pasifika ended last on the Super Rugby log this year after losing 12 of their 14 matches.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-66-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-512-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-991-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….