News 17:00

BULLETIN 25 March 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD party dismisses Peter de Villiers for sexual misconduct
# The Pretoria Asset Forfeiture Unit secures orders totaling 18-million-rand in a gold syndicate case
# And tennis: Alcaraz dreams of a rivalry like that of Roger and Rafa

# The GOOD party says it has dismissed former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers from both party membership and his position as a member of the Western Cape legislature, following findings of sexual misconduct. This decision comes after a disciplinary process concluded De Villiers breached the party’s constitution and code of conduct. Allegations surfaced on 31 January, leading to his immediate suspension pending investigation. GOOD national chairperson Matthew Cook, says deputy secretary-general Suzette Little has been sworn in to complete De Villiers’ term:

# The Pretoria Asset Forfeiture Unit has secured three orders totaling 18-million-rand at the High Court, forfeiting properties belonging to individuals allegedly involved in an illegal gold syndicate operating in Khutsong, Carletonville. The assets include 51 vehicles and seven properties in Khutshong, Carletonville, Potchefstroom, and Krugersdorp as well as 16 bank accounts. NPA regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, says the trial against nine accused starts on 24 July at the High Court in Pretoria:

# The Border Management Authority says port health specialists will screen travellers for infectious diseases, requiring those from yellow fever endemic areas to have a valid certificate. This also includes ensuring transports from such areas are disinfected. Travellers showing signs of illness are advised to report to health facilities. Briefing the media on the Easter operations, commissioner Michael Masiapato says port health officials are still part of the response teams addressing the earlier cholera outbreak:

# Tennis: World number two Carlos Alcaraz says he dreams to be part of a rivalry like that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The duel between the Swiss and the Spaniard is regarded as the greatest ever. Alcaraz, also from Spain, says it taught him you always have to raise your level of play. He and Italian Jannik Sinner are currently regarded as the most exciting players of the next generation, with both players winning four of their eight previous encounters. They could meet in the Miami Open next.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-92-cents and the euro at 20-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-973-dollars-12-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-173-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A leading subsurface software technology company, Seequent, says technology plays a crucial role in combating climate change. Renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and hydropower are becoming increasingly cost-effective and accessible, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels. Seequent environment segment director, Thomas Krom, says its goal as a software provider is to create tools that make adaptation and mitigation more cost-effective, essentially lowering that barrier to entry.

Stay tuned for more news………….