News 18:00

BULLETIN 19 March 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Notinmyname International calls for a broader probe into SASSA fraud
# The attorney general compares attacks on Tesla property to domestic terrorism
# And boxing: A gender row boxer says she will not be intimidated by Donald Trump

# Notinmyname International has responded to the recent arrests of SASSA officials allegedly involved in a 250-million-rand fraud scheme. The organisation urges authorities to investigate potential high-ranking officials who may have enabled the fraud. They emphasise the need for transparent justice to restore public trust, protect vulnerable communities, and prevent future corruption. The group’s secretary-general, Themba Masango, stresses that systemic change requires collective action and continued vigilance:

# ActionSA is calling on Cooperative Governance minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to establish independent disciplinary boards to tackle accountability failures in municipalities. The appeal follows an Auditor-General briefing revealing that ten municipalities failed to submit financial statements, breaching the Municipal Finance Management Act. ActionSA’s Alan Beesley criticises national and provincial authorities for failing to act, allowing mismanagement to persist. He urges stricter enforcement to prevent further corruption:

# US Attorney General Pam Bondi says a recent spate of attacks on Tesla property, owned by key US president Donald Trump ally Elon Musk, was akin to domestic terrorism, and vows to impose severe punishments on perpetrators. She says the Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences. Bondi’s statement came after the latest incident in which a fire was started at a Tesla Collision Centre in Las Vegas, damaging five vehicles.

# Boxing: Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, at the centre of a gender row at the Paris Games, is targeting a second gold in Los Angeles and says she will not be intimidated by Trump. He last month signed an executive order barring transgender women from competing in female sports categories. Olympic chiefs earlier this week recommended that boxing be included at the 2028 Games in LA after a new governing body was provisionally recognised.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 19-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-141-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-28-dollars-94-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Miss South Africa 2024 runner-up, Nompumelelo Maduna, is launching her Impumelelo Mentorship campaign, aimed at inspiring young people through mentorship. The campaign includes the Impumelelo Mentorship Podcast, launching at the end of this month. Maduna believes mentorship is vital for success, and aims to empower youth by sharing stories of inspirational individuals. The podcast will offer guidance and hope for transformative change.

Stay tuned for more news………….