News 18:00

BULLETIN 26 March 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Health minister says spending on health is an economic investment
# Popcru slams IPID for undermining the police amid a surge in violent crime in KwaZulu-Natal
# And cricket: New Zealand seals the T20 series against Pakistan 4-1 with an eight-wicket victory in Wellington

# Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to universal health coverage through the National Health Insurance. Speaking at the second G20 health working group meeting in KwaZulu-Natal, Motsoaledi emphasised that health spending is an economic investment. He called for innovative financing, debt relief, and global health partnerships to strengthen the country’s healthcare system, ensuring quality medical services are accessible to all South Africans:

# The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union says it disagrees with concerns from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate over recent deadly shootings involving police in KwaZulu-Natal. The union criticised IPID for not supporting members who must act quickly to protect themselves and the public in life-threatening situations. Popcru’s Nthabeleng Molefe urges the police watchdog to ensure their actions don’t hinder proactive policing but instead provide officials with the necessary resources and legal support:

# The City of Cape Town’s latest traffic fine roadshow has attracted nearly three-500 motorists, who settled over four-million-rand in outstanding fines and warrants. A total of over ten-thousand fines and three-thousand-892 warrants were cleared, and an additional ten-million-rand in payment arrangements were made. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, advised motorists to use approved channels for fine payments to avoid third-party scams:

# Britain’s Prince Harry has resigned from the charity in Lesotho he founded in 2006 in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana. He says he was stepping away from Sentebale because of in-fighting within the organisation. The other co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, also resigned. This followed after the trustees asked chairperson Sophie Chandauka to resign after a disagreement, leading her to report them to the United Kingdom’s Charity Commission. The two princes say in a joint statement they believe the trustees acted in Sentebale’s best interest.

# Cricket: New Zealand beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the final T20 in Wellington to clinch the series 4-1. The visitors posted 128 for nine after captain Salman Agha top-scored with 51. Jimmy Neesham took five wickets. Tim Seifert then smashed an undefeated 97 off just 38 balls, hitting ten sixes and six fours. The Black Caps reached the target within ten overs with just two wickets down. The first of five one-day games between the two countries will be played in Napier on Saturday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-956-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-and-16-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….