News 18:00

BULLETIN 23 April 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Solidarity is to launch a contempt case against president Ramaphosa over an equity agreement
# A Judge dismisses a defence bid to drop the charges in the Joslin Smith trial
# And Sascoc, Netball SA and the Sports Department await formal charges before acting on Molokwane’s suspension

# Trade union Solidarity is taking legal action against president Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of contempt of court. This follows the government’s alleged failure to fully implement a court-approved agreement on racial legislation. Solidarity’s Dirk Hermann says key clauses on temporary race laws and skills-based hiring were excluded from the final version:

# Judge Nathan Erasmus has denied defence applications to drop charges against Kelly Smith and Steveno van Rhyn in the Joslin Smith trial. Despite arguments citing lack of credible evidence, the High Court sitting in Saldanha Bay on the West Coast ruled that there is a case to answer. Accused duo, Van Rhyn and Jacquen Appollis, chose not to testify or call witnesses, closing their cases. The trial into the disappearance of Smith’s young daugter continues.

# United Action for Transformation is taking the Department of Basic Education to court over its failure to meet deadlines for eradicating pit latrines in schools. UAT spokesperson, Mighty Mabule, says government inaction endangers children’s health and dignity. Mabule says despite repeated promises, unsafe sanitation persists in many schools. He demands immediate action, calling for safe and dignified facilities.

# Netball: The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, Sports Department, and Netball SA say they’ll only act if Netball SA and Africa Netball president Cecilia Molokwane faces formal charges. Molokwane was suspended by World Netball over alleged maladministration. Deputy Sport minister, Peace Mabe, told Parliament that suspending Molokwane without due process is unfair. She says internal investigations must guide any further action:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-62-cents and the euro at 21-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-779-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-278-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A new alumni survey from the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme has shown that 67-percent of funded graduates are employed or in internships, while 13-percent remain unemployed. Most jobs are concentrated in Gauteng, with 59-percent of graduates working there, compared to just seven-percent in the Western Cape. CEO Werner Abrahams says geography, market saturation, and a mismatch between qualifications and jobs remain key barriers. Contract work is also dominating and found to offer great experience but with little stability. The programme plans to improve job alignment through employer partnerships.

Stay tuned for more news………….