News 18:00

BULLETIN 17 March 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fannie Masemola denies ordering a raid on retired deputy national commissioner Francinah Vuma
# Soil of Africa demands insourcing of Home Affairs workers
# And, Cosatu is concerned by Nersa’s approval of electricity tariff hikes

#  National Police commissioner Fannie Masemola has denied claims that he called for a raid on retired deputy National Police Commissioner Francinah Vuma. Masemola told Parliament’s ad hoc committee that he was conducting an oversight visit to assess the refurbishment of SAPS head office located in the Telkom Towers in Pretoria including the Police Ministry’s floor. He clarified that his presence was related to renovations, not any operational directive:

# The civil movement Soil of Africa has condemned the outsourcing of Department of Home Affairs digitisation workers, calling it exploitation. The organisation’s spokesperson, Bongani Ramontja, says long-serving workers face insecure contracts despite years of service. Ramontja says the group is demanding permanent employment with full benefits. He also announced plans for a mass march to the Union Buildings, urging government to absorb all affected workers into stable positions:

# Union federation Cosatu says it is concerned about the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s decision, authorising a 9.01-percent tariff increase on electricity effective from 1 July 2026. This is in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act, which requires municipalities to implement tariff changes at the start of their financial year. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says it is unacceptable that citizens have had to endure two decades of tariff hikes far outpacing inflation:

# Plea negotiations with the State for former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, Bellarmine Mugabe, and co-accused Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze are advancing. The duo appeared at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court today. Their legal representative, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, says talks are at an advanced stage but were delayed due to the unavailability of a senior public prosecutor. The case, previously postponed, is expected to be finalised next week when plea agreements may be formally concluded.

# Golf: American Phil Mickelson will make his LIV Golf season debut in South Africa this week. His HyFlyers GC team confirmed the return of its captain on social media. Fifty-five-year-old Mickelson missed the first four events of the season due to an undisclosed family health matter. The homegrown stars competing include Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Charl Schwarzel and Branden Grace. The tournament, LIV Golf’s first event on the continent, begins at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg on Thursday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-66-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-865-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-9-dollars-45-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 99-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….