Update@Noon

A 56-year-old Tshepo Ntsimane, a Soweto church elder accused of raping a 12-year-old Dobsonville child, has abandoned his bail application before the matter was postponed for further investigations to the 20th of May. Ntsimane made a brief appearance in court today at the Roodepoort magistrates court. The court also heard that key evidence, including a witness statement and video footage, are still outstanding. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter Luyanda Danca

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is warning communities against using transformer oil as a health remedy. The department says the industrial substance may contain toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), posing serious risks to human health and the environment. Official's stress it is not approved for medical use and can cause long-term harm. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to chief director for environmental economics in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Obed Baloyi

Suspended Sedibeng SAPS District Commissioner Mbangwa Nkhwashu has told the Madlanga commission that he was approached through a mutual contact to meet businessman Katiso Molefe, whom he initially had no prior relationship with. Nkhwashu has been implicated through the testimony of Witness B, who alleged that he attempted to obtain the murder docket in the case of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart. Further evidence presented at the Commission suggests that Nkhwashu visited Molefe while he was in prison for Swart’s murder—allegedly after visiting hours and in a vehicle without registration plates.

The Limpopo's Transport department says one lane has been opened for traffic on the N1 between Louis Trichardt and Hendrik Verwoerd tunnel following a bus crash. Preliminary reports indicate that two people died when a bus lost control and veered into the ditch on the mountainous stretch of the road. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Limpopo Transport Department Spokesperson, Mashudu Mabata

Suspended Tshwane CFO Gareth Mnisi has conceded that a tender-related document ended up in the hands of Sergeant Fannie Nkosi but insists it did not compromise the process. Testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, Mnisi admitted the document should never have been outside municipal systems, calling it an irregularity but stopped short of linking it to corruption. Under tough questioning by the commissioners, Mnisi maintained the document contained no sensitive information and was based on already public details, arguing there was no need to escalate the matter. But commissioners pushed back, suggesting the mere presence of an internal tender document with a member of the public points to a breach in procurement controls.