News 08:00
BULLETIN 9 November 8 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Masemola warns hung councils could delay the constitution of municipal councils
# Dali Mpofu says the MK Party has held informal coalition talks with some political parties
# And, an alleged hitman is arrested for the murder of a former Knysna mayor
# Deputy minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, doctor Namane Dickson Masemola, says the department will work with provincial governments to establish municipal councils. With only 72 of the country’s 257 municipal councils having outright majorities after the local government elections, political parties will have to negotiate governing arrangements in most municipalities. Masemola acknowledged that forming coalition governments in some municipalities could affect the prescribed timeline for constituting municipal councils. He has reassured the public that key municipal operations would continue during the transition.
Meanwhile, MK Party National Disciplinary Committee chairperson Dali Mpofu says the party has already held exploratory coalition talks with some political parties. The party, contesting in its first local government elections, secured 9.76-percent of the votes, making it the third-biggest party in the country after the ANC and DA. The MK Party has secured an outright majority in three municipalities. Mpofu says their negotiations would be guided by the party’s political mandate and an internal coalition manual:
# The Political Killings Task Team has arrested a 44-year-old suspected hitman in connection with the murder of former Knysna mayor Aubrey Tsengwa. He was shot and killed in Joodsekamp, Knysna, in August this year while travelling home with three other occupants who survived the attack. Three other suspects were arrested days after the murder. National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says the alleged hitman will appear in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court today:
# US tech giant Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, over concerns that he was the “target of a foreign intelligence effort.” A New York Times report last month alleged the 63-year-old had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to Beijing. The company, which makes the computer chips that are fuelling the artificial intelligence boom, says it had no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised. Separately, Huang admitted to having an extramarital affair in a note to staff.
# Motorsport: McLaren’s Lando Norris recovered from a poor start in wet conditions to win the São Paulo Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came from 21st on the grid to finish second, with his teammate Isack Hadjar in third. George Russell and newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth, which was enough for Mercedes to win the Formula One Constructors’ Championship for a record-equalling ninth time. Mercedes’ Team Principal Toto Wolff says he is proud of what they have achieved:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-49-cents and the euro at 18-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-5-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 75-thousand-and-14-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-119-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 101-dollars-9-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….