News 09:00

BULLETIN 26 July 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA wants more unexpected raids at correctional facilities
# Another three suspects are killed in a shootout with the police in KwaZulu-Natal
# And rugby: The Bull’s flyhalf Chris Smith leaves to join a French club

# The DA says the presence of contraband undermines the rehabilitation efforts of inmates and compromises the security of the country’s prisons. Officials from the Department of Correctional Services and the police raided the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, also known as Sun City, on Wednesday night. Drugs, alcohol, knives, cellphones, WiFi routers were some of the items discovered. The DA’s, Janho Engelbrecht, says intensified efforts to conduct similar raids across all correctional facilities must be done:

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has applied for leave to appeal a Western Cape High Court ruling regarding the validity of a contract. eZaga was awarded a contract for the direct payment of allowances to university students and TVET colleges for five years, along with three other companies. Nsfas wanted to terminate the contract after a Werkmans report recommended such a termination due to procurement irregularities. However, eZaga headed to court with an urgent application for an interdict, which was granted. Nsfas says disbursement of student allowances is not affected.

# Three suspects wanted for at least ten cases of murder have been killed in a shootout with police at the KwaDlangezwa area in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal in the early hours of this morning. At least seven people have been killed in shootouts with police in the past week in the province, including three in Inanda. Police spokesperson, Robert Netshiunda, says the suspects were found hiding at a house in KwaDlangezwa:

# The US Justice Department has arrested two top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most dominant criminal groups in Mexico. Cofounder of the cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as El Mayo, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested in El Paso, Texas. Both men are facing multiple charges in the US for leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks. Last year, the department charged more than two dozen members of the Sinaloa cartel.

# Rugby: Flyhalf Chris Smith is leaving the Bulls to join French club Oyannax. He played 96 United Rugby Championship, Champions Cup and Currie Cup matches for the union since joining in 2020, scoring 634 points. Smith says he is grateful for his experience over the past five years during which he made some of the best memories on and off the field. The 29-year-old says he heard only good things about French rugby, and is looking forward to join his new teammates.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-31-cents and the euro at 19-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-941-dollars-18-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-370-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….