News 06:00

BULLETIN 2 October 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Supreme Court of Appeal dismisses Mkhwebane’s appeal
# The police commissioner confirms a person is interrogated for the Lusikisiki massacre
# And top European airlines extend the suspension of flights to the Middle East

# The Supreme Court of Appeal struck former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s leave to appeal application against a previous ruling by the High Court in the Western Cape, criticising it as frivolous. Mkhwebane sought the recusal of Section 194 Committee members from her impeachment inquiry. Judge Visvanathan Ponnan ruled her actions advanced personal interests, not the Office of the Public Protector. As Mkhwebane’s term ended, the court described her appeal dead on arrival, ordering her to cover all legal costs.

Meanwhile, the DA has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal striking from the roll of the appeal. The DA’s, Glynnis Breytenbach, says the court rightly concluded that Mkhwebane’s appeal was both procedurally flawed and downright frivolous:

# The national Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that a person is currently being questioned in connection with the mass shooting in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape. While no arrests have been made yet, detectives are assessing whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with an arrest. Masemola expressed confidence that arrests are imminent, as police have identified key suspects in the case: 

# Television producer Dumakude Ndlovu and two associates have been granted bail following their appearance in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court on tax fraud charges totalling 26-million-rand. Ndlovu was released on 100-thousand-rand bail, while co-accused Rodney Mutsharini and Maxwell Mloyi received 50-thousand-rand each. Investigating Directorate Henry Mamothame says the accused must report to police weekly, with their next court date set for 11 November: 

# Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM, and SWISS announced they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region. The moves come as Israel launches strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack “imminently” against Israel. KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv. German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including 30 November.

# Rugby: Leinster expects Springbok lock RG Snyman to return to action soon. A foot injury prevented him from playing for the team since joining from Munster. He sustained the injury before South Africa’s opening Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Brisbane in August. Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber believes Snyman could be included in the starting team for this weekend’s United Rugby Championship game against Benetton in Treviso. He was comfortable during training since last week.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-822-dollars-37-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-660-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….