News 13:00

BULLETIN 9 October 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Three institutions probe cases linked to deputy president Paul Mashatile
# A suspect is arrested in connection with the Lusikisiki mass killings
# And soccer: Andrés Iniesta retires at 40 after a glittering career for Spain and Barcelona

# Multiple investigations are mounting pressure on deputy president Paul Mashatile. The Hawks are probing his son-in-law Nceba Nonkwelo’s purchase of a 28-million-rand house in Constantia, Cape Town. At the same time, the Public Protector investigates contracts awarded by Gauteng departments to his sons, Thabiso Mashatile and Tinyiko Mvelase. According to News24, the Special Investigating Unit looks into procurement issues during Mashatile’s tenure as Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements. Mashatile’s spokesperson, Keith Khoza, says the deputy president has not been informed of any investigations.

# A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Lusikisiki massacre in the Eastern Cape. Eighteen people including 15 women were shot dead in two homesteads in Ngobozana village 11 days ago. The 45-year-old suspect, who was arrested on Monday evening, is expected to appear in the local Magistrate’s Court today. This follows earlier reports of the arrest of three suspects, but it was explained later they were just persons of interest.

# The Western Cape government says it is taking a firm stand against extortion in the public transport industry. Extortion continues to gain prominence in the country, with the province not being spared from such crimes. Extortion is also one of the key focus areas of Mobility Month. MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, says these illegal activities increase the cost of doing business, push operators into financial distress, and threaten the stability of the entire public transport system:

# Zero Carbon Charge has launched an 11.4-billion-rand development of off-grid electric vehicle charging stations in the Eastern Cape. This forms part of a venture that aims to have 120 off-grid stations nationally for charging electric passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Zero Carbon Charge’s Joubert Roux says this marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s efforts towards building a sustainable transport network that contributes to climate emission reduction:

# Soccer: Former Spanish and Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta ’s glittering professional career of 24-years has come to an end. The 40-year-old made his debut for his country in 2006 after playing for junior national teams for six years, and scored 13 goals in his 131 appearances. He also scored 35 goals for Barcelona in his 442 matches for the club. Iniesta was emotional when he announced his retirement, but says those were tears of pride after realising his childhood dream of being a soccer player.

# And the financial indicators:  The dollar trades at 17-rand-61-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-75-dollars-94-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-616-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-69-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….