News 16:00

BULLETIN 15 October 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa requests a Constitutional Court review of the Copyright Amendment and Performers’ Protection Bills
# The Lusikisiki murder accused abandons his bail application
# And rugby: The EFF criticises SA Rugby’s proposed equity deal

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill to the Constitutional Court to check if they are constitutional. Section27, representing Blind SA, filed an urgent legal application against Ramaphosa last week for not signing the Copyright Amendment Bill, crucial for improving access to reading materials for blind and visually impaired people. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Ramaphosa expressed concerns about certain provisions in the legislation: 

# The man accused of murdering 18 family members in the Ngobozana Village in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape has abandoned his bail application. Siphosoxolo Myekethe appeared in the local Magistrate’s Court again today. Myekethe had been out on parole at the time of the massacre. He faces 18 charges of murder and one of possessing an unlicensed AK-47 rifle. The case has been postponed to 26 November for further investigations and ballistic test results. 

# The Kruger National Park has experienced fire incidents at Satara and Olifants rest camps. At Satara, embers from a braai fire set a chalet’s thatched roof on fire, but the blaze was quickly contained. At Olifants, three chalets were evacuated for the same reason, and guests were moved to nearby camps. SANParks urges visitors to extinguish braai fires after use to prevent further incidents. Spokesperson JP Louw confirmed that no injuries were reported:

# North Korea blew up sections of the deeply symbolic roads connecting it to the South. Seoul’s military said it had conducted a counter-fire operation. Pyongyang’s military last week vowed to permanently seal its southern border after spending months laying mines and building anti-tank barriers in the wake of leader Kim Jong Un declaring the South the principal enemy. The North also accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital. Kim then convened a security meeting to direct a plan of immediate military action.

# Rugby: The EFF says it is appalled by SA Rugby’s proposed equity deal with Ackerley Sports Group. The 1.3-billion-rand private equity deal will see SA Rugby selling a stake in its commercial arm to the US-based company. The EFF says this deal entrenches rugby as an exclusive, privately controlled sport, with Ackerley receiving a perpetual license to control SARU’s commercial rights and majority representation. It adds that the government of national unity’s lack of involvement shows its failure in overseeing rugby development in the country.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-58-cents and the euro at 19-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-522-dollars-13-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-650-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….