News 06:00

BULLETIN 17 October 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Pule Mabe steps aside as ANC NEC member after being charged
# The Police minister says the Lusikisiki massacre was orchestrated from behind bars
# And president Ramaphosa addresses the water crisis in Mogale City

# Former ANC spokesperson, Pule Mabe, has stepped aside as a member of the party’s national executive committee after being charged with fraud and money laundering. This is in connection to a 27-million-rand tender allegedly awarded irregularly to his company Enviro Mobi in 2017. He appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng yesterday with six co-accused, where they were granted 30-thousand-rand bail each. Mabe says his stepping aside is not a sign of guilt:

Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority says the state is prepared for trial in the corruption case involving Mabe, his wife, and five others. They face charges of corruption and fraud. The NPA’s Phindi Mjonondwane says the tender was unlawfully awarded:

# Police minister Senzo Mchunu says the killing of 18 people in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, last month was orchestrated from prison. Four suspects have been arrested for the massacre. One, a parolee, has already appeared in court, while three others were arrested on Wednesday. Mchunu told Parliament that parole should not be a gateway back to criminality. He adds that he has met with Correctional Services minister Pieter Groenewald to address this matter urgently.

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed deep concern over untreated sewage pollution in Mogale City in Gauteng. Despite multiple directives from the Department of Water and Sanitation since 2019, the municipality has failed to address the issue, leading to criminal charges. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the sewage pollution is affecting the Cradle of Humankind, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation world heritage site: 

# Cricket: Proteas spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba believes the team deserves to be in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup. The women qualified with a better net run rate when the Windies beat England in their final Group B match on Tuesday, and will now face Australia today for a place in Sunday’s final in Dubai. Mlaba is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets in four matches. The Windies and New Zealand will square off in the second semifinal in Sharjah tomorrow.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-64-cents and the euro at 19-rand-16-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-630-dollar-81-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-674-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-41-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Romanian chess grandmaster Kirill Shevchenko was expelled from a national-level competition after being accused of using a mobile device during play. Shevchenko was competing at the Spanish Team Championship in Melilla when the alleged cheating occurred. He spent long periods away from the board during the opening rounds while a mobile device and notes were later found in a toilet cubicle. The Romanian Chess Federation said it was waiting for “solid evidence” before concluding the allegations. Shevchenko reached a career-best ranking of number 39 in the world last year.

Stay tuned for more news………….