News 17:00

BULLETIN 26 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Special Investigating Unit is authorised to probe Nedbank and Standard Bank over ACSA deals
# SAFTU urges government to address the root causes of crime
# And ugby: The 2019 World Cup winner Herschel Jantjies signs with Bayonne in France

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the Special Investigating Unit to investigate Nedbank and Standard Bank. The probe is related to the disputed interest rate swap deals with Airports Company SA, linked to the Gupta family. The transactions are mentioned in the Zondo state capture report as allegedly involving corruption. Nedbank denies any wrongdoing and pledges cooperation, while Standard Bank told News24 it was aware of and notes the proclamation. 

# Saftu is urging the government to address the root causes of crime by improving economic conditions and creating sustainable jobs. Saftu’s Mogoshadi Maserumule says government must strengthen community policing initiatives and ensure law enforcement agencies are adequately resourced and implement effective programmes for rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders to prevent reoffending. She says the federation reiterates that crime cannot be reduced without addressing its root causes, namely poverty, unemployment, and underpaid struggling workers:

# Cosatu says with it being 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, government needs to tackle the shortcomings within the criminal justice system. In South Africa, a woman is killed every three hours; and over 50-percent of women are killed by an intimate partner. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela says the shortcomings in the justice system are well documented by gender-based violence survivors, ranging from the unsavoury treatment of police officials to a lack of sufficient protection from the perpetrators:

# TotalEnergies, Mulilo, and Reatile Group have begun constructing a 140-megawatts wind farm and a 120-megawatts solar plant near De Aar in the Northern Cape. The plant will supply Sasol and Air Liquide with 260 megawatts of green electricity annually. Funded by Standard Bank, Absa, and Nedbank, the 7.5-billion-rand project aims to decarbonise Sasol’s Secunda operations. Set for completion by 2026, the plant seeks to generate jobs, support South Africa’s energy transition, and boost local renewable capacity.

# Rugby: A member of South Africa’s 2019 World Cup-winning team, Herschel Jantjies, will join French Top 14 side Bayonne next season on a two-year deal. The 28-year-old scrumhalf, who has 25 Test caps, last played for the Springboks in August last year and wasn’t considered for the 2023 World Cup. Bayonne praised Jantjies’ international experience, signing him from the Stormers, where he’s been a key player since 2016. The move is set to bolster the Basque side’s ambitions.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-9-cents and the euro at 19-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-712-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-638-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….