News 11:00

BULLETIN 23 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A parliamentary portfolio committee says minister Malatsi’s action on the SABC Bill is unconstitutional
# Seven people are killed and five injured in an accident on the N3
# And a suspect is arrested for the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway in New York

# The chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Khusela Diko, has condemned minister Solly Malatsi’s challenge on the speaker of the National Assembly over the withdrawal of the SABC Bill. The minister has accused Thoko Didiza of delaying the withdrawal, claiming her actions breach parliamentary rules. The controversial bill has been criticised for not addressing the SABC’s funding issues and increasing ministerial control. Diko says the committee has never accepted the withdrawal of the bill by Malatsi but instead sought clarity on the minister’s authority.

# The State Information Technology Agency is under scrutiny for outsourcing procurement services to Nakede Management Services while employing 72 staff for the same task. This comes after minister Malatsi called for the Public Service Commission to probe governance issues and irregular practices at Sita. Lifestyle audits revealed potential conflicts of interest among executives, with nine of 13 assessed raising red flags. Sita denies wrongdoing, citing adherence to tender procedures and ongoing investigations.

# Seven people have been killed after a minibus taxi overturned on the N3 toll road between Villiers in the Free State and Heidelberg in Gauteng this morning. Five people were injured, with two sustaining serious injuries. The Road Traffic Management Corporation’s spokesperson, Simon Zwane, says the cause of the crash remains unclear at the moment:

# New York police have arrested a suspect accused of killing a female subway passenger by setting her on fire yesterday morning. Police commissioner Jessica Tisch describes the incident as one of the most depraved crimes one person could commit against another human being. She says the suspect and the victim were both riding the F train to the end of the line at Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn when the incident happened:

# Cricket: Joe Root has been recalled to England’s one-day squad for the tour of India and the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan. However, Ben Stokes has been ruled out through injury. Root has not played for the white-ball side since the World Cup in November last year. Mark Wood is included in the squad following his recovery from a right elbow injury. The tour to India in January and February includes five T20s and three ODIs before the Champions Trophy in February and March.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-30-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-12-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-632-dollars-27-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….