News 11:00

BULLETIN 7 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# BOSA wants a Special Investigation Unit probe into allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner
# An Australian woman is found guilty of killing her in-laws with poisoned mushrooms
# And rugby: The British and Irish Lions will face a strong Australia-New Zealand invitational squad

# Build One South Africa is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to establish a Special Investigating Unit probe within 30 days to look into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. He made claims of political interference, including from Police minister Senzo Mchunu, in some high-profile criminal cases. BOSA’s spokesperson, Roger Solomons, says Parliament must urgently summon Mkhwanazi, Mchunu, and other relevant officials to appear before the portfolio committee on Police:

ActionSA has meanwhile asked the speaker of Parliament, Thoko Didiza, for an urgent debate on the deepening crisis within the South African Police Service and the broader criminal justice system following the damning allegations made by Mkhwanazi. ActionSA’s Dereleen James says the allegations represent one of the most alarming indictments of the state’s security apparatus:

# The GOOD Party in the Western Cape is calling on Public Works and Infrastructure minister, Dean Macpherson, to immediately release the Council for the Built Environment’s final report into the George building collapse. Thirty-four people died when a five-storey residential property development collapsed in May last year. GOOD’s Chantelle Kyd says this tragedy cannot be allowed to follow the same pattern of delay and evasion that has marked other investigations:

# A 12-member jury has found Australian woman Erin Patterson guilty on three charges of murder. During a lunch in July 2023, she served her estranged husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms. She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Wilkinson’s husband. Prosecutors argued that Patterson knowingly poisoned the food with deadly death cap mushrooms. Patterson had argued it was all a terrible accident. She has 28 days to appeal.

# Rugby: Coach Les Kiss has named a strong Australia-New Zealand invitational squad to face the British and Irish Lions in Adelaide on Saturday. The squad includes 18 internationals with a combined 300 caps. They include All Blacks David Havili, Shannon Frizell and Hoskins Sotutu, with the Australian contingent led by Marika Koroibete, Pete Samu and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto. Kiss says a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to build this squad, and it’s exciting to see it come together.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-77-cents and the euro at 20-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-794-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-307-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….