News 18:00

BULLETIN 10 September 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Independent Police Investigative Directorate reports progress amid backlog challenges
# COSATU applauds the 20-year sentences of seven Chinese nationals for human trafficking
# And soccer: Minister McKenzie reiterates the importance of VAR after Nigeria’s controversial goal against Bafana

# The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has secured 15 criminal convictions from April to June, including murder, rape by police officials, assault, and torture. The police watchdog received one-thousand-171 new cases, mainly in the Western Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape. IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping says plans are underway to appoint 36 retired detectives over three years to tackle the backlog of nearly 15-thousand cases in hotspot provinces:

# Union federaton Cosatu has welcomed the 20-year prison sentences handed to seven Chinese nationals convicted of human trafficking and child labour by the High Court in Johannesburg. They were arrested in 2019 for forcing 91 Malawian nationals, including children, to work long hours under armed guard. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela urges stricter workplace inspections and commends the authorities for dismantling this exploitative operation:

# United Nations Tourism secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili has announced 100 scholarships for South Africans to support education and skill-building in the tourism sector. Speaking at the Tourism Investment Summit in Cape Town, Pololikashvili said the initiative targets the youth, equipping them to thrive in a competitive industry and contribute to inclusive growth. The scholarships, part of a broader UN Tourism strategy, complement programmes like the UN Tourism Online Academy and new centres, including the Tourism Centre of Excellence in Zambia and a Culinary Arts Academy in Zimbabwe.

# Soccer: Sport, Arts and Culture minister Gayton McKenzie has stressed the importance of the video assistant referee system after Nigeria’s controversial handball goal against South Africa in yesterday’s World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein. The 42nd-minute strike saw the Super Eagles hold Bafana Bafana to a 1-all draw. Despite the setback, South Africa remains top of Group C. McKenzie says local governing body SAFA must be pushed for the implementation of the VAR system:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 20-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-266-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-652-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: The Realness Institute, in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective and the Canada Media Fund, has announced the four African participants for the 2025 AuthenticA Series Lab. They are Ghana’s storyteller Gamel Apalayine, Nigerian-British poet and filmmaker, Joladé Olusanya, award-winning Kenyan scriptwriter, Mona Ombogo, and award-winning Egyptian-Canadian filmmaker, Reem Morsi. The programme gives screenwriters a unique opportunity to shape their original ideas into episodic storytelling across any genre. The four will participate in three in-person residencies in South Africa, Switzerland, and France.  

Stay tuned for more news………….