News 13:00

BULLETIN 18 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi details the risks facing witnesses in political killing cases
# Cosatu urges the Reserve Bank to lower the repo rate again
# And cricket: Dewald Brevis says his huge SA20 price tag won’t change him

# KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has warned the Madlanga commission that witnesses in political killing cases face serious risks. He returned to the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria to continue his testimony on the disbandment of the political killings task team. Mkhwanazi told the inquiry many witnesses are either murdered or abandon the witness protection programme:

Meanwhile, minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, says the brutal killing of prosecutors is a heinous attack on the justice system and the rule of law. The minister says five prosecutors have been shot and killed over the past five years in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Kubayi says these attacks directed at members of the legal profession, who play a vital role in upholding justice and the rule of law, are unacceptable:

# Cosatu is urging the South African Reserve Bank to cut the repo rate to provide breathing space to millions of workers battling to cope with the rising costs of living. Following the start of the local rate-cutting cycle in September last year, the central bank has cut rates by a cumulative 125 basis points, reducing the repo rate from 8.25-percent before the cycle to seven-percent. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says the committee must slash the repo rate by at least 50 basis points:

# Cricket: Proteas batter Dewald Brevis says his huge price tag in the SA20 won’t change him and he will still go out on the field and try to have fun. The 22-year-old was snatched up for a whopping 16.5-million-rand by Pretoria Capitals during last week’s players’ auction after playing for defending champions MI Cape Town in the first three seasons. Brevis, who grew up in Gauteng, describes his time in the Mother City as very special, but is super excited to return to his hometown.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-35-cents and the euro at 20-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-68-cents and Bitcoin trades at 117-thousand-240-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-670-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Filmmaker Spike Lee, Warner Bros. CEO Pamela Abdy, film composer Nicholas Britell, and screenwriter Will Tracy are some of this year’s Montclair Film Festival Honours. Lee will be honoured with the Filmmaker Tribute, while Adby will receive the Visionary Award, focusing on her career by highlighting films such as Sinners and Weapons. Britell will be honoured with the Composer Award, whose score is the festival’s opening night film, Jay Kelly. Tracy will receive the Screenwriter Award, and Shih-Ching will be honoured with the Breakthrough Director Award.

Stay tuned for more news………….