News 17:00

BULLETIN 10 October 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga commission confirms its hearings will resume behind closed doors on Monday
# Netanyahu hopes to celebrate the return of hostages on the Jewish holiday on Monday
# And rugby: The Bulls and the Stormers top the URC table before the third round

# The Madlanga commission of inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system will resume hearings at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria on Monday. Spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says due to the sensitive nature of the evidence, the commission plans to hold the hearings in camera, meaning the media and public will not have access:

# The High Court in Johannesburg has granted Katiso “KT” Molefe 400-thousand-rand bail, overturning the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court’s earlier decision. Molefe faces charges linked to the murders of DJ Sumbody, and alleged ties to a criminal cartel known as “The Big Five,” involved in tender fraud. Judge Brad Wanless ordered Molefe to report to Morningside Police Station thrice weekly. He says he is only allowed to travel to Welkom with permission for business:

# Eskom board chairperson, Mteto Nyati, says the power utility is now focusing on affordability after achieving greater stability, with an energy availability factor of about 70-percent. Speaking at the Johannesburg Mining Indaba, Nyati said Eskom aims to align electricity tariffs with inflation while exploring cleaner coal and new revenue streams. He adds that the fight against corruption remains top priority, with technology and partnerships strengthening accountability:

Moving abroad:

# Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hopes Israel would mark a day of national joy starting Monday night, when all living and deceased hostages are expected to be returned from Gaza. He said in a televised statement two years ago the Simhat Torah holiday became a day of national mourning, but now with God’s help, it will be a day of national joy, celebrating the return of 20 live hostages from Gaza, while 28 have died. The Jewish festival starts at nightfall on Monday.

# Rugby: Two South African teams, the Bulls and the Stormers, top the United Rugby Championship before the start of the third round. Both teams won their first two matches, but the Bulls are first thanks to two bonus point victories to the Stormers’ one. The Stormers play Scarletts in Llanelli, Wales, this evening, while the Bulls will take on Ulster in Ireland tomorrow night. The Sharks play defending champion Leinster, also in Ireland, tomorrow while the Lions are in Italy for a match against Benetton.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 121-thousand-980-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-989-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….