News 14:00

BULLETIN 28 October 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Hillary Gardee murder trial begins
# A forensic analyst links the same AK-47 to the murders of Swart, DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos and Don Tindleni
# And rugby: Jake White returns to schoolboy rugby after being ousted by the Bulls

# The trial of convicted murderer Rassie Nkune, accused of kidnapping and killing the daughter of politician Godrich Gardee, Hillary, three years ago, has started at the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela. Proceedings were delayed last week after Nkune dismissed his legal aid lawyer. Judge Lindiwe Vuyeka stressed fairness despite tight timelines in the trial, set to run for six weeks. Nkune, facing 12 charges, is already serving a life sentence for two other murders from 2022.

# The police’s senior forensic analyst, Solomon Modisane, has revealed the same AK-47 rifle was used in the murders of engineer Armand Swart, DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos, and businessman Don Tindleni. Testifying remotely before the Madlanga commission, Modisane said cartridges from all four crime scenes matched under microscopic analysis. He described it as bizarre that the firearm used in Swart’s murder had been examined in Pretoria as well as Amanzimtoti in KwaZulu-Natal:

# The Forum for South Africa says former Human Settlements minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, must account for how public funds were used on the Mamelodi Hostel shack project in Pretoria. The 64-million-rand project initiated by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic for residents of Mamelodi Hostel remains incomplete. FOSA leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says two construction companies, Selby and Gorogang, were appointed to carry out the work, but the project was abandoned before completion. He says reports indicate that Gorogang left the site without paying workers:

# Union federation Saftu has expressed concern at Transport minister Barbara Creecy’s invitation to private partners to invest in South Africa’s passenger rail system. The move forms part of the government’s broader plan to modernise the country’s transport network and attract private investment to improve reliability and safety. Saftu’s Asive Dyani says this is another step in the privatisation of public transport under the Operation Vulindlela agenda:

# Rugby: Former Springbok and Bulls coach Jake White says he is relishing his return to the purest form of the game after being confirmed as adviser at Selborne College in East London in the Eastern Cape. He left the Bulls in July after a players’ revolt and wasn’t involved in coaching since. White’s former assistant coach, Phiwe Nomlomo, is currently Selborne’s first-team coach, and approached White to become involved. White coached the Boks from 2004 to 2007, when they won the World Cup for the second time.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-25-cents and the euro at 20-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-473-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-903-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….