News 09:00

BULLETIN 31 October 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA is calling on president Ramaphosa to condemn the genocide in Sudan
# Prince Andrew is to lose all his titles and leave his Windsor mansion
# And cricket: Proteas Men face Pakistan in the second T20 in Lahore today

# The DA is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently engage the African Union to begin the crucial process of negotiating a ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has killed 20-thousand people. The DA’s Ryan Smith says by failing to address the RSF’s genocidal intent, South Africa comes across as grossly hypocritical in light of its response to similar conflicts in other parts of the world:

# Action Society says the crisis at the SAPS Ballistics Division confirms the urgent need to decentralise South Africa’s forensic services. Evidence at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry this week revealed that the ballistics division is overwhelmed by a backlog of over 41-thousand criminal cases, hamstrung by staff shortages and paralysed by delays. Action Society’s Juanita du Preez says the backlog is a national emergency, but it is also a symptom of something far deeper:

# The GOOD Party has labelled the motion of no confidence against Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero as political grandstanding. The motion, brought by minority governing parties including the UDM, Al-Jamaa, African Heart Congress Party and ATM, accuses Morero of centralising power. However, the Johannesburg Progressive Caucus, led by the ANC, has backed Morero, citing improved financial management and service delivery. The GOOD Party’s Matthew Cook says removing him now would destabilise the city:

# Buckingham Palace says King Charles has initiated a formal process to strip his brother Andrew of his royal titles and evict him from the royal estate in Windsor. The 65-year-old has faced continued criticism about his former friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. This criticism intensified after the release of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that Andrew had sexually assaulted her as a teenager. She died in April. Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

# Cricket: South Africa’s men take on Pakistan in the second T20 in Lahore today after winning the first encounter in Rawalpindi by 55 runs. No changes are expected to the tourists’ team, led by Donovan Ferreira, while Aiden Markram is rested. It also features experienced wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who reversed his retirement to play for South Africa again. The hosts are expected to bring in new bowlers after being outplayed on Tuesday. The final T20 will be played tomorrow, also in Lahore.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-29-cents and the euro at 20-rand. One British pound costs 22-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-350-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-993-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….