News 15:00

BULLETIN 20 November 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Crime Intelligence head returns despite criminal charges against him
# Brown Mogotsi blames Home Affairs for the wrong birth date and ID number
# And soccer: Bafana slips down two places in FIFA rankings

# Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo has been exonerated in an internal police probe and formally reinstated, despite ongoing criminal charges. He is currently facing four counts of fraud and corruption linked to the irregular appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele, who allegedly entered the police force through irregular channels. Khumalo is also facing charges of alleged misuse of intelligence funds and authorising improper property purchases. National police commissioner Fannie Masemola supports his return, saying the internal process found no misconduct.

# Controversial North West businessman Brown Mogotsi says Home Affairs is to blame for the incorrect birth date and ID number on his records. He appeared before the Madlanga commission where commissioner Sandile Khumalo pressed him about an affidavit reflecting the wrong date of birth. Khumalo questioned how he could have served as an MK operative as a 13-year-old. Mogotsi insisted he was born in 1977, not 1979:

# The Gauteng legislature’s portfolio committee on Community Safety has expressed outrage at the deadly shooting at Inxiweni Primary School in Tembisa. The principal and an administrative staff member were shot and killed within the school premises on Tuesday. Committee chairperson, Bandile Masuku, says this tragedy underscores the urgent need to advance the call for a gun-free province:

# Eskom has welcomed Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s endorsement of the Distribution Agency Agreement to curb soaring municipal arrears, now at 105-billion-rand. CEO Dan Marokane told Parliament the agreement is only an interim fix, warning that fundamental restructuring of the distribution sector is essential. He says only nine of 71 municipalities in the debt-relief scheme are paying current bills. With targeted write-offs of up to 62.6-billion-rand expected, Marokane says unresolved municipal debt threatens Eskom’s financial recovery and credit rating.

# Soccer: While South Africa has qualified for the 2026 World Cup, Bafana Bafana actually slipped two places according to the latest FIFA ranking. South Africa has gone down from 59th to 61st in the world, despite booking a berth at next year’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the US, and also beating Zambia 3-1 in a friendly in Gqeberha last Saturday. The drop in ranking, however, is not likely to influence South Africa’s position at the World Cup draw in Washington on 5 December.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-23-cents and the euro at 19-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-53-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-548-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-52-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….