News 15:00

BULLETIN 24 November 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Kubayi says South Africa is committed to strengthening the quality of its justice system
# The MK Party condemns a fatal shooting at the Dube Hostel during a Soweto recruitment drive
# And Rugby: A mass exodus of Boks leaves Rassie with skeleton staff for the clash against Wales

# Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, says many countries around the world are still grappling with significant challenges to judicial independence and accountability. She is participating in the second international conference on justice in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The gathering aims to foster global partnerships and share experiences in the field of judicial quality. Kubayi says South Africa is committed to strengthening the quality of its justice system:

# The MK Party has condemned the fatal shooting of a party member and the attack on two others at Dube Hostel in Soweto, Johannesburg, during a recruitment drive yesterday afternoon. One victim is recovering, while another remains in critical condition. Murder and attempted murder cases are under investigation at Meadowlands police station. National spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela says the party is cooperating with the authorities, rejecting political intimidation and urging members not to retaliate. The party will report the incident to the Electoral Commission.

# The DA in Gauteng says premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government owes Microsoft 344-million-rand in unpaid licence fees. The debt stems from the 2022 to 2025 licence agreement, where the Department of e-Government allegedly failed to pay invoices. The DA’s Michael Waters says this is financial mismanagement on a massive scale, as a modern government cannot function without digital systems. He adds that Lesufi’s administration has now placed core services, including healthcare and education, at risk:

Moving abroad:

# Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv will keep working with its partners on compromises to the proposed peace plan that would strengthen his country rather than weakening it. This follows yesterday’s talks between the US, Ukrainian and European Union representatives in Geneve to refine the 28-point peace plan proposed by US president Donald Trump. Zelensky told Sweden’s Parliament via video call that Russia as the aggressor must pay for the war it started. He adds a decision on the use of Russian assets was crucial.

# Rugby: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus won’t have the wealth of a huge squad to pick from for Saturday’s final tour match against Wales in Cardiff. The match falls outside the international window, and many of the players are returning to their clubs. Erasmus confirmed only 24 to 25 players will be available for the encounter at the Principality Stadium, where South Africa will try and conclude the tour undefeated following victories over Japan, France, Italy and Ireland. He will announce his team on Thursday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-32-cents and the euro at 19-rand-98-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-67-cents and Bitcoin trades at 85-thousand-958-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-68-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….