News 07:00

BULLETIN 25 November 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ukraine’s ambassador says they are helping the families of the 17 men trapped in Donbas
# AfriForum says South Africa’s water security is threatened by municipal mismanagement
# And, Nigeria and the US are deepening their security cooperation

# Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa, Olexander Scherba, has reiterated that the 17 men, who were lured into fighting under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts, are not fighting for Kyiv. The group of South African men is trapped in the epicentre of the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region. It is illegal for South Africans to join foreign armies unless authorised by the government. Scherba told Newzroom Afrika that ever since this news broke, he has received emails from family members of these men:

Meanwhile, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, Chairperson Supra Mahumapelo, expressed approval of SAPS investigations into the 17 South Africans. The men are reported to have been recruited by MK Party’s Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. Mahumapelo says the committee will seek clarity from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to determine how they were recruited, processed, and forced into combat.

# AfriForum warns that South Africa’s water crisis is worsening as municipalities owe water boards more than 20-billion-rand, leading to failing infrastructure and major water losses. According to the organisation, Vaal Central Water, Amatola Water, and Rand Water report extensive backlogs in pipelines, pumps, and treatment works, while illegal connections and non-payment put further pressure on supplies. AfriForum’s Lambert de Klerk says urgent reform is needed, including stronger oversight:

# eThekwini mayor, Cyril Xaba, says corruption remains the biggest challenge facing local government, depriving communities of essential resources and undermining service delivery. Fraud statistics for the 2024/2025 financial year include 17 criminal cases registered with law enforcement, nine entities blacklisted and barred from doing business with the municipality, and 15 cases recommended for recovery, amounting to 35-million-rand. Xaba says a multipronged approach to curb fraud and corruption and create clean, accountable governance is central to winning the fight against unethical practices.

# Nigeria and the United States have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to enhance counterterrorism operations and deepen security cooperation between both countries. Earlier this month, US president Donald Trump threatened military intervention in Nigeria over allegations that radical Islamists were killing Christians. A Nigerian delegation, including the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, met US officials in Washington last week. The Nigerian presidency says the cooperation includes enhanced intelligence support, expedited processing of defence equipment requests, and reinforcement of ongoing operations against terrorists and violent extremist groups.

# Cricket: Australia still isn’t sure about the fitness of captain Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test against England, starting in Brisbane next Thursday. He said himself this weekend there was only a half chance he would recover in time from a back problem. Former skipper Steve Smith captained the hosts when they beat England by eight wickets within two days in the first match in Perth. Another fast bowler, Josh Hazlewood, was injured before the first Test, but should be available again later in the series.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-27-cents and the euro at 19-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-942-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-134-dollars-86-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….