News 17:00

BULLETIN 28 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Senthumule clarifies that leaders are at fault in the task team for political killings’ docket handover
# Build One South Africa’s leader says the low pass mark fails learners and undermines education standards
# And Roadrunning: The Soweto Marathon kicks off tomorrow with cut-off times for the first time

# Acting deputy national police commissioner for Crime Detection, Hilda Senthumule, told the Madlanga Commission that any leader would be at fault if the 121 Political Killings Task Team dockets were moved for auditing. She said they were specifically for a handover to the detective. Senthumule described the disbandment of the PKTT as irrational, highlighting that KwaZulu-Natal Police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, was excluded and only objected after learning of the plan:

# Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane says South Africa’s education system is failing learners, especially those from disadvantaged communities. In his parliamentary debate on the education crisis, Maimane called for an end to the 30-percent pass mark in grade 12, arguing it sends the wrong message about acceptable standards. He warned Parliament that the current threshold fails to prepare learners for university or work:

# The Public Investment Corporation has approved a new Strategy on Natural Gas aimed at strengthening South Africa’s energy security and supporting decarbonisation. The PIC says the plan aligns with the National Development Plan, the Draft Gas Masterplan and the upcoming 2025 Integrated Resource Plan. Key components include major investment in gas infrastructure, converting Eskom’s Ankerlig and Gourikwa plants to gas, developing a three-thousand-megawatt gas-to-power project in Richards Bay, and addressing the looming industrial gas supply cliff.

# Roadrunning: Over 18-thousand athletes are expected at tomorrow’s Soweto Marathon, starting and finishing at the Johannesburg Expo Centre at Nasrec. Participants can choose between the marathon, half-marathon or ten-kilometre races, starting at 5, 6, and 7am, respectively. For the first time, cut-off times apply at the halfway mark and at the Orlando Stadium feeding station, with buses available for those missing deadlines. The winners of the 42-kilometre marathon will each receive 250-thousand-rand. Registrations close at seven tonight.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-11-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-62-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-529-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-173-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o says she will no longer take on slavery roles. Speaking to Grammy-winning Beninese-French singer and actress Angélique Kidjo on Inside Africa, Nyong’o explained she wants to change the narrative around what it means to be African. She added that, even if it means working less, avoiding roles that reinforce stereotypes is essential to reshaping perceptions and celebrating Africa’s diverse stories:

Stay tuned for more news………….