News 11:00

BULLETIN 20 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Creecy urges taxi bodies to curb overloading during the festive season
# A Limpopo businessman is sentenced to life for his wife’s murder
# And rugby: The Stormers and Sharks host South African rivals in the United Rugby Championship today

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy has called on taxi associations to step up operations to curb overloading during the festive season. She referred to an incident where 26 passengers were found in a 16-seater taxi heading to the Eastern Cape. Creecy urged the South African National Taxi Council, the Southern African Bus Operators Association, and the National Taxi Alliance South Africa to enforce compliance, as most holiday traffic heads to major roads:

# IRS Forensic Investigations’ Chad Thomas says relocating illegal occupants from hijacked buildings has become a growing crisis. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika after the killing of Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock, Thomas warned that authorities know which buildings to target but fail to act. He says thousands of undocumented migrants and displaced South Africans face eviction with no alternative housing, exposing the absence of a long-term plan to manage the crisis:

# The chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities, Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, says the body will continue supporting the Section 22 ad-hoc committee, rejecting claims that existing laws are sufficient. The committee, tasked with protecting religious and cultural communities, emphasises defending entire faiths. She says they are not defending individuals but the Christian faith:

# The High Court in Polokwane has sentenced Limpopo businessman Rameez Patel to life imprisonment for the 2015 murder of his wife, Fatima Patel. He also received five years for illegal firearm possession and three years for ammunition. Judge Joseph Raulinga found Patel showed no remorse and rejected claims of intruders. The National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi, welcomed the sentence, calling it a strong stand against gender-based violence:

# The US Justice Department released thousands of heavily redacted documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. The documents made scant reference to president Donald Trump but extensively featured Democratic former president Bill Clinton. The scandal surrounding Epstein has become a self-inflicted political wound for Trump, who for years had promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein to his supporters. Trump ordered the Justice Department last month to investigate Clinton’s ties to Epstein, in what critics viewed as an effort to shift the focus away from his own relationship with Epstein.

# And rugby: The Stormers and the Lions face off in Cape Town in the first of two local United Rugbychampionship derbies today. The Sharks will welcome the Bulls to Kings Park in Durban later. The Stormers are currently on top of the log, with the Lions seventh, the Bulls eighth, and the Sharks 14th. Other derbies taking place today are Benetton and Zebre in Italy, and Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh in Scotland. Welsh teams Ospreys and Dragons take on Irish teams Munster and Connacht, respectively.

Stay tuned for more news………….