News 16:00

BULLETIN 26 January 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Helen Zille denies endorsing Patrice Motsepe for the ANC presidency
# Highway safety interventions in Cape Town pay off
# And rugby: Injury concerns for the Sharks after a bruising encounter with the Stormers

# The DA’s federal council chairperson, Helen Zille, has dismissed claims she endorsed billionaire Patrice Motsepe as a potential successor to Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president. Zille says her remarks were taken out of context, stressing she does not involve herself in the ANC’s internal matters. She responded to media reports and accused journalists of twisting her words to suggest support. Zille says describing a possible transition as seamless does not amount to endorsement, calling the narrative misleading.

# Acting KwaZulu-Natal deputy police commissioner Anthony Gopaul has told the Madlanga commission he received no clear explanation for Police minister Senzo Mchunu’s interest in the murder of the ANC’s ward councillor in Mandeni. Phendukani Mabhida was killed at his Sundumbili home in February last year, days after raising corruption concerns. Gopaul says Mabhida’s party affiliation may have played a role, but this was never confirmed:

# Former Constitutional Court judge Johann Kriegler says outgoing National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, faced an objectively impossible task in her seven-year chapter at the National Prosecuting Authority. Batohi is serving her last week as director. Kriegler notes she could not fully restore momentum or public confidence, adding the institution’s recovery is a generational project. He also stresses rebuilding the NPA will require strong executive support and sustained national commitment.

# The City of Cape Town says it has steadily invested in increasing its footprint on the metro’s major routes for more than a decade now. In the last seven months, the Public Emergency Communication Centre has logged eight-thousand-552 calls for assistance on all major highways, and 86 incidents were crime-related. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security JP Smith says city agencies have made 148 arrests as part of their highway patrols:

# Rugby: The Sharks’ convincing victory over the Stormers in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship derby in Cape Town left head coach JP Pietersen with several injury concerns before this coming weekend’s re-match in Durban. Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi already missed the match when he picked up an injury during the captain’s run, while loose forwards Manu Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi and Siya Kolisi all limped off the field. Pietersen expects a huge battle at Kings Park after his team cost the Stormers their place on top of the log.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-4-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-760-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-89-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….