News 18:00

BULLETIN 26 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Anthony Gopaul confirms Senzo Mchunu queried the use of the PKTT in Mabhida’s murder
# The Ace Magashule asbestos corruption case is postponed yet again
# And, the FF Plus urges stricter controls amid foot-and-mouth disease outbreak

# KwaZulu-Natal acting deputy provincial commissioner for Crime Detection, Anthony Gopaul, has told the Madlanga Commission the minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, questioned why the murder of ANC Mandeni Ward 18 councillor Phendukani Mabhida was handled by the Political Killings Task Team instead of a local station. Gopaul says Mchunu instructed political killings to be investigated at station level. He told the minister the task team was better equipped to link cases and understand hit men networks:

Meanwhile the covert crime intelligence operative, known as Witness E, said he uncovered a plot to assassinate former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa weeks before his 2017 killing. Presenting his testimony in-camera, Witness E says he alerted crime intelligence senior police officials, and proposed steps to stop the murder, but was ignored. Witness E testified that the hit men confirmed senior officers would assist them:

# The High Court in the Free State sitting in Bloemfontein has postponed the 255-million-rand asbestos corruption trial to 2 March. The case involves former premier Ace Magashule, his ex-personal assistant Moroadi Cholota, and 15 others facing over 70 charges, including fraud, money laundering, and corruption linked to a 2014 asbestos tender. Delays have been caused by a trial-within-a-trial and Cholota’s 2024 unlawful US extradition. Judge Phillip Loubser expressed concern over the repeated postponements:

# The FF Plus is urging authorities to protect areas still free of foot-and-mouth disease amid disruptions to livestock markets. The party’s Wynand Boshoff stresses that infected animals must not be transported and documentation proving disease-free status is essential. He says provincial borders and auction pens are key control points, while rural roads require cooperation with farm watches. He says the party also calls for vehicle sanitisation, vaccinations, and collaboration with farmers:

# Tennis: Young Italian Lorenzo Musetti promised to push ten-time champion Novak Djokovic to his limits when they meet in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The 23-year-old reach the quarterfinals the first time when he defeated American Taylor Fritz in straight sets, while the 38-year-old Serbian qualified when Czech player Jakub Mensik withdrew through injury. Musetti beat the former world number one only once in their previous ten encounters, but says he’d improved a lot and arrived in Melbourne with a different mentality.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-2-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-646-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-82-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….