News 11:00

BULLETIN 29 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Manamela welcomes the SIU’s recovery of 1.7-billion-rand in National Student Financial Aid Scheme funds
# Brown Mogotsi says his security concerns to Parliament’s ad hoc committee are legitimate
# And basketball: The Department of Sport begins a process to revive the sport in South Africa

# Higher Education and Training minister, Buti Manamela, has reaffirmed his support for the Special Investigating Unit’s mandate to investigate corruption, fraud and maladministration within post-school education and training institutions. The SIU has returned 1.7-billion-rand to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, recovered from universities, TVET colleges and students who did not qualify for funding. Manamela says the recovery of these funds is a significant step in restoring integrity, accountability and public confidence in the administration of student financial aid. 

# Controversial North West businessman, Brown Mogotsi, has defended his demands before he appears before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of criminal infiltration within the Police Service. He wants a private security team to watch over him during his stay in Cape Town, and refused alternative arrangements. The committee, which has resolved to subpoena Mogotsi, has labelled his demands as ridiculous. Mogotsi told Newzroom Afrika his safety concerns are legitimate:

# The Solidarity Teachers’ Network has rejected the Gauteng Education Department’s denial that funding to Quintile 5 schools has been reduced by approximately 65-percent. A recent report shows the per-learner allocation in those schools for 2026 drops from between 879- and 900-rand to 315-rand, a reduction of about 65-percent. Solidarity’s Johan Botha says Education MEC Matome Chiloane maintains that schools were already informed of the changes in September last year:

Moving abroad:

# Colombia’s Civil Aeronautics Authority says there are no survivors after a passenger plane crashed in the north of the country, killing all 15 onboard, including congressman Diógenes Quintero. The plane was operated by state airline Satena. Contact was lost with air traffic control shortly after take-off from Cúcuta to Ocaña, carrying 13 passengers and two crew members. Quintero held one of 16 seats in Parliament meant to represent victims of violence as part of the 2016 peace accords with militants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

# Basketball: The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has formally commenced a process to rebuild and stabilise the governance of the sport in South Africa. This follows the de-recognition of Basketball South Africa due to prolonged governance and administrative failures that undermined development. The department’s spokesperson, Zimasa Velaphi, says the process will include the formulation of a comprehensive roadmap for the revival and sustainable development of the sport:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-67-cents and the euro at 18-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-229-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-572-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….