News 14:00

BULLETIN 2 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A fresh court bid filed to halt Mothibi’s appointment
# The UK Foreign Affairs minister’s visit to Ethiopia will focus on migration
# And cricket: Pakistan will ‌boycott their game against India in the T20​ World Cup

# B Xulu and Partners Incorporated has filed an urgent supplementary application in the High Court in Pretoria to halt newly appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi from taking office. Mothibi’s tenure began today, succeeding Shamila Batohi. Advocate Barnabas Xulu argues the appointment by president Cyril Ramaphosa is unlawful and should be set aside, citing a flawed and biased interview process. Meanwhile, the Presidency says it will respond in court, while the Justice Ministry has vowed to strongly oppose the application, calling it baseless.

# The Young Intelligent Minds of South Africa calls on Parliament to debate stricter crime control measures, including a nationwide night curfew. Speaking in Mbombela in Mpumalanga, the organisation’s Jeffrey Mabunda proposed a curfew of ten at night to four in the morning, and earlier closures of alcohol-serving venues. He urges the deployment of the Defence Force to support police in addressing rising crime levels:

Moving abroad:

# Britain’s Foreign minister, Yvette Cooper, says she will use her visit to Ethiopia, starting today, to focus on measures to try to stem rising numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa, seeking to reach the UK. Around 30-percent of people crossing the English Channel on small boats over the past two years were citizens from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan. Cooper says job creation partnerships would dissuade people from leaving Ethiopia, while stronger law enforcement cooperation is essential to counter smuggler gangs and speed up returns of migrants.

# Cricket: Pakistan will play in the T20 World Cup after previously threatening a full boycott, but will not take on tournament co-hosts India in Colombo next Sunday. Political tensions have meant Pakistan and India have not faced each other outside the men’s major tournaments since 2013. Bangladesh has already withdrawn from the tournament, citing safety fears over travelling to India. The International Cricket Council says Pakistan’s position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-5-cents and the euro at 19-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-502-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-683-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, participated in a tree-planting project at the Khayelitsha Hospital in Cape Town. The worldwide Mother’s Forest tree planting initiative aims to restore green spaces and promote environmental stewardship under the philosophy of a mother’s love to restore life and health to the planet. Aucamp says last year, South Africa surpassed its target by planting one million trees in a single day:

Stay tuned for more news………….