News 11:00

BULLETIN 15 May 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa grants the Khampepe commission an extension to finish its work and submit a final report
# Additional charges are brought against corruption-accused police Sergeant Fannie Nkosi
# And rugby: There is much to play for in the final group round of the United Rugby Championships

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended the term of the Khampepe commission into Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases. He established the commission last year as part of a settlement agreement in litigation brought by families of apartheid-era victims. They accused successive democratic-era administrations of allowing political interference to suppress investigations and prosecutions. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the extension request was considered carefully:

# The Madlanga commission’s Recommendations Investigative Task Team has brought additional charges of defeating and obstructing the course of justice against corruption-accused police Sergeant Fannie Nkosi. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says it is alleged in November 2022, a suspect was arrested for possession of dagga, unlicensed firearms and explosives. She says investigations indicate Nkosi fetched the original case docket under the pretext that he had been sent by head office:

# The EFF has approached the Gauteng High Court to challenge what it says is the unlawful adoption of the City of Ekurhuleni’s 2025/26 Adjustment Budget. At the centre of this matter is the declaration by the speaker that the budget had been adopted through a voice vote, despite the constitutional requirement that budgets must be passed by a majority vote of all councillors. The EFF says this reflects the growing crisis in coalition-run municipalities, where constitutional obligations are increasingly sacrificed for narrow factional interests.

Moving abroad:

# US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says Chinese president Xi Jinping is in total agreement with president Donald Trump over Iran. He was part of a high-stakes meeting where they discussed topics including Iran, Taiwan, and trade. Rubio told NBC China is against the militarisation of the Strait of Hormuz and a tolling system at the vital waterway, which normally transports a fifth of the world’s oil supplies:

# Rugby: The final group round of the United Rugby Championship has arrived, with much to play for this weekend. The top-two teams, Glasgow Warriors and the Stormers, have already clinched home quarterfinals, while seven teams will fight it out for the remaining six places. The Stormers play Cardiff in Wales tomorrow, the fourth-placed Bulls face Benetton in Pretoria, and the fifth-placed Lions face Munster in Limerick. The Sharks, who are already out of contention in tenth position, will host Zebre in Durban.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-64-cents and the euro at 19-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 80-thousand-622-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-752-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….